2.2.5-8 Minimal Use of Delimiters

Whenever possible, entry of multiple data items should be allowed without keying special separator or delimiter characters.

Additional Information:
Formatting characters such as hyphens should be provided by the system. This can be accomplished either by keying into predefined entry fields or by separating sequentially keyed items with blank spaces. In this context, tabbing from field to field is not considered to be keying a special delimiter character. When data items contain internal blanks, the entry fields with a predefined structure should be designed so that users will not have to key any internal delimiters.