Like an interactive display, a frame is the data container for reports. However, unlike a display frame, a report usually contains more than one iteration of data. A frame that can contain more than one iteration of data is known as a down frame. (Sometimes a frame with a single iteration of data is called a one-down frame.)

You might have learned that a frame is a container for field-level widgets (data widgets, action widgets, graphic widgets). Actually, it's a bit more complicated than that. All the widgets included in a one-down frame are contained in a special widget called a field-group widget. The frame contains the field-group widget. When you display several iterations of data, the widgets of each iteration belong to a single field-group widget, and the frame contains the set of field group widgets.

The behind-the-scenes work of the field-group widget is rarely something that you need to track. The explanation above simply serves to explain the mechanics of a down frame in terms of the programming model.

The default frame of an iterating control block, like FOR EACH, is a down frame. You can also specify a down frame with the DOWN keyword of the frame phrase.

Add an integer before DOWN to specify the maximum number of iterations the frame can hold. For example:

DEFINE FRAME Frame1
  sports2000.Customer.Name
  WITH 12 DOWN CENTERED THREE-D.

To fit as many iterations in the frame as the screen can hold, do not add an integer before the DOWN keyword. For example:

DEFINE FRAME Frame1
  sports2000.Customer.Name
  WITH DOWN CENTERED THREE-D.