Alphabetical list of DataWindow expression functions

The list of DataWindow expression functions follows in alphabetical order.

Abs

Description

Calculates the absolute value of a number.

Syntax

Abs ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The number for which you want the absolute value


Return value

The datatype of n. Returns the absolute value of n.

Examples

This expression counts all the product numbers where the absolute value of the product number is distinct:

Count(product_number for All DISTINCT Abs (product_number))

Only data with an absolute value greater than 5 passes this validation rule:

Abs(value_set) > 5

See also

Count

Abs in the section called “Abs” in PowerScript Reference

ACos

Description

Calculates the arc cosine of an angle.

Syntax

ACos ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The ratio of the lengths of two sides of a triangle for which you want a corresponding angle (in radians). The ratio must be a value between -1 and 1.


Return value

Double. Returns the arc cosine of n if it succeeds.

Examples

This expression returns 0:

ACos(1)

This expression returns 3.141593 (rounded to six places):

ACos(-1)

This expression returns 1.000000 (rounded to six places):

ACos(.540302)

See also

Cos

ASin

ATan

ACos in PowerScript Reference

Asc

Description

Converts the first character of a string to its Unicode code point. A Unicode code point is the numerical integer value given to a Unicode character.

Syntax

Asc ( string )

Argument

Description

string

The string for which you want the code point value of the first character


Return value

Unsigned integer. Returns the code point value of the first character in string.

Usage

Use Asc to test the case of a character or manipulate text and letters.

To find out the case of a character, you can check whether its code point value is within the appropriate range.

Examples

This expression for a computed field returns the string in code_id if the code point value of the first character in code_id is A (65):

If (Asc(code_id) = 65, code_id, "Not a valid code")

This expression for a computed field checks the case of the first character of lname and if it is lowercase, makes it uppercase:

IF (Asc(lname) > 64 AND Asc(lname) < 91, lname, WordCap(lname))

See also

Char

WordCap

Asc in the section called “Asc” in PowerScript Reference

AscA

Description

Converts the first character of a string to its ASCII integer value.

Syntax

AscA ( string )

Argument

Description

string

The string for which you want the ASCII value of the first character


Return value

Integer. Returns the ASCII value of the first character in string.

Usage

Use AscA to test the case of a character or manipulate text and letters.

To find out the case of a character, you can check whether its ASCII value is within the appropriate range.

Examples

This expression for a computed field returns the string in code_id if the ASCII value of the first character in code_id is A (65):

If (AscA(code_id) = 65, code_id, "Not a valid code")

This expression for a computed field checks the case of the first character of lname and if it is lowercase, makes it uppercase:

IF (AscA(lname) > 64 AND AscA(lname) < 91, lname, WordCap(lname))

See also

CharA

WordCap

AscA in PowerScript Reference

ASin

Description

Calculates the arc sine of an angle.

Syntax

ASin ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The ratio of the lengths of two sides of a triangle for which you want a corresponding angle (in radians). The ratio must be a value between -1 and 1.


Return value

Double. Returns the arc sine of n if it succeeds.

Examples

This expression returns .999998 (rounded to six places):

ASin(.84147)

This expression returns .520311 (rounded to six places):

ASin(LogTen (Pi (1)))

This expression returns 0:

ASin(0)

See also

Sin

ACos

ATan

Pi

ASin in the section called “ASin” in PowerScript Reference

ATan

Description

Calculates the arc tangent of an angle.

Syntax

ATan ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The ratio of the lengths of two sides of a triangle for which you want a corresponding angle (in radians)


Return value

Double. Returns the arc tangent of n if it succeeds.

Examples

This expression returns 0:

ATan(0)

This expression returns 1.000 (rounded to three places):

ATan(1.55741)

This expression returns 1.267267 (rounded to six places):

ATan(Pi(1))

See also

Tan

ASin

ACos

ATan in the section called “ATan” in PowerScript Reference

Avg

Description

Calculates the average of the values of the column.

Syntax

Avg ( column { FOR range { DISTINCT { expres1 {, expres2 {, ... } } } } } )

Argument

Description

column

The column for which you want the average of the data values. Column can be the column name or the column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column. The datatype of column must be numeric.

FOR range (optional)

The data that will be included in the average. For most presentation styles, values for range are:

  • ALL -- (Default) The average of all values in column.

  • GROUP n -- The average of values in column in the specified group. Specify the keyword GROUP followed by the group number: for example, GROUP 1.

  • PAGE -- The average of the values in column on a page.

For Crosstabs, specify CROSSTAB for range:

  • CROSSTAB -- (Crosstabs only) The average of all values in column in the crosstab.

For Graph and OLE objects, specify one of the following:

  • GRAPH -- (Graphs only) The average of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

  • OBJECT -- (OLE objects only) The average of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

DISTINCT (optional)

Causes Avg to consider only the distinct values in column when calculating the average. For a value of column, the first row found with the value is used and other rows that have the same value are ignored.

expresn (optional)

One or more expressions that you want to evaluate to determine distinct rows. Expresn can be the name of a column, a function, or an expression.


Return value

The numeric datatype of the column. Returns the average of the values of the rows in range.

Usage

If you specify range, Avg returns the average value of column in range. If you specify DISTINCT, Avg returns the average value of the distinct values in column, or if you specify expresn, the average of column for each distinct value of expresn.

For graphs and OLE objects, you do not select the range when you call the function. The range has already been determined by the Rows setting on the Data property page (the Range property), and the aggregation function uses that range. Settings for Rows include the following:

  • For the Graph or OLE presentation style, Rows is always All.

  • For Graph controls, Rows can be All, Page, or Group.

  • For OLE controls, Rows can be All, Current Row, Page, or Group. The available choices depend on the layer the control occupies.

In calculating the average, null values are ignored.

Not in validation rules or filter expressions

You cannot use this or other aggregate functions in validation rules or filter expressions.

Using an aggregate function cancels the effect of setting Retrieve Rows As Needed in the painter. To do the aggregation, a DataWindow object always retrieves all rows.

Examples

This expression returns the average of the values in the column named salary:

Avg(salary)

This expression returns the average of the values in group 1 in the column named salary:

Avg(salary for group 1)

This expression returns the average of the values in column 5 on the current page:

Avg(#5 for page)

This computed field returns Above Average if the average salary for the page is greater than the average salary:

If(Avg(salary for page) > Avg(salary), "Above Average", " ")

This expression for a graph value sets the data to the average value of the sale_price column:

Avg(sale_price)

This expression for a graph value sets the data value to the average value of the sale_price column for the entire graph:

Avg(sale_price for graph)

Assuming a DataWindow object displays the order number, amount, and line items for each order, this computed field returns the average of the order amount for the distinct order numbers:

Avg(order_amt for all DISTINCT order_nbr)

See also

Median

Mode

Bitmap

Description

Displays the specified bitmap.

For computed fields only

You can use the Bitmap function only in a computed field.

Syntax

Bitmap ( string )

Argument

Description

string

A column containing bitmap files, a string containing the name of an image file (a BMP, GIF, JPEG, RLE, or WMF file), or an expression that evaluates to a string containing the name of an image file


Return value

The special datatype bitmap, which cannot be used in any other function.

Usage

Use Bitmap to dynamically display a bitmap in a computed field. When string is a column containing bitmap files, a different bitmap can display for each row.

Examples

These examples are all expressions for a computed field.

This expression dynamically displays the bitmap file contained in the column named employees:

Bitmap(employees)

If the employees column is column 3, this next expression gives the same result as the expression above:

Bitmap(#3)

This expression displays the bitmap tools.bmp:

Bitmap("TOOLS.BMP")

This expression tests the value in the column named password and then uses the value to determine which bitmap to display:

Bitmap(If(password = "y", "yes.bmp", "no.bmp"))

See also

Example 3: creating a row indicator

Case

Description

Tests the values of a column or expression and returns values based on the results of the test.

Syntax

Case ( column WHEN value1 THEN result1 { WHEN value2 THEN result2 
   { ... } } { ELSE resultelse } ) 

Argument

Description

column

The column or expression whose values you want to test. Column can be the column name or the column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column. Column is compared to each valuen.

WHEN (optional)

Introduces a value-result pair. At least one WHEN is required.

valuen

One or more values that you want to compare to values of column. A value can be:

  • A single value

  • A list of values separated by commas (for example, 2, 4, 6, 8)

  • A TO clause (for example, 1 TO 20)

  • IS followed by a relational operator and comparison value (for example, IS>5)

  • Any combination of the above with an implied OR between expressions (for example, 1,3,5,7,9,27 TO 33, IS>42)

THEN

Introduces the result to be returned when column matches the corresponding valuen.

resultn

An expression whose value is returned by Case for the corresponding valuen. All resultn values must have the same datatype.

ELSE (optional)

Specifies that for any values of column that do not match the values of valuen already specified, Case returns resultelse.

resultelse

An expression whose value is returned by Case when the value of column does not match any WHEN valuen expression.


Return value

The datatype of resultn. Returns the result you specify in resultn.

Usage

If more than one WHEN clause matches column, Case returns the result of the first matching one.

Examples

This expression for the Background.Color property of a Salary column returns values that represent red when an employee's salary is greater than $70,000, green when an employee's salary is greater than $50,000, and blue otherwise:

Case(salary WHEN IS >70000 THEN RGB(255,0,0) WHEN IS
>50000 THEN RGB(0,255,0) ELSE RGB(0,0,255))

This expression for the Background.Color property of an employee Id column returns red for Id 101, gray for Id 102, and black for all other Id numbers:

Case(emp_id WHEN 101 THEN 255 WHEN 102 THEN RGB(100,100,100) ELSE 0)

This expression for the Format property of the Marital_status column returns Single, Married, and Unknown based on the data value of the Marital_status column for an employee:

Case(marital_status WHEN 'S'THEN 'Single' WHEN 'M' THEN
'Married' ELSE 'Unknown')

See also

Example 3: creating a row indicator

If

Ceiling

Description

Retrieves the smallest whole number that is greater than or equal to a specified limit.

Syntax

Ceiling ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The number for which you want the smallest whole number that is greater than or equal to it


Return value

The datatype of n. Returns the smallest whole number that is greater than or equal to n.

Examples

These expressions both return -4:

Ceiling(-4.2)

Ceiling(-4.8)

This expression for a computed field returns ERROR if the value in discount_amt is greater than the smallest whole number that is greater than or equal to discount_factor times price. Otherwise, it returns discount_amt:

If(discount_amt <= Ceiling(discount_factor * price),
String(discount_amt), "ERROR")

To pass this validation rule, the value in discount_amt must be less than or equal to the smallest whole number that is greater than or equal to discount_factor times price:

discount_amt <= Ceiling(discount_factor * price)

See also

Int

Round

Truncate

Ceiling in the section called “Ceiling” in PowerScript Reference

Char

Description

Converts an integer to a Unicode character.

Syntax

Char ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The integer you want to convert to a character


Return value

String. Returns the character whose code point value is n.

Examples

This expression returns the escape character:

Char(27)

See also

Asc

Char in the section called “Char” in PowerScript Reference 

CharA

Description

Converts an integer to an ASCII character.

Syntax

CharA ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The integer you want to convert to a character


Return value

String. Returns the character whose ASCII value is n.

Examples

This expression returns the escape character:

CharA(27)

See also

AscA

CharA in the section called “CharA” in PowerScript Reference 

Cos

Description

Calculates the cosine of an angle.

Syntax

Cos ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The angle (in radians) for which you want the cosine


Return value

Double. Returns the cosine of n.

Examples

This expression returns 1:

Cos(0)

This expression returns .540302:

Cos(1)

This expression returns -1:

Cos(Pi(1))

See also

Pi

Sin

Tan

Cos in the section called “Cos” in PowerScript Reference

Count

Description

Calculates the total number of rows in the specified column.

Syntax

Count ( column { FOR range { DISTINCT { expres1 {, expres2 {, ... } } } } } )

Argument

Description

column

The column for which you want the number of rows. Column can be the column name or the column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column.

FOR range (optional)

The data that will be included in the count. For most presentation styles, values for range are:

  • ALL -- (Default) The count of all rows in column.

  • GROUP n -- The count of rows in column in the specified group. Specify the keyword GROUP followed by the group number: for example, GROUP 1.

  • PAGE -- The count of the rows in column on a page.

For Crosstabs, specify CROSSTAB for range:

  • CROSSTAB -- (Crosstabs only) The count of all rows in column in the crosstab.

For Graph and OLE objects, specify one of the following:

  • GRAPH -- (Graphs only) The count of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

  • OBJECT -- (OLE objects only) The count of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

DISTINCT (optional)

Causes Count to consider only the distinct values in column when counting the rows. For a value of column, the first row found with the value is used and other rows that have the same value are ignored.

expresn (optional)

One or more expressions that you want to evaluate to determine distinct rows. Expresn can be the name of a column, a function, or an expression.


Usage

If you specify range, Count determines the number of rows in column in range. If you specify DISTINCT, Count returns the number of the distinct rows displayed in column, or if you specify expresn, the number of rows displayed in column where the value of expresn is distinct.

For graphs and OLE objects, you do not select the range when you call the function. The range has already been determined by the Rows setting on the Data property page (the Range property), and the aggregation function uses that range.

Settings for Rows include the following:

  • For the Graph or OLE presentation style, Rows is always All.

  • For Graph controls, Rows can be All, Page, or Group.

  • For OLE controls, Rows can be All, Current Row, Page, or Group. The available choices depend on the layer the control occupies.

Null values in the column are ignored and are not included in the count.

Not in validation rules or filter expressions

You cannot use this or other aggregate functions in validation rules or filter expressions.

Using an aggregate function cancels the effect of setting Retrieve Rows As Needed in the painter. To do the aggregation, a DataWindow object always retrieves all rows.

Examples

This expression returns the number of rows in the column named emp_id that are not null:

Count(emp_id)

This expression returns the number of rows in the column named emp_id of group 1 that are not null:

Count(emp_id for group 1)

This expression returns the number of dept_ids that are distinct:

Count(dept_id for all DISTINCT)

This expression returns the number of regions with distinct products:

Count(region_id for all DISTINCT Lower(product_id))

This expression returns the number of rows in column 3 on the page that are not null:

Count(#3 for page)

See also

Example 1: counting null values in a column

CrosstabAvg

Description

Calculates the average of the values returned by an expression in the values list of the crosstab. When the crosstab definition has more than one column, CrosstabAvg can also calculate averages of the expression's values for groups of column values.

For crosstabs only

You can use this function only in a crosstab DataWindow object.

Syntax

CrosstabAvg ( n {, column, groupvalue } )

Argument

Description

n

The number of the crosstab-values expression for which you want the average of the returned values. The crosstab expression must be numeric.

column (optional)

The number of the crosstab column as it is listed in the Columns box of the Crosstab Definition dialog box for which you want intermediate calculations.

groupvalue (optional)

A string whose value controls the grouping for the calculation. Groupvalue is usually a value from another column in the crosstab. To specify the current column value in a dynamic crosstab, rather than a specific value, specify @ plus the column name as a quoted string.


Return value

Double. Returns the average of the crosstab values returned by expression n for all the column values or, optionally, for a subset of column values. To return a decimal datatype, use CrosstabAvgDec.

Usage

This function is meaningful only for the average of the values of the expression in a row in the crosstab. This means you can use it only in the detail band, not in a header, trailer, or summary band.

Null values are ignored and are not included in the average.

How functions in a crosstab are used

When a crosstab is generated from your definition, the appropriate computed fields are automatically created using the Crosstab functions. To understand the functions, consider a crosstab with two columns (year and quarter), a row (product), and the values expression Avg(amount for crosstab).

The Crosstab Definition dialog box looks like this.

When you define the crosstab described above, the painter automatically creates the appropriate computed fields. A computed field named avg_amount returns the average of the quarterly figures for each year. Its expression is:

CrosstabAvg(1, 2, "@year")

A second computed field named grand_avg_amount computes the average of all the amounts in the row. Its expression is:

CrosstabAvg(1)

Other computed fields in the summary band use the Avg function to display the average of the values in the amount column, the yearly averages, and the final average.

The crosstab in the Design view looks like this.

Each row in the crosstab (after adjusting the column widths) has cells for the amounts in the quarters, a repeating cell for the yearly average, and a grand average. The crosstab also displays averages of the amounts for all the financial codes in the quarters in the summary band at the bottom.

What the function arguments mean

When the crosstab definition has more than one column, you can specify column qualifiers for any of the Crosstab functions, so that the crosstab displays calculations for groups of column values. As illustrated previously, when year and quarter are the columns in the crosstab, the expression for the computed field is:

CrosstabAvg(1, 2, "@year")

The value 2 refers to the quarter column (the second column in the Crosstab Definition dialog) and "@year" specifies grouping values from the year column (meaning the function will average values for the quarters within each year). The value 1 refers to the crosstab-values expression that will be averaged. In the resulting crosstab, the computed field repeats in each row after the cells for the quarters within each year.

Tips for defining crosstabs

When you define a crosstab with more than one column, the order of the columns in the Columns box of the Crosstab Definition dialog box governs the way the columns are grouped. To end up with the most effective expressions, make the column that contains the grouping values (for example, year or department) the first column in the Columns box and the column that contains the values to be grouped (for example, quarter or employee) second.

To display calculations for groups of rows, define groups as you would for other DataWindow presentation styles and define computed fields in the group header or footer using noncrosstab aggregation functions, such as Avg, Sum, or Max.

Reviewing the expressions

To review the expressions defined for the crosstab values, open the Crosstab Definition dialog box (select Design>Crosstab from the menubar).

Examples

The first two examples use the crosstab expressions shown below:

Count(emp_id for crosstab),Sum(salary for crosstab)

This expression for a computed field in the crosstab returns the average of the employee counts (the first expression):

CrosstabAvg(1)

This expression for a computed field in the crosstab returns the average of the salary totals (the second expression):

CrosstabAvg(2)

Consider a crosstab that has two columns (region and city) and the values expression Avg(sales for crosstab). This expression for a computed field in the detail band computes the average sales over all the cities in a region:

CrosstabAvg(1, 2, "@region")

This expression for another computed field in the same crosstab computes the grand average over all the cities:

CrosstabAvg(1)

See also

CrosstabAvgDec

CrosstabCount

CrosstabMax

CrosstabMin

CrosstabSum

CrosstabAvgDec

Description

Calculates the average of the values returned by an expression in the values list of the crosstab and returns a result with the decimal datatype. When the crosstab definition has more than one column, CrosstabAvgDec can also calculate averages of the expression's values for groups of column values.

For crosstabs only

You can use this function only in a crosstab DataWindow object.

Syntax

CrosstabAvgDec ( n {, column, groupvalue } )

Argument

Description

n

The number of the crosstab-values expression for which you want the average of the returned values. The crosstab expression must be numeric.

column (optional)

The number of the crosstab column as it is listed in the Columns box of the Crosstab Definition dialog box for which you want intermediate calculations.

groupvalue (optional)

A string whose value controls the grouping for the calculation. Groupvalue is usually a value from another column in the crosstab. To specify the current column value in a dynamic crosstab, rather than a specific value, specify @ plus the column name as a quoted string.


Return value

Decimal. Returns the average of the crosstab values returned by expression n for all the column values or, optionally, for a subset of column values.

Usage

Use this function instead of CrosstabAvg when you want to return a decimal datatype instead of a double datatype. For more information, see CrosstabAvg.

See also

CrosstabMaxDec

CrosstabMinDec

CrosstabSumDec

Decimal support in DataWindow expressions

CrosstabCount

Description

Counts the number of values returned by an expression in the values list of the crosstab. When the crosstab definition has more than one column, CrosstabCount can also count the number of the expression's values for groups of column values.

For crosstabs only

You can use this function only in a crosstab DataWindow object.

Syntax

CrosstabCount ( n {, column, groupvalue } )

Argument

Description

n

The number of the crosstab-values expression for which you want the total number of returned values.

column (optional)

The number of the crosstab column as it is listed in the Columns box of the Crosstab Definition dialog for which you want intermediate calculations.

groupvalue (optional)

A string whose value controls the grouping for the calculation. Groupvalue is usually a value from another column in the crosstab. To specify the current column value in a dynamic crosstab, rather than a specific value, specify @ plus the column name as a quoted string.


Return value

Long. Returns the number of values returned by expression n for all the column values or, optionally, for a subset of column values.

Usage

This function is meaningful only for the count of the values of the expression in a row in the crosstab. This means you can use it only in the detail band, not in a header, trailer, or summary band.

Null values are ignored and are not included in the count.

For more information about restricting the calculation to groups of values when the crosstab definition has more than one column, see Usage for CrosstabAvg.

Reviewing the expressions

To review the expressions defined for the crosstab values, open the Crosstab Definition dialog box (select Design>Crosstab from the menubar).

Examples

These examples all use the crosstab-values expressions shown below:

Count(emp_id for crosstab), Sum(salary for crosstab)

This expression for a computed field in the crosstab returns the count of the employee counts (the first expression):

CrosstabCount(1)

This expression for a computed field in the crosstab returns the count of the salary totals (the second expression):

CrosstabCount(2)

The next two examples use a crosstab with two columns (year and quarter), a row (product), and the values expression Avg(sales for crosstab).

This expression for a computed field returns the count of the sales for each year:

CrosstabCount(1, 2, "@year")

This expression for a computed field returns the count of all the sales in the row:

CrosstabCount(1)

For an example illustrating how the painter automatically defines a crosstab by creating computed fields using the Crosstab functions, see CrosstabAvg.

See also

CrosstabAvg

CrosstabMax

CrosstabMin

CrosstabSum

CrosstabMax

Description

Calculates the maximum value returned by an expression in the values list of the crosstab. When the crosstab definition has more than one column, CrosstabMax can also calculate the maximum of the expression's values for groups of column values.

For crosstabs only

You can use this function only in a crosstab DataWindow object.

Syntax

CrosstabMax ( n {, column, groupvalue } )

Argument

Description

n

The number of the crosstab-values expression for which you want the maximum returned value. The expression's datatype must be numeric.

column (optional)

The number of the crosstab column as it is listed in the Columns box of the Crosstab Definition dialog box for which you want intermediate calculations.

groupvalue (optional)

A string whose value controls the grouping for the calculation. Groupvalue is usually a value from another column in the crosstab. To specify the current column value in a dynamic crosstab, rather than a specific value, specify @ plus the column name as a quoted string.


Return value

Double. Returns the maximum value returned by expression n for all the column values or, optionally, for a subset of column values. To return a decimal datatype, use CrosstabMaxDec.

Usage

This function is meaningful only for the maximum of the values of the expression in a row in the crosstab. This means you can use it only in the detail band, not in a header, trailer, or summary band.

Null values are ignored and are not included in the comparison.

For more information about restricting the calculation to groups of values when the crosstab definition has more than one column, see Usage for CrosstabAvg.

Reviewing the expressions

To review the expressions defined for the crosstab values, open the Crosstab Definition dialog box (select Design>Crosstab from the menubar).

Examples

These examples all use the crosstab-values expressions shown below:

Count(emp_id for crosstab), Sum(salary for crosstab)

This expression for a computed field in the crosstab returns the maximum of the employee counts (the first expression):

CrosstabMax(1)

This expression for a computed field in the crosstab returns the maximum of the salary totals (the second expression):

CrosstabMax(2)

The next two examples use a crosstab with two columns (year and quarter), a row (product), and a values expression Avg(sales for crosstab).

This expression for a computed field returns the largest of the quarterly average sales for each year:

CrosstabMax(1, 2, "@year")

This expression for a computed field returns the maximum of all the average sales in the row:

CrosstabMax(1)

For an example illustrating how the painter automatically defines a crosstab by creating computed fields using the Crosstab functions, see CrosstabAvg.

See also

CrosstabAvg

CrosstabCount

CrosstabMaxDec

CrosstabMin

CrosstabSum

CrosstabMaxDec

Description

Calculates the maximum value returned by an expression in the values list of the crosstab and returns a result with the decimal datatype. When the crosstab definition has more than one column, CrosstabMaxDec can also calculate the maximum of the expression's values for groups of column values.

For crosstabs only

You can use this function only in a crosstab DataWindow object.

Syntax

CrosstabMaxDec ( n {, column, groupvalue } )

Argument

Description

n

The number of the crosstab-values expression for which you want the maximum returned value. The expression's datatype must be numeric.

column (optional)

The number of the crosstab column as it is listed in the Columns box of the Crosstab Definition dialog box for which you want intermediate calculations.

groupvalue (optional)

A string whose value controls the grouping for the calculation. Groupvalue is usually a value from another column in the crosstab. To specify the current column value in a dynamic crosstab, rather than a specific value, specify @ plus the column name as a quoted string.


Return value

Decimal. Returns the maximum value returned by expression n for all the column values or, optionally, for a subset of column values.

Usage

Use this function instead of CrosstabMax when you want to return a decimal datatype instead of a double datatype. For more information, see CrosstabMax.

See also

CrosstabAvgDec

CrosstabMinDec

CrosstabSumDec

Decimal support in DataWindow expressions

CrosstabMin

Description

Calculates the minimum value returned by an expression in the values list of the crosstab. When the crosstab definition has more than one column, CrosstabMin can also calculate the minimum of the expression's values for groups of column values.

For crosstabs only

You can use this function only in a crosstab DataWindow object.

Syntax

CrosstabMin ( n {, column, groupvalue } )

Argument

Description

n

The number of the crosstab-values expression for which you want the minimum return value. The expression's datatype must be numeric.

column (optional)

The number of the crosstab column as it is listed in the Columns box of the Crosstab Definition dialog box for which you want intermediate calculations.

groupvalue (optional)

A string whose value controls the grouping for the calculation. Groupvalue is usually a value from another column in the crosstab. To specify the current column value in a dynamic crosstab, rather than a specific value, specify @ plus the column name as a quoted string.


Return value

Double. Returns the minimum value returned by expression n for all the column values or, optionally, for a subset of column values. To return a decimal datatype, use CrosstabMinDec.

Usage

This function is meaningful only for the minimum of the values of the expression in a row in the crosstab. This means you can use it only in the detail band, not in a header, trailer, or summary band.

Null values are ignored and are not included in the comparison.

For more information about restricting the calculation to groups of values when the crosstab definition has more than one column, see Usage for CrosstabAvg.

Reviewing the expressions

To review the expressions defined for the crosstab values, open the Crosstab Definition dialog box (select Design>Crosstab from the menubar).

Examples

These examples all use the crosstab-values expressions shown below:

Count(emp_id for crosstab), Sum(salary for crosstab)

This expression for a computed field in the crosstab returns the minimum of the employee counts (the first expression):

CrosstabMin(1)

This expression for a computed field in the crosstab returns the minimum of the salary totals (the second expression):

CrosstabMin(2)

The next two examples use a crosstab with two columns (year and quarter), a row (product), and the values expression Avg(sales for crosstab).

This expression for a computed field returns the smallest of the quarterly average sales for each year:

CrosstabMin(1, 2, "@year")

This expression for a computed field returns the minimum of all the average sales in the row:

CrosstabMin(1)

For an example illustrating how the painter automatically defines a crosstab by creating computed fields using the crosstab functions, see CrosstabAvg.

See also

CrosstabAvg

CrosstabCount

CrosstabMax

CrosstabMinDec

CrosstabSum

CrosstabMinDec

Description

Calculates the minimum value returned by an expression in the values list of the crosstab and returns a result with the decimal datatype. When the crosstab definition has more than one column, CrosstabMinDec can also calculate the minimum of the expression's values for groups of column values.

For crosstabs only

You can use this function only in a crosstab DataWindow object.

Syntax

CrosstabMinDec ( n {, column, groupvalue } )

Argument

Description

n

The number of the crosstab-values expression for which you want the minimum return value. The expression's datatype must be numeric.

column (optional)

The number of the crosstab column as it is listed in the Columns box of the Crosstab Definition dialog box for which you want intermediate calculations.

groupvalue (optional)

A string whose value controls the grouping for the calculation. Groupvalue is usually a value from another column in the crosstab. To specify the current column value in a dynamic crosstab, rather than a specific value, specify @ plus the column name as a quoted string.


Return value

Decimal. Returns the minimum value returned by expression n for all the column values or, optionally, for a subset of column values.

Usage

Use this function instead of CrosstabMin when you want to return a decimal datatype instead of a double datatype. For more information, see CrosstabMin.

See also

CrosstabAvgDec

CrosstabMaxDec

CrosstabSumDec

Decimal support in DataWindow expressions

CrosstabSum

Description

Calculates the sum of the values returned by an expression in the values list of the crosstab. When the crosstab definition has more than one column, CrosstabSum can also calculate the sum of the expression's values for groups of column values.

For crosstabs only

You can use this function only in a crosstab DataWindow object.

Syntax

CrosstabSum ( n {, column, groupvalue } )

Argument

Description

n

The number of the crosstab-values expression for which you want the sum of the returned values. The expression's datatype must be numeric.

column (optional)

The number of the crosstab column as it is listed in the Columns box of the Crosstab Definition dialog box for which you want intermediate calculations.

groupvalue (optional)

A string whose value controls the grouping for the calculation. Groupvalue is usually a value from another column in the crosstab. To specify the current column value in a dynamic crosstab, rather than a specific value, specify @ plus the column name as a quoted string.


Return value

Double. Returns the total of the values returned by expression n for all the column values or, optionally, for a subset of column values. To return a decimal datatype, use CrosstabSumDec.

Usage

This function is meaningful only for the sum of the values of the expression in a row in the crosstab. This means you can use it only in the detail band, not in a header, trailer, or summary band.

Null values are ignored and are not included in the sum.

For more information about restricting the calculation to groups of values when the crosstab definition has more than one column, see Usage for CrosstabAvg.

Reviewing the expressions

To review the expressions defined for the crosstab values, open the Crosstab Definition dialog box (select Design>Crosstab from the menubar).

Examples

These examples all use the crosstab-values expressions shown below:

Count(emp_id for crosstab),Sum(salary for crosstab)

This expression for a computed field in the crosstab returns the sum of the employee counts (the first expression):

CrosstabSum(1)

This expression for a computed field in the crosstab returns the sum of the salary totals (the second expression):

CrosstabSum(2)

The next two examples use a crosstab with two columns (year and quarter), a row (product), and the values expression Avg(sales for crosstab).

This expression for a computed field returns the sum of the quarterly average sales for each year:

CrosstabSum(1, 2, "@year")

This expression for a computed field returns the sum of all the average sales in the row:

CrosstabSum(1)

For an example illustrating how the painter automatically defines a crosstab by creating computed fields using the Crosstab functions, see CrosstabSum.

See also

CrosstabAvg

CrosstabCount

CrosstabMax

CrosstabMin

CrosstabSumDec

CrosstabSumDec

Description

Calculates the sum of the values returned by an expression in the values list of the crosstab and returns a result with the decimal datatype. When the crosstab definition has more than one column, CrosstabSumDec can also calculate the sum of the expression's values for groups of column values.

For crosstabs only

You can use this function only in a crosstab DataWindow object.

Syntax

CrosstabSumDec ( n {, column, groupvalue } )

Argument

Description

n

The number of the crosstab-values expression for which you want the sum of the returned values. The expression's datatype must be numeric.

column (optional)

The number of the crosstab column as it is listed in the Columns box of the Crosstab Definition dialog box for which you want intermediate calculations.

groupvalue (optional)

A string whose value controls the grouping for the calculation. Groupvalue is usually a value from another column in the crosstab. To specify the current column value in a dynamic crosstab, rather than a specific value, specify @ plus the column name as a quoted string.


Return value

Decimal. Returns the total of the values returned by expression n for all the column values or, optionally, for a subset of column values.

Usage

Use this function instead of CrosstabSum when you want to return a decimal datatype instead of a double datatype. For more information, see CrosstabSum.

See also

CrosstabAvgDec

CrosstabMaxDec

CrosstabMinDec

Decimal support in DataWindow expressions

CumulativePercent

Description

Calculates the total value of the rows up to and including the current row in the specified column as a percentage of the total value of the column (a running percentage).

Syntax

CumulativePercent ( column { FOR range } )

Argument

Description

column

The column for which you want the cumulative value of the rows up to and including the current row as a percentage of the total value of the column for range. Column can be the column name or the column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column. The datatype of column must be numeric.

FOR range (optional)

The data that will be included in the cumulative percentage. For most presentation styles, values for range are:

  • ALL -- (Default) The cumulative percentage of all rows in column.

  • GROUP n -- The cumulative percentage of rows in column in the specified group. Specify the keyword GROUP followed by the group number: for example, GROUP 1.

  • PAGE -- The cumulative percentage of the rows in column on a page.

For Crosstabs, specify CROSSTAB for range:

  • CROSSTAB -- (Crosstabs only) The cumulative percentage of all rows in column in the crosstab.

For Graph and OLE objects, specify one of the following:

  • GRAPH -- (Graphs only) The cumulative percentage of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

  • OBJECT -- (OLE objects only) The cumulative percentage of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.


Return value

Long. Returns the cumulative percentage value.

Usage

If you specify range, CumulativePercent restarts the accumulation at the start of the range.

For graphs and OLE objects, you do not select the range when you call the function. The range has already been determined by the Rows setting on the Data property page (the Range property), and the aggregation function uses that range.

Settings for Rows include the following:

  • For the Graph or OLE presentation style, Rows is always All.

  • For Graph controls, Rows can be All, Page, or Group.

  • For OLE controls, Rows can be All, Current Row, Page, or Group. The available choices depend on the layer the control occupies.

In calculating the percentage, null values are ignored.

Not in validation rules or filter expressions

You cannot use this or other aggregate functions in validation rules or filter expressions.

Using an aggregate function cancels the effect of setting Retrieve Rows As Needed in the painter. To do the aggregation, a DataWindow object always retrieves all rows.

Examples

This expression returns the running percentage for the values that are not null in the column named salary:

CumulativePercent(salary)

This expression returns the running percentage for the column named salary for the values in group 1 that are not null:

CumulativePercent(salary for group 1)

This expression entered in the Value box on the Data property page for a graph returns the running percentage for the salary column for the values in the graph that are not null:

CumulativePercent(salary for graph)

This expression in a crosstab computed field returns the running percentage for the salary column for the values in the crosstab that are not null:

CumulativePercent(salary for crosstab)

See also

Percent

CumulativeSum

CumulativeSum

Description

Calculates the total value of the rows up to and including the current row in the specified column (a running total).

Syntax

CumulativeSum ( column { FOR range } )

Argument

Description

column

The column for which you want the cumulative total value of the rows up to and including the current row for group. Column can be the column name or the column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column. The datatype of column must be numeric.

FOR range (optional)

The data that will be included in the cumulative sum. For most presentation styles, values for range are:

  • ALL -- (Default) The cumulative sum of all values in column.

  • GROUP n -- The cumulative sum of values in column in the specified group. Specify the keyword GROUP followed by the group number: for example, GROUP 1.

  • PAGE -- The cumulative sum of the values in column on a page.

For Crosstabs, specify CROSSTAB for range:

  • CROSSTAB -- (Crosstabs only) The cumulative sum of all values in column in the crosstab.

For Graph and OLE objects, specify one of the following:

  • GRAPH -- (Graphs only) The cumulative sum of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

  • OBJECT -- (OLE objects only) The cumulative sum of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.


Return value

The appropriate numeric datatype. Returns the cumulative total value of the rows.

Usage

If you specify range, CumulativeSum restarts the accumulation at the start of the range.

For graphs and OLE objects, you do not select the range when you call the function. The range has already been determined by the Rows setting on the Data property page (the Range property), and the aggregation function uses that range. Settings for Rows include the following:

  • For the Graph or OLE presentation style, Rows is always All.

  • For Graph controls, Rows can be All, Page, or Group.

  • For OLE controls, Rows can be All, Current Row, Page, or Group. The available choices depend on the layer the control occupies.

In calculating the sum, null values are ignored.

Examples

This expression returns the running total for the values that are not null in the column named salary:

CumulativeSum(salary)

This expression returns the running total for the values that are not null in the column named salary in group 1:

CumulativeSum(salary for group 1)

This expression entered in the Value box on the Data property page for a graph returns the running total for the salary column for the values in the graph that are not null:

CumulativeSum(salary for graph)

This expression in a crosstab computed field returns the running total for the salary column for the values in the crosstab that are not null:

CumulativeSum(salary for crosstab)

See also

CumulativePercent

CurrentRow

Description

Reports the number of the current row (the row with focus).

Syntax

CurrentRow ( )

Return value

Long. Returns the number of the row if it succeeds and 0 if no row is current.

What row is current

The current row is not always a row displayed on the screen. For example, if the cursor is on row 7 column 2 and the user uses the scroll bar to scroll to row 50, the current row remains row 7 unless the user clicks row 50.

Examples

This expression in a computed field returns the number of the current row:

CurrentRow()

This expression for a computed control displays an arrow bitmap as an indicator for the row with focus and displays no bitmap for rows not having focus. As the user moves from row to row, an arrow marks where the user is:

Bitmap(If(CurrentRow() = GetRow(),"arrow.bmp",""))

Alternatively, this expression for the Visible property of an arrow picture control makes the arrow bitmap visible for the row with focus and invisible for rows not having focus. As the user moves from row to row, an arrow marks where the user is:

If(CurrentRow() = GetRow(), 1, 0)

See also

Example 3: creating a row indicator

GetRow

Date

Description

Converts a string whose value is a valid date to a value of datatype date.

Syntax

Date ( string )

Argument

Description

string

A string containing a valid date (such as Jan 1, 2004, or 12-31-99) that you want returned as a date


Return value

Date. Returns the date in string as a date. If string does not contain a valid date, Date returns null.

Regional Settings

To make sure you get correct return values for the year, you must verify that yyyy is the Short Date Style for year in the Regional Settings of the user's Control Panel. Your program can check this with the RegistryGet function.

If the setting is not correct, you can ask the user to change it manually or to have the application change it (by calling the RegistrySet function). The user might need to reboot after the setting is changed.

Usage

The value of the string must be a valid date.

Valid dates

Valid dates can include any combination of day (1-31), month (1-12 or the name or abbreviation of a month), and year (two or four digits). Leading zeros are optional for month and day. If the month is a name or an abbreviation, it can come before or after the day; if it is a number, it must be in the month location specified in the Windows control panel. A 4-digit number is assumed to be a year.

If the year is two digits, the assumption of century follows this rule: for years between 00 and 49, the first two digits are assumed to be 20; for years between 50 and 99, the first two digits are assumed to be 19. If your data includes dates before 1950, such as birth dates, always specify a four-digit year to ensure the correct interpretation.

The function handles years from 1000 to 3000 inclusive.

An expression has a more limited set of datatypes than the functions that can be part of the expression. Although the Date function returns a date value, the whole expression is promoted to a DateTime value. Therefore, if your expression consists of a single Date function, it will appear that Date returns the wrong datatype. To display the date without the time, choose an appropriate display format. (See Using DataWindow expression functions.)

Examples

These expressions all return the date datatype for July 4, 2004 when the default location of the month in Regional Settings is center:

Date("2004/07/04")
Date("2004 July 4")
Date("July 4, 2004")

See also

IsDate

Date in the section called “Date” in PowerScript Reference 

DateTime

Description

Combines a date and a time value into a DateTime value.

Syntax

DateTime ( date {, time } )

Argument

Description

date

A valid date (such as Jan 1, 2005, or 12-31-99) or a blob variable whose first value is a date that you want included in the value returned by DateTime.

time (optional)

A valid time (such as 8am or 10:25:23:456799) or a blob variable whose first value is a time that you want included in the value returned by DateTime. If you include a time, only the hour portion is required. If you omit the minutes, seconds, or microseconds, they are assumed to be zeros. If you omit am or pm, the hour is determined according to the 24-hour clock.


Return value

DateTime. Returns a DateTime value based on the values in date and optionally time. If time is omitted, DateTime uses 00:00:00.000000 (midnight).

Usage

To display microseconds in a time, the display format for the field must include microseconds.

For information on valid dates, see Date.

Examples

This expression returns the values in the order_date and order_time columns as a DateTime value that can be used to update the database:

DateTime(Order_Date, Order_Time)

Using this expression for a computed field displays 11/11/01 11:11:00:

DateTime(11/11/01, 11:11)

See also

Date

Time

DateTime in the section called “DateTime” in PowerScript Reference

Day

Description

Obtains the day of the month in a date value.

Syntax

Day ( date )

Argument

Description

date

The date for which you want the day


Return value

Integer. Returns an integer (1-31) representing the day of the month in date.

Examples

This expression returns 31:

Day(2005-01-31)

This expression returns the day of the month in the start_date column:

Day(start_date)

See also

Date

IsDate

Month

Year

Day in the section called “Day” in PowerScript Reference

DayName

Description

Gets the day of the week in a date value and returns the weekday's name.

Syntax

DayName ( date )

Argument

Description

date

The date for which you want the name of the day


Return value

String. Returns a string whose value is the name of the weekday (Sunday, Monday, and so on) for date.

Usage

DayName returns a name in the language of the deployment files available on the machine where the application is run. If you have installed localized deployment files in the development environment or on a user's machine, then on that machine the name returned by DayName will be in the language of the localized files.

For information about localized deployment files, see Internationalizing an Application in Application Techniques.

Examples

This expression for a computed field returns Okay if the day in date_signed is not Sunday:

If(DayName(date_signed) <> "Sunday", "Okay", "Invalid Date")

To pass this validation rule, the day in date_signed must not be Sunday:

DayName(date_signed) <> "Sunday"

See also

Date

Day

DayNumber

IsDate

DayName in the section called “DayName” in PowerScript Reference 

DayNumber

Description

Gets the day of the week of a date value and returns the number of the weekday.

Syntax

DayNumber ( date )

Argument

Description

date

The date from which you want the number of the day of the week


Return value

Integer. Returns an integer (1-7) representing the day of the week of date. Sunday is day 1, Monday is day 2, and so on.

Examples

This expression for a computed field returns Wrong Day if the date in start_date is not a Sunday or a Monday:

If(DayNumber(start_date) > 2, "Okay", "Wrong Day")

This expression for a computed field returns Wrong Day if the date in end_date is not a Saturday or a Sunday:

If(DayNumber(end_date) > 1 and DayNumber(end_date) 
< 7, "Okay", "Wrong Day")

This validation rule for the column end_date ensures that the day is not a Saturday or Sunday:

DayNumber(end_date) >1 and DayNumber(end_date) < 7

See also

Date

Day

DayName

IsDate

DayNumber in the section called “DayNumber” in PowerScript Reference 

DaysAfter

Description

Gets the number of days one date occurs after another.

Syntax

DaysAfter ( date1, date2 )

Argument

Description

date1

A date value that is the start date of the interval being measured

date2

A date value that is the end date of the interval


Return value

Long. Returns a long containing the number of days date2 occurs after date1. If date2 occurs before date1, DaysAfter returns a negative number.

Examples

This expression returns 4:

DaysAfter(2005-12-20, 2005-12-24)

This expression returns -4:

DaysAfter(2005-12-24, 2005-12-20)

This expression returns 0:

DaysAfter(2005-12-24, 2005-12-24)

This expression returns 5:

DaysAfter(2004-12-29, 2005-01-03)

See also

Date

SecondsAfter

DaysAfter in the section called “DaysAfter” in PowerScript Reference 

Dec

Description

Converts the value of a string to a decimal.

Syntax

Dec ( string )

Argument

Description

string

The string you want returned as a decimal


Return value

Decimal. Returns the contents of string as a decimal if it succeeds and 0 if string is not a number.

Usage

The decimal datatype supports up to 28 digits.

You can also append the letter D in upper or lowercase to identify a number as a decimal constant in DataWindow expressions. For example, 2.0d and 123.456789012345678901D are treated as decimals.

Examples

This expression returns the string 24.3 as a decimal datatype:

Dec("24.3")

This expression for a computed field returns "Not a valid score" if the string in the score column does not contain a number. The expression checks whether the Dec function returns 0, which means it failed to convert the value:

If ( Dec(score) <> 0, score, "Not a valid score")

This expression returns 0:

Dec("3ABC")    // 3ABC is not a number

This validation rule checks that the value in the column the user entered is greater than 1999.99:

Dec(GetText()) > 1999.99

This validation rule for the column named score insures that score contains a string:

Dec(score) <> 0

See also

Dec in the section called “Dec” in PowerScript Reference 

Decimal support in DataWindow expressions

Describe

Description

Reports the values of properties of a DataWindow object and controls within the object. Each column and graphic control in the DataWindow object has a set of properties, which are listed in Controls in a DataWindow and their properties. You specify one or more properties as a string and Describe returns the values of the properties.

Syntax

Describe ( propertylist )

Argument

Description

propertylist

A string whose value is a blank-separated list of properties or Evaluate functions. For a list of valid properties, see Controls in a DataWindow and their properties.


Return value

String. Returns a string that includes a value for each property or Evaluate function. A new line character (~n) separates the value of each item in propertylist.

If propertylist contains an invalid item, Describe returns an exclamation point (!) for that item and ignores the rest of propertylist. Describe returns a question mark (?) if there is no value for a property.

Usage

Specifying the values for propertylist can be complex. For information and examples, see the Describe method for the DataWindow control.

Examples

This expression for a computed field in the header band of a DataWindow object displays the DataWindow object's SELECT statement:

Describe("DataWindow.Table.Select")

See also

Describe

Exp

Description

Raises e to the specified power.

Syntax

Exp ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The power to which you want to raise e (2.71828)


Return value

Double. Returns e raised to the power n.

Examples

This expression returns 7.38905609893065:

Exp(2)

See also

Log

LogTen

Exp in the section called “Exp” in PowerScript Reference 

Fact

Description

Gets the factorial of a number.

Syntax

Fact ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The number for which you want the factorial


Return value

Double. Returns the factorial of n.

Examples

This expression returns 24:

Fact(4)

Both these expressions return 1:

Fact(1)
Fact(0)

See also

Fact in the section called “Fact” in PowerScript Reference 

Fill

Description

Builds a string of the specified length by repeating the specified characters until the result string is long enough.

Syntax

Fill ( chars, n )

Argument

Description

chars

A string whose value will be repeated to fill the return string

n

A long whose value is the number of characters in the string you want returned


Return value

String. Returns a string n characters long filled with repetitions of the characters in the argument chars. If the argument chars has more than n characters, the first n characters of chars are used to fill the return string. If the argument chars has fewer than n characters, the characters in chars are repeated until the return string has n characters.

Usage

Fill is used to create a line or other special effect. For example, asterisks repeated in a printed report can fill an amount line, or hyphens can simulate a total line in a screen display.

Examples

This expression returns a string containing 35 asterisks:

Fill("*", 35)

This expression returns the string -+-+-+-:

Fill("-+", 7)

This expression returns 10 tildes (~):

Fill("~~", 10)

See also

FillA

Space

Fill in the section called “Fill” in PowerScript Reference 

FillA

Description

Builds a string of the specified length in bytes by repeating the specified characters until the result string is long enough.

Syntax

FillA ( chars, n )

Argument

Description

chars

A string whose value will be repeated to fill the return string

n

A long whose value is the number of bytes in the string you want returned


Return value

String. Returns a string n bytes long filled with repetitions of the characters in the argument chars. If the argument chars has more than n bytes, the first n bytes of chars are used to fill the return string. If the argument chars has fewer than n bytes, the characters in chars are repeated until the return string has n bytes.

Usage

FillA replaces the functionality that Fill had in DBCS environments in PowerBuilder 9. In SBCS environments, Fill and FillA return the same results.

See also

Fill

FillA in the section called “FillA” in PowerScript Reference 

First

Description

Reports the value in the first row in the specified column.

Syntax

First ( column { FOR range  { DISTINCT { expresn  {, expres2 {, ... } } } } } )

Argument

Description

column

The column for which you want the value of the first row. Column can be a column name or a column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column.

FOR range (optional)

The data that will be included when the value in the first row is found. Values for range depend on the presentation style. See the Usage section for more information.

DISTINCT (optional)

Causes First to consider only the distinct values in column when determining the first value. For a value of column, the first row found with the value is used and other rows that have the same value are ignored.

expresn (optional)

One or more expressions that you want to evaluate to determine distinct rows. Expresn can be the name of a column, a function, or an expression.


Return value

The datatype of the column. Returns the value in the first row of column. If you specify range, First returns the value of the first row in column in range.

Usage

If you specify range, First determines the value of the first row in column in range. If you specify DISTINCT, First returns the first distinct value in column, or if you specify expresn, the first distinct value in column where the value of expresn is distinct.

For most presentation styles, values for range are:

  • ALL -- (Default) The value in the first of all rows in column.

  • GROUP n -- The value in the first of rows in column in the specified group. Specify the keyword GROUP followed by the group number: for example, GROUP 1.

  • PAGE -- The value in the first of the rows in column on a page.

For Crosstabs, specify CROSSTAB for range to indicate the first of all rows in column in the crosstab.

For Graphs specify GRAPH and for OLE objects specify OBJECT for range, to indicate the value in the first row in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

For graphs and OLE objects, you do not select the range when you call the function. The range has already been determined by the Rows setting on the Data property page (the Range property), and the aggregation function uses that range. Settings for Rows include the following:

  • For the Graph or OLE presentation style, Rows is always All.

  • For Graph controls, Rows can be All, Page, or Group.

  • For OLE controls, Rows can be All, Current Row, Page, or Group. The available choices depend on the layer the control occupies.

Not in validation rules or filter expressions

You cannot use this or other aggregate functions in validation rules or filter expressions.

Using an aggregate function cancels the effect of setting Retrieve Rows As Needed in the painter. To do the aggregation, a DataWindow object always retrieves all rows.

Examples

This expression returns the first value in column 3 on the page:

First(#3 for page)

This expression returns the first distinct value in the column named dept_id in group 2:

First(dept_id for group 2 DISTINCT)

This expression returns the first value in the column named dept_id in group 2:

First(dept_id for group 2)

See also

Last

FontHeight

Description

Allows you to find the height of the font for a column or computed field. This function takes the column name as an argument. Use this function to set the minimum height to the size of the font.

Syntax

FontHeight ( column )

Argument

Description

column

The column for which you want to find the font height. Column can be a column name or a column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column.


Return value

Long. Returns the height of the font for the column:

56 -- font size: 9

64 -- font size: 10

72 -- font size: 11

76 -- font size: 12

Example

dw_1.object.fname.Height = "0~tFontHeight(fname)"

GetPaintDC

Description

Returns the GDI context to which to draw.

Syntax

GetPaintDC ( )

Return value

UnsignedLong.

Usage

The clip region of the GDI context is guaranteed to be the same as the rectangle defined by GetPaintRectHeight, GetPaintRectWidth, GetPaintRectX, and GetPaintRectY.

You can also use the GetClipBox GDI function. You can compute the bounds inside the global rendering function itself.

The GetPaintDC expression is only valid in the context of the Paint expression function.

Examples

This example draws a cube with the text of the column emp_lname.

Paint
(
     MyDrawWPFCubeText
     (
          GetPaintDC(),
          GetPaintRectX(),
          GetPaintRectY(),
          GetPaintRectWidth(),
          GetPaintRectHeight(),
          emp_lname,
          GetRow()
     )
)

See also

GetPaintRectHeight

GetPaintRectWidth

GetPaintRectX

GetPaintRectY

Paint

GetPaintRectHeight

Description

Returns the bounds of the computed field and the device context is clipped within those bounds. This expression is only valid in the context of the Paint expression function.

Syntax

GetPaintRectHeight ( )

Return value

Integer. Returns the height bounds for the computed field.

See also

GetPaintDC

GetPaintRectWidth

GetPaintRectX

GetPaintRectY

Paint

GetPaintRectWidth

Description

Returns the bounds of the computed field and the device context is clipped within those bounds. This expression is only valid in the context of the Paint expression function.

Syntax

GetPaintRectWidth ( )

Return value

Integer. Returns the width bounds for the computed field.

See also

GetPaintDC

GetPaintRectHeight

GetPaintRectX

GetPaintRectY

Paint

GetPaintRectX

Description

Returns the bounds of the computed field and the device context is clipped within those bounds. This expression is only valid in the context of the Paint expression function.

Syntax

GetPaintRectX ( )

Return value

Integer. Returns the X bound for the computed field.

See also

GetPaintDC

GetPaintRectHeight

GetPaintRectWidth

GetPaintRectY

Paint

GetPaintRectY

Description

Returns the bounds of the computed field and the device context is clipped within those bounds. This expression is only valid in the context of the Paint expression function.

Syntax

GetPaintRectY ( )

Return value

Integer. Returns the Y bound for the computed field.

See also

GetPaintDC

GetPaintRectHeight

GetPaintRectWidth

GetPaintRectX

GetRow

Description

Reports the number of a row associated with a band in a DataWindow object.

Syntax

GetRow ( )

Return value

Long. Returns the number of a row if it succeeds, 0 if no data has been retrieved or added, and -1 if an error occurs. Where you call GetRow determines what row it returns, as follows:

If the control in the DataWindow object is in this band

GetRow returns

Header

First row on the page

Group header

First row in the group

Detail

The row in which the expression occurs

Group trailer

Last row in the group

Summary

Last row in the DataWindow object

Footer

Last row on the page


Examples

This expression for a computed field in the detail band displays the number of each row:

GetRow()

This expression for a computed field in the header band checks to see if there is data. It returns the number of the first row on the page if there is data, and otherwise returns No Data:

If(GetRow()= 0, "No Data", String(GetRow()))

See also

Example 3: creating a row indicator

CurrentRow

GetRow

GetText

Description

Obtains the text that a user has entered in a column.

Syntax

GetText ( )

Return value

String. Returns the text the user has entered in the current column.

Usage

Use GetText in validation rules to compare what the user has entered to application-defined criteria before it is accepted into the data buffer.

Examples

This validation rule checks that the value the user entered in the column is less than 100:

Integer(GetText()) < 100

See also

GetText

Hour

Description

Obtains the hour in a time value. The hour is based on a 24-hour clock.

Syntax

Hour ( time )

Argument

Description

time

The time value from which you want the hour


Return value

Integer. Returns an integer (00-23) containing the hour portion of time.

Examples

This expression returns the current hour:

Hour(Now())

This expression returns 19:

Hour(19:01:31)

See also

Minute

Now

Second

Hour in the section called “Hour” in PowerScript Reference 

If

Description

Evaluates a condition and returns a value based on that condition.

Syntax

If ( boolean, truevalue, falsevalue )

Argument

Description

boolean

A boolean expression that evaluates to true or false.

truevalue

The value you want returned if the boolean expression is true. The value can be a string or numeric value.

falsevalue

The value you want returned if the boolean expression is false. The value can be a string or numeric value.


Return value

The datatype of truevalue or falsevalue. Returns truevalue if boolean is true and falsevalue if it is false. Returns null if an error occurs.

Examples

This expression returns Boss if salary is over $100,000 and Employee if salary is less than or equal to $100,000:

If(salary > 100000, "Boss", "Employee")

This expression returns Boss if salary is over $100,000, Supervisor if salary is between $12,000 and $100,000, and Clerk if salary is less than or equal to $12,000:

If(salary > 100000, "Boss", If(salary > 12000, "Supervisor", "Clerk"))

In this example of a validation rule, the value the user should enter in the commission column depends on the price. If price is greater than or equal to 1000, then the commission is between .10 and .20. If price is less than 1000, then the commission must be between .04 and .09. The validation rule is:

(Number(GetText()) >= If(price >=1000, .10, .04)) AND
(Number(GetText()) <= If(price >= 1000, .20, .09))

The accompanying error message expression might be:

"Price is " 
+  If(price >= 1000, "greater than or equal to", "less than") 
+ " 1000. Commission must be between " 
+  If(price >= 1000, ".10", ".04") 
+ " and " 
+  If(price >= 1000, ".20.", ".09.")

See also

Example 1: counting null values in a column

Example 2: counting male and female employees

Example 3: creating a row indicator

Example 4: displaying all data when a column allows nulls

Case

Int

Description

Gets the largest whole number less than or equal to a number.

Syntax

Int ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The number for which you want the largest whole number that is less than or equal to it


Return value

The datatype of n. Returns the largest whole number less than or equal to n.

Examples

These expressions return 3.0:

Int(3.2)

Int(3.8)

These expressions return -4.0:

Int(-3.2)

Int(-3.8)

See also

Ceiling

Integer

Round

Truncate

Int in the section called “Int” in PowerScript Reference

Integer

Description

Converts the value of a string to an integer.

Syntax

Integer ( string )

Argument

Description

string

The string you want returned as an integer


Return value

Integer. Returns the contents of string as an integer if it succeeds and 0 if string is not a number.

Examples

This expression converts the string 24 to an integer:

Integer("24")

This expression for a computed field returns "Not a valid age" if age does not contain a number. The expression checks whether the Integer function returns 0, which means it failed to convert the value:

If (Integer(age) <> 0, age, "Not a valid age")

This expression returns 0:

Integer("3ABC")  // 3ABC is not a number

This validation rule checks that the value in the column the user entered is less than 100:

Integer(GetText()) < 100

This validation rule for the column named age insures that age contains a string:

Integer(age) <> 0

See also

IsNumber

Integer in the section called “Integer” in PowerScript Reference 

IsDate

Description

Tests whether a string value is a valid date.

Syntax

IsDate ( datevalue )

Argument

Description

datevalue

A string whose value you want to test to determine whether it is a valid date


Return value

Boolean. Returns true if datevalue is a valid date and false if it is not.

Examples

This expression returns true:

IsDate("Jan 1, 99")

This expression returns false:

IsDate("Jan 32, 2005")

This expression for a computed field returns a day number or 0. If the date_received column contains a valid date, the expression returns the number of the day in date_received in the computed field, and otherwise returns 0:

If(IsDate(String(date_received)), DayNumber(date_received), 0)

See also

IsDate in the section called “IsDate” in PowerScript Reference 

IsExpanded

Description

Tests whether a node in a TreeView DataWindow with the specified TreeView level and that includes the specified row is expanded.

Syntax

IsExpanded(long row, long level)

Argument

Description

row

The number of the row that belongs to the node

level

The TreeView level of the node


Return value

Returns true if the group is expanded and false otherwise.

Usage

A TreeView DataWindow has several TreeView level bands that can be expanded and collapsed. You can use the IsExpanded function to test whether or not a node in a TreeView DataWindow is expanded.

Examples

This expression returns true if the node that contains row 3 at TreeView level 2 is expanded:

IsExpanded(3,2)

IsNull

Description

Reports whether the value of a column or expression is null.

Syntax

IsNull ( any )

Argument

Description

any

A column or expression that you want to test to determine whether its value is null


Return value

Boolean. Returns true if any is null and false if it is not.

Usage

Use IsNull to test whether a user-entered value or a value retrieved from the database is null.

Examples

This expression returns true if either a or b is null:

IsNull(a + b)

This expression returns true if the value in the salary column is null:

IsNull(salary)

This expression returns true if the value the user has entered is null:

IsNull(GetText())

See also

Example 1: counting null values in a column

Example 4: displaying all data when a column allows nulls

IsNull in the section called “IsNull” in PowerScript Reference 

IsNumber

Description

Reports whether the value of a string is a number.

Syntax

IsNumber ( string )

Argument

Description

string

A string whose value you want to test to determine whether it is a valid number


Return value

Boolean. Returns true if string is a valid number and false if it is not.

Examples

This expression returns true:

IsNumber("32.65")

This expression returns false:

IsNumber("A16")

This expression for a computed field returns "Not a valid age" if age does not contain a number:

If(IsNumber(age), age, "Not a valid age")

To pass this validation rule, Age_nbr must be a number:

IsNumber(Age_nbr) = true

See also

Integer

IsNumber in the section called “IsNumber” in PowerScript Reference 

IsRowModified

Description

Reports whether the row has been modified.

Syntax

IsRowModified ( )

Return value

Boolean. Returns true if the row has been modified and false if it has not.

Usage

In a DataWindow object, when you use IsRowModified in bands other than the detail band, it reports on a row in the detail band. See GetRow for a table specifying which row is associated with each band for reporting purposes.

Examples

This expression in a computed field in the detail area displays true or false to indicate whether each row has been modified:

IsRowModified()

This expression defined in the Properties view for the Color property of the computed field displays the text (true) in red if the user has modified any value in the row:

If(IsRowModified(), 255, 0)

See also

GetRow

IsRowNew

Description

Reports whether the row has been newly inserted.

Syntax

IsRowNew ( )

Return value

Boolean. Returns true if the row is new and false if it was retrieved from the database.

Usage

In a DataWindow object, when you call IsRowNew in bands other than the detail band, it reports on a row in the detail band. See GetRow for a table specifying which row is associated with each band for reporting purposes.

Examples

This expression defined in the Properties view for the Protect property of a column prevents the user from modifying the column unless the row has been newly inserted:

If(IsRowNew(), 0, 1)

See also

GetRow

GetItemStatus

IsSelected

Description

Determines whether the row is selected. A selected row is highlighted using reverse video.

Syntax

IsSelected ( )

Return value

Boolean. Returns true if the row is selected and false if it is not selected.

Usage

When you use IsSelected in bands other than the detail band, it reports on a row in the detail band. See GetRow for a table specifying which row is associated with each band for reporting purposes.

Examples

This expression for a computed field in the detail area displays a bitmap if the row is selected:

Bitmap(If(IsSelected(), "beach.bmp", ""))

This example allows the DataWindow object to display a salary total for all the selected rows. The expression for a computed field in the detail band returns the salary only when the row is selected so that another computed field in the summary band can add up all the selected salaries.

The expression for cf_selected_salary (the computed field in the detail band) is:

If(IsSelected(), salary, 0)

The expression for the computed field in the summary band is:

Sum(cf_selected_salary for all)

See also

GetRow

IsSelected

IsTime

Description

Reports whether the value of a string is a valid time value.

Syntax

IsTime ( timevalue )

Argument

Description

timevalue

A string whose value you want to test to determine whether it is a valid time


Return value

Boolean. Returns true if timevalue is a valid time and false if it is not.

Examples

This expression returns true:

IsTime("8:00:00 am")

This expression returns false:

IsTime("25:00")

To pass this validation rule, the value in start_time must be a time:

IsTime(start_time)

See also

IsTime in the section called “IsTime” in PowerScript Reference 

Large

Description

Finds a large value at a specified ranking in a column (for example, third- largest, fifth-largest) and returns the value of another column or expression based on the result.

Syntax

Large ( returnexp, column, ntop { FOR range { DISTINCT { expres1 
   {, expres2 {, ... } } } } } )

Argument

Description

returnexp

The value you want returned when the large value is found. Returnexp includes a reference to a column, but not necessarily the column that is being evaluated for the largest value, so that a value is returned from the same row that contains the large value.

column

The column that contains the large value you are searching for. Column can be a column name or a column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column. The datatype of column must be numeric.

ntop

The ranking of the large value in relation to the column's largest value. For example, when ntop is 2, Large finds the second-largest value.

FOR range  (optional)

The data that will be included when the largest value is found. For most presentation styles, values for range are:

  • ALL -- (Default) The largest of all values in column.

  • GROUP n -- The largest of values in column in the specified group. Specify the keyword GROUP followed by the group number: for example, GROUP 1.

  • PAGE -- The largest of the values in column on a page.

For Crosstabs, specify CROSSTAB for range:

  • CROSSTAB -- (Crosstabs only) The largest of all values in column in the crosstab.

For Graph and OLE objects, specify one of the following:

  • GRAPH -- (Graphs only) The largest of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

  • OBJECT -- (OLE objects only) The largest of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

DISTINCT (optional)

Causes Large to consider only the distinct values in column when determining the large value. For a value of column, the first row found with the value is used and other rows that have the same value are ignored.

expresn  (optional)

One or more expressions that you need to evaluate to determine distinct rows. Expresn can be the name of a column, a function, or an expression.


Return value

The datatype of returnexp. Returns the ntop-largest value if it succeeds and -1 if an error occurs.

Usage

If you specify range, Large returns the value in returnexp when the value in column is the ntop-largest value in range. If you specify DISTINCT, Large returns returnexp when the value in column is the ntop-largest value of the distinct values in column, or if you specify expresn, the ntop-largest for each distinct value of expresn.

For graphs and OLE objects, you do not select the range when you call the function. The range has already been determined by the Rows setting on the Data property page (the Range property), and the aggregation function uses that range. Settings for Rows are as follows:

  • For the Graph or OLE presentation style, Rows is always All

  • For Graph controls, Rows can be All, Page, or Group

  • For OLE controls, Rows can be All, Current Row, Page, or Group. The available choices depend on the layer the control occupies

Max might be faster

If you do not need a return value from another column and you want to find the largest value (ntop = 1), use Max; it is faster.

You cannot use this or other aggregate functions in validation rules or filter expressions.

Using an aggregate function cancels the effect of setting Retrieve Rows As Needed in the painter. To do the aggregation, a DataWindow object always retrieves all rows.

Examples

These expressions return the names of the salespersons with the three largest sales (sum_sales is the sum of the sales for each salesperson) in group 2, which might be the salesregion group. Note that sum_sales contains the values being compared, but Large returns a value in the name column:

Large(name, sum_sales, 1 for group 2)
Large(name, sum_sales, 2 for group 2)
Large(name, sum_sales, 3 for group 2)

This example reports the salesperson with the third-largest sales, considering only the first entry for each person:

Large(name, sum_sales, 3 for all DISTINCT sum_sales)

See also

Small

Last

Description

Gets the value in the last row in the specified column.

Syntax

Last ( column { FOR range { DISTINCT { expres1 {, expres2 {, ... } } } } } ) 

Argument

Description

column

The column for which you want the value of the last row. Column can be a column name or a column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column.

FOR range (optional)

The data that will be included when the value in the last row is found. For most presentation styles, values for range are:

  • ALL -- (Default) The value in the last of all rows in column.

  • GROUP n -- The value in the last row in column in the specified group. Specify the keyword GROUP followed by the group number: for example, GROUP 1.

  • PAGE -- The value in the last row in column on a page.

For Crosstabs, specify CROSSTAB for range:

  • CROSSTAB -- (Crosstabs only) The value in the last row in column in the crosstab.

For Graph and OLE objects, specify one of the following:

  • GRAPH -- (Graphs only) The value in the last row in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

  • OBJECT -- (OLE objects only) The value in the last row in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

DISTINCT (optional)

Causes Last to consider only the distinct values in column when determining the last value. For a value of column, the first row found with the value is used and other rows that have the same value are ignored.

expresn (optional)

One or more expressions that you want to evaluate to determine distinct rows. Expresn can be the name of a column, a function, or an expression.


Return value

The datatype of the column. Returns the value in the last row of column. If you specify range, Last returns the value of the last row in column in range.

Usage

If you specify range, Last determines the value of the last row in column in range. If you specify DISTINCT, Last returns the last distinct value in column, or if you specify expresn, the last distinct value in column where the value of expresn is distinct.

For graphs and OLE objects, you do not select the range when you call the function. The range has already been determined by the Rows setting on the Data property page (the Range property), and the aggregation function uses that range. Settings for Rows include the following:

  • For the Graph or OLE presentation style, Rows is always All.

  • For Graph controls, Rows can be All, Page, or Group.

  • For OLE controls, Rows can be All, Current Row, Page, or Group. The available choices depend on the layer the control occupies.

Not in validation rules or filter expressions

You cannot use this or other aggregate functions in validation rules or filter expressions.

Using an aggregate function cancels the effect of setting Retrieve Rows As Needed in the painter. To do the aggregation, a DataWindow object always retrieves all rows.

Examples

This expression returns the last distinct value in the column named dept_id in group 2:

Last(dept_id for group 2 DISTINCT)

This expression returns the last value in the column named emp_id in group 2:

Last(emp_id for group 2)

See also

First

LastPos

Description

Finds the last position of a target string in a source string.

Syntax

LastPos ( string1, string2, searchlength )

Argument

Description

string1

The string in which you want to find string2.

string2

The string you want to find in string1.

searchlength (optional)

A long that limits the search to the leftmost searchlength characters of the source string string1. The default is the entire string.


Return value

Long. Returns a long whose value is the starting position of the last occurrence of string2 in string1 within the characters specified in searchlength. If string2 is not found in string1 or if searchlength is 0, LastPos returns 0. If any argument's value is null, LastPos returns null.

Usage

The LastPos function is case-sensitive. The entire target string must be found in the source string.

Examples

This statement returns 6, because the position of the last occurrence of RU is position 6:

LastPos("BABE RUTH", "RU")

This statement returns 3:

LastPos("BABE RUTH", "B")

This statement returns 0, because the case does not match:

LastPos("BABE RUTH", "be") 

This statement searches the leftmost 4 characters and returns 0, because the only occurrence of RU is after position 4:

LastPos("BABE RUTH", "RU", 2)

See also

Pos

Left

Description

Obtains a specified number of characters from the beginning of a string.

Syntax

Left ( string, n )

Argument

Description

string

The string containing the characters you want

n

A long specifying the number of characters you want


Return value

String. Returns the leftmost n characters in string if it succeeds and the empty string ("") if an error occurs.

If n is greater than or equal to the length of the string, Left returns the entire string. It does not add spaces to make the return value's length equal to n.

Examples

This expression returns BABE:

Left("BABE RUTH", 4)

This expression returns BABE RUTH:

Left("BABE RUTH", 40)

This expression for a computed field returns the first 40 characters of the text in the column home_address:

Left(home_address, 40)

See also

LeftA

Mid

Pos

Right

Left in PowerScript Reference 

LeftA

Description

Obtains a specified number of bytes from the beginning of a string.

Syntax

LeftA ( string, n )

Argument

Description

string

The string containing the characters you want

n

A long specifying the number of bytes you want


Return value

String. Returns the characters in the leftmost n bytes in string if it succeeds and the empty string ("") if an error occurs.

If n is greater than or equal to the length of the string, LeftA returns the entire string. It does not add spaces to make the return value's length equal to n.

Usage

LeftA replaces the functionality that Left had in DBCS environments in PowerBuilder 9. In SBCS environments, Left and LeftA return the same results.

See also

MidA

PosA

RightA

LeftA in PowerScript Reference 

LeftTrim

Description

Removes spaces from the beginning of a string.

Syntax

LeftTrim ( string )

Argument

Description

string

The string you want returned with leading spaces deleted


Return value

String. Returns a copy of string with leading spaces deleted if it succeeds and the empty string ("") if an error occurs.

Examples

This expression returns RUTH:

LeftTrim(" RUTH")

This expression for a computed field deletes any leading blanks from the value in the column lname and returns the value preceded by the salutation specified in salut_emp:

salut_emp + " " +  LeftTrim(lname)

See also

RightTrim

Trim

LeftTrim in the section called “LeftTrim” in PowerScript Reference 

Len

Description

Reports the length of a string in characters.

Syntax

Len ( string )

Argument

Description

string

The string for which you want the length


Return value

Long. Returns a long containing the length of string in characters if it succeeds and -1 if an error occurs.

Examples

This expression returns 0:

Len("")

This validation rule tests that the value the user entered is fewer than 20 characters:

Len(GetText()) < 20

See also

LenA

Len in the section called “Len” in PowerScript Reference 

LenA

Description

Reports the length of a string in bytes.

Syntax

LenA ( string )

Argument

Description

string

The string for which you want the length


Return value

Long. Returns a long containing the length of string in bytes if it succeeds and -1 if an error occurs.

Usage

LenA replaces the functionality that Len had in DBCS environments in PowerBuilder 9. In SBCS environments, Len and LenA return the same results.

See also

Len

LenA in the section called “LenA” in PowerScript Reference 

Log

Description

Gets the natural logarithm of a number.

Syntax

Log ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The number for which you want the natural logarithm (base e). The value of n must be greater than 0.


Return value

Double. Returns the natural logarithm of n. An execution error occurs if n is negative or zero.

Inverse

The inverse of the Log function is the Exp function.

Examples

This expression returns 2.302585092:

Log(10)

This expression returns -.693147 ...:

Log(0.5)

Both these expressions result in an error at runtime:

Log(0)
Log(-2)

See also

Exp

LogTen

Log in the section called “Log” in PowerScript Reference

LogTen

Description

Gets the base 10 logarithm of a number.

Syntax

LogTen ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The number for which you want the base 10 logarithm. The value of n must not be negative.


Return value

Double. Returns the base 10 logarithm.

Obtaining a number

The expression 10^n is the inverse for LogTen(n). To obtain n given number (nbr = LogTen(n)), use n = 10^nbr.

Examples

This expression returns 1:

LogTen(10)

The following expressions both return 0:

LogTen(1)
LogTen(0)

This expression results in an execution error:

LogTen(-2)

See also

Log

LogTen in the section called “LogTen” in PowerScript Reference 

Long

Description

Converts the value of a string to a long.

Syntax

Long ( string )

Argument

Description

string

The string you want returned as a long


Return value

Long. Returns the contents of string as a long if it succeeds and 0 if string is not a valid number.

Examples

This expression returns 2167899876 as a long:

Long("2167899876")

See also

Long in the section called “Long” in PowerScript Reference 

LookUpDisplay

Description

Obtains the display value in the code table associated with the data value in the specified column.

Syntax

LookUpDisplay ( column )

Argument

Description

column

The column for which you want the code table display value


Return value

String. Returns the display value when it succeeds and the empty string ("") if an error occurs.

Usage

If a column has a code table, a buffer stores a value from the data column of the code table, but the user sees a value from the display column. Use LookUpDisplay to get the value the user sees.

Code tables and data values and graphs

When a column that is displayed in a graph has a code table, the graph displays the data values of the code table by default. To display the display values, call this function when you define the graph data.

Examples

This expression returns the display value for the column unit_measure:

LookUpDisplay(unit_measure)

Assume the column product_type has a code table and you want to use it as a category for a graph. To display the product type descriptions instead of the data values in the categories, enter this expression in the Category option on the Data page in the graph's property sheet:

LookUpDisplay(product_type)

Lower

Description

Converts all the characters in a string to lowercase.

Syntax

Lower ( string )

Argument

Description

string

The string you want to convert to lowercase letters


Return value

String. Returns string with uppercase letters changed to lowercase if it succeeds and the empty string ("") if an error occurs.

Examples

This expression returns castle hill:

Lower("Castle Hill")

See also

Upper

Lower in the section called “Lower” in PowerScript Reference 

Match

Description

Determines whether a string's value contains a particular pattern of characters.

Syntax

Match ( string, textpattern )

Argument

Description

string

The string in which you want to look for a pattern of characters

textpattern

A string whose value is the text pattern


Return value

Boolean. Returns true if string matches textpattern and false if it does not. Match also returns false if either argument has not been assigned a value or the pattern is invalid.

Usage

Match enables you to evaluate whether a string contains a general pattern of characters. To find out whether a string contains a specific substring, use the Pos function.

Textpattern is similar to a regular expression. It consists of metacharacters, which have special meaning, and ordinary characters, which match themselves. You can specify that the string begin or end with one or more characters from a set, or that it contain any characters except those in a set.

A text pattern consists of metacharacters, which have special meaning in the match string, and nonmetacharacters, which match the characters themselves.

The following tables explain the meaning and use of these metacharacters:

Metacharacter

Meaning

Example

Caret (^)

Matches the beginning of a string

^C matches C at the beginning of a string.

Dollar sign ($)

Matches the end of a string

s$ matches s at the end of a string.

Period (.)

Matches any character

. . . matches three consecutive characters.

Backslash (\)

Removes the following metacharacter's special characteristics so that it matches itself

\$ matches $.

Character class (a group of characters enclosed in square brackets [ ])

Matches any of the enclosed characters

[AEIOU] matches A, E, I, O, or U.

You can use hyphens to abbreviate ranges of characters in a character class. For example, [A-Za-z] matches any letter.

Complemented character class (first character inside the square brackets is a caret)

Matches any character not in the group following the caret

[^0-9] matches any character except a digit, and [^A-Za-z] matches any character except a letter.


The metacharacters asterisk (*), plus (+), and question mark (?) are unary operators that are used to specify repetitions in a regular expression:

Metacharacter

Meaning

Example

* (asterisk)  

Indicates zero or more occurrences

A* matches zero or more As (no As, A, AA, AAA, and so on)

+ (plus)  

Indicates one or more occurrences

A+ matches one A or more than one A (A, AAA, and so on)

? (question mark)  

Indicates zero or one occurrence

A? matches an empty string ("") or A


Sample patterns

The following table shows various text patterns and sample text that matches each pattern:

This pattern

Matches

AB

Any string that contains AB, such as ABA, DEABC, graphAB_one.

B*

Any string that contains 0 or more Bs, such as AC, B, BB, BBB, ABBBC, and so on. Since B* used alone matches any string, you would not use it alone, but notice its use in some the following examples.

AB*C

Any string containing the pattern AC or ABC or ABBC, and so on (0 or more Bs).

AB+C

Any string containing the pattern ABC or ABBC or ABBBC, and so on (1 or more Bs).

ABB*C

Any string containing the pattern ABC or ABBC or ABBBC, and so on (1 B plus 0 or more Bs).

^AB

Any string starting with AB.

AB?C

Any string containing the pattern AC or ABC (0 or 1 B).

^[ABC]

Any string starting with A, B, or C.

[^ABC]

A string containing any characters other than A, B, or C.

^[^abc]

A string that begins with any character except a, b, or c.

^[^a-z]$

Any single-character string that is not a lowercase letter (^ and $ indicate the beginning and end of the string).

[A-Z]+

Any string with one or more uppercase letters.

^[0-9]+$

Any string consisting only of digits.

^[0-9][0-9][0-9]$

Any string consisting of exactly three digits.

^([0-9][0-9][0-9])$

Any string consisting of exactly three digits enclosed in parentheses.


Examples

This validation rule checks that the value the user entered begins with an uppercase letter. If the value of the expression is false, the data fails validation:

Match(GetText(), "^[A-Z]")

See also

Pos

Match in the section called “Match” in PowerScript Reference 

Max

Description

Gets the maximum value in the specified column.

Syntax

Max ( column { FOR range { DISTINCT { expres1 {, expres2 {, ... } } } } } )

Argument

Description

column

The column for which you want the maximum value. Column can be the column name or the column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column. The datatype of column must be numeric.

FOR range  (optional)

The data that will be included when the maximum value is found. For most presentation styles, values for range are:

  • ALL -- (Default) The maximum value of all rows in column.

  • GROUP n -- The maximum value of rows in column in the specified group. Specify the keyword GROUP followed by the group number: for example, GROUP 1.

  • PAGE -- The maximum value of the rows in column on a page.

For Crosstabs, specify CROSSTAB for range:

  • CROSSTAB -- (Crosstabs only) The maximum value of all rows in column in the crosstab.

For Graph and OLE objects, specify one of the following:

  • GRAPH -- (Graphs only) The maximum value in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

  • OBJECT -- (OLE objects only) The maximum value in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

DISTINCT (optional)

Causes Max to consider only the distinct values in column when determining the largest value. For a value of column, the first row found with the value is used and other rows that have the same value are ignored.

expresn  (optional)

One or more expressions that you want to evaluate to determine distinct rows. Expresn can be the name of a column, a function, or an expression.


Return value

The datatype of the column. Returns the maximum value in the rows of column. If you specify range, Max returns the maximum value in column in range.

Usage

If you specify range, Max determines the maximum value in column in range. If you specify DISTINCT, Max returns the maximum distinct value in column, or if you specify expresn, the maximum distinct value in column where the value of expresn is distinct.

For graphs and OLE objects, you do not select the range when you call the function. The range has already been determined by the Rows setting on the Data property page (the Range property), and the aggregation function uses that range. Settings for Rows include the following:

  • For the Graph or OLE presentation style, Rows is always All.

  • For Graph controls, Rows can be All, Page, or Group.

  • For OLE controls, Rows can be All, Current Row, Page, or Group. The available choices depend on the layer the control occupies.

Null values are ignored and are not considered in determining the maximum.

Not in validation rules or filter expressions

You cannot use this or other aggregate functions in validation rules or filter expressions.

Using an aggregate function cancels the effect of setting Retrieve Rows As Needed in the painter. To do the aggregation, a DataWindow object always retrieves all rows.

Examples

This expression returns the maximum of the values in the age column on the page:

Max(age for page)

This expression returns the maximum of the values in column 3 on the page:

Max(#3 for page)

This expression returns the maximum of the values in the column named age in group 1:

Max(age for group 1)

Assuming a DataWindow object displays the order number, amount, and line items for each order, this computed field returns the maximum of the order amount for the distinct order numbers:

Max(order_amt for all DISTINCT order_nbr)

See also

Min

Max in the section called “Max” in PowerScript Reference 

Median

Description

Calculates the median of the values of the column. The median is the middle value in the set of values, for which there is an equal number of values greater and smaller than it.

Syntax

Median ( column { FOR range { DISTINCT { expres1 {, expres2 {, ... } } } } } )

Argument

Description

column

The column for which you want the median of the data values. Column can be the column name or the column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column. The datatype of column must be numeric.

FOR range  (optional)

The data that will be included in the median. For most presentation styles, values for range are:

  • ALL -- (Default) The median of all values in column.

  • GROUP n -- The median of values in column in the specified group. Specify the keyword GROUP followed by the group number: for example, GROUP 1.

  • PAGE -- The median of the values in column on a page.

For Crosstabs, specify CROSSTAB for range:

  • CROSSTAB -- (Crosstabs only) The median of all values in column in the crosstab.

For Graph and OLE objects, specify one of the following:

  • GRAPH -- (Graphs only) The median of values in column in the range specified for the Rows.

  • OBJECT -- (OLE objects only) The median of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

DISTINCT (optional)

Causes Median to consider only the distinct values in column when determining the median. For a value of column, the first row found with the value is used and other rows that have the same value are ignored.

expresn  (optional)

One or more expressions that you want to evaluate to determine distinct rows. Expresn can be the name of a column, a function, or an expression.


Return value

The numeric datatype of the column. Returns the median of the values of the rows in range if it succeeds and -1 if an error occurs.

Usage

If you specify range, Median returns the median value of column in range. If you specify DISTINCT, Median returns the median value of the distinct values in column, or if you specify expresn, the median of column for each distinct value of expresn.

For graphs and OLE objects, you do not select the range when you call the function. The range has already been determined by the Rows setting on the Data property page (the Range property), and the aggregation function uses that range.

Settings for Rows include the following:

  • For the Graph or OLE presentation style, Rows is always All.

  • For Graph controls, Rows can be All, Page, or Group.

  • For OLE controls, Rows can be All, Current Row, Page, or Group. The available choices depend on the layer the control occupies.

In calculating the median, null values are ignored.

Not in validation rules or filter expressions

You cannot use this or other aggregate functions in validation rules or filter expressions.

Using an aggregate function cancels the effect of setting Retrieve Rows As Needed in the painter. To do the aggregation, a DataWindow object always retrieves all rows.

Examples

This expression returns the median of the values in the column named salary:

Median(salary)

This expression returns the median of the values in the column named salary of group 1:

Median(salary for group 1)

This expression returns the median of the values in column 5 on the current page:

Median(#5 for page)

This computed field returns Above Median if the median salary for the page is greater than the median for the report:

If(Median(salary for page) > Median(salary), "AboveMedian", " ")

This expression for a graph value sets the data value to the median value of the sale_price column:

Median(sale_price)

This expression for a graph value entered on the Data page in the graph's property sheet sets the data value to the median value of the sale_price column for the entire graph:

Median(sale_price for graph)

Assuming a DataWindow object displays the order number, amount, and line items for each order, this computed field returns the median of the order amount for the distinct order numbers:

Median(order_amt for all DISTINCT order_nbr)

See also

Avg

Mode

Mid

Description

Obtains a specified number of characters from a specified position in a string.

Syntax

Mid ( string, start {, length } )

Argument

Description

string

The string from which you want characters returned.

start

A long specifying the position of the first character you want returned (the position of the first character of the string is 1).

length (optional)

A long whose value is the number of characters you want returned. If you do not enter length or if length is greater than the number of characters to the right of start, Mid returns the remaining characters in the string.


Return value

String. Returns characters specified in length of string starting at character start. If start is greater than the number of characters in string, the Mid function returns the empty string (""). If length is greater than the number of characters remaining after the start character, Mid returns the remaining characters. The return string is not filled with spaces to make it the specified length.

Examples

This expression returns "":

Mid("BABE RUTH", 40, 5)

This expression returns BE RUTH:

Mid("BABE RUTH", 3)

This expression in a computed field returns ACCESS DENIED if the fourth character in the column password is not R:

If(Mid(password, 4, 1) = "R", "ENTER", "ACCESS DENIED")

To pass this validation rule, the fourth character in the column password must be 6:

Mid(password, 4, 1) = "6"

See also

Mid in the section called “Mid” in PowerScript Reference 

MidA

Description

Obtains a specified number of bytes from a specified position in a string.

Syntax

MidA ( string, start {, length } )

Argument

Description

string

The string from which you want characters returned.

start

A long specifying the position of the first byte you want returned (the position of the first byte of the string is 1).

length (optional)

A long whose value is the number of bytes you want returned. If you do not enter length or if length is greater than the number of bytes to the right of start, MidA returns the remaining bytes in the string.


Return value

String. Returns characters specified by the number of bytes in length of string starting at the byte specified by start. If start is greater than the number of bytes in string, the MidA function returns the empty string (""). If length is greater than the number of bytes remaining after the start byte, MidA returns the remaining bytes. The return string is not filled with spaces to make it the specified length.

Usage

MidA replaces the functionality that Mid had in DBCS environments in PowerBuilder 9. In SBCS environments, Mid and MidA return the same results.

See also

Mid

MidA in the section called “MidA” in PowerScript Reference 

Min

Description

Gets the minimum value in the specified column.

Syntax

Min ( column { FOR range { DISTINCT { expres1 {, expres2 {, ... } } } } } )

Argument

Description

column

The column for which you want the minimum value. Column can be the column name or the column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column. The datatype of column must be numeric.

FOR range  (optional)

The data that will be included in the minimum. For most presentation styles, values for range are:

  • ALL -- (Default) The minimum of all values in column.

  • GROUP n -- The minimum of values in column in the specified group. Specify the keyword GROUP followed by the group number: for example, GROUP 1.

  • PAGE -- The minimum of the values in column on a page.

For Crosstabs, specify CROSSTAB for range:

  • CROSSTAB -- (Crosstabs only) The minimum of all values in column in the crosstab.

For Graph and OLE objects, specify one of the following:

  • GRAPH -- (Graphs only) The minimum of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

  • OBJECT -- (OLE objects only) The minimum of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

DISTINCT (optional)

Causes Min to consider only the distinct values in column when determining the minimum value. For a value of column, the first row found with the value is used and other rows that have the same value are ignored.

expresn  (optional)

One or more expressions that you want to evaluate to determine distinct rows. Expresn can be the name of a column, a function, or an expression.


Return value

The datatype of the column. Returns the minimum value in the rows of column. If you specify range, Min returns the minimum value in the rows of column in range.

Usage

If you specify range, Min determines the minimum value in column in range. If you specify DISTINCT, Min returns the minimum distinct value in column, or if you specify expresn, the minimum distinct value in column where the value of expresn is distinct.

For graphs and OLE objects, you do not select the range when you call the function. The range has already been determined by the Rows setting on the Data property page (the Range property), and the aggregation function uses that range. Settings for Rows include:

  • For the Graph or OLE presentation style, Rows is always All.

  • For Graph controls, Rows can be All, Page, or Group.

  • For OLE controls, Rows can be All, Current Row, Page, or Group. The available choices depend on the layer the control occupies.

Null values are ignored and are not considered in determining the minimum.

Not in validation rules or filter expressions

You cannot use this or other aggregate functions in validation rules or filter expressions.

Using an aggregate function cancels the effect of setting Retrieve Rows As Needed in the painter. To do the aggregation, a DataWindow object always retrieves all rows.

Examples

This expression returns the minimum value in the column named age in group 2:

Min(age for group 2)

This expression returns the minimum of the values in column 3 on the page:

Min(#3 for page)

Assuming a DataWindow object displays the order number, amount, and line items for each order, this computed field returns the minimum of the order amount for the distinct order numbers:

Min(order_amt for all DISTINCT order_nbr)

See also

Max

Min in the section called “Min” in PowerScript Reference 

Minute

Description

Obtains the number of minutes in the minutes portion of a time value.

Syntax

Minute ( time )

Argument

Description

time

The time value from which you want the minutes


Return value

Integer. Returns the minutes portion of time (00 to 59).

Examples

This expression returns 1:

Minute(19:01:31)

See also

Hour

Second

Minute in the section called “Minute” in PowerScript Reference 

Mod

Description

Obtains the remainder (modulus) of a division operation.

Syntax

Mod ( x, y )

Argument

Description

x

The number you want to divide by y

y

The number you want to divide into x


Return value

The datatype of x or y, whichever datatype is more precise.

Examples

This expression returns 2:

Mod(20, 6)

This expression returns 1.5:

Mod(25.5, 4)

This expression returns 2.5:

Mod(25, 4.5)

See also

Mod in the section called “Mod” in PowerScript Reference 

Mode

Description

Calculates the mode of the values of the column. The mode is the most frequently occurring value.

Syntax

Mode ( column { FOR range { DISTINCT { expres1 {, expres2 {, ... } } } } } )

Argument

Description

column

The column for which you want the mode of the data values. Column can be the column name or the column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column. The datatype of column must be numeric.

FOR range (optional)

The data that will be included in the mode. For most presentation styles, values for range are:

  • ALL -- (Default) The mode of all values in column.

  • GROUP n -- The mode of values in column in the specified group. Specify the keyword GROUP followed by the group number: for example, GROUP 1.

  • PAGE -- The mode of the values in column on a page.

For Crosstabs, specify CROSSTAB for range:

  • CROSSTAB -- (Crosstabs only) The mode of all values in column in the crosstab.

For Graph and OLE objects, specify one of the following:

  • GRAPH -- (Graphs only) The mode of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

  • OBJECT -- (OLE objects only) The mode of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

DISTINCT (optional)

Causes Mode to consider only the distinct values in column when determining the mode. For a value of column, the first row found with the value is used and other rows that have the same value are ignored.

expresn (optional)

One or more expressions that you want to evaluate to determine distinct rows. Expresn can be the name of a column, a function, or an expression.


Return value

The numeric datatype of the column. Returns the mode of the values of the rows in range if it succeeds and -1 if an error occurs.

Usage

If you specify range, Mode returns the mode of column in range. If you specify DISTINCT, Mode returns the mode of the distinct values in column, or if you specify expresn, the mode of column for each distinct value of expresn.

For graphs and OLE objects, you do not select the range when you call the function. The range has already been determined by the Rows setting on the Data property page (the Range property), and the aggregation function uses that range. Settings for Rows include:

  • For the Graph or OLE presentation style, Rows is always All.

  • For Graph controls, Rows can be All, Page, or Group.

  • For OLE controls, Rows can be All, Current Row, Page, or Group. The available choices depend on the layer the control occupies.

In calculating the mode, null values are ignored.

Not in validation rules or filter expressions

You cannot use this or other aggregate functions in validation rules or filter expressions.

Using an aggregate function cancels the effect of setting Retrieve Rows As Needed in the painter. To do the aggregation, a DataWindow object always retrieves all rows.

Examples

This expression returns the mode of the values in the column named salary:

Mode(salary)

This expression returns the mode of the values for group 1 in the column named salary:

Mode(salary for group 1)

This expression returns the mode of the values in column 5 on the current page:

Mode(#5 for page)

This computed field returns Above Mode if the mode of the salary for the page is greater than the mode for the report:

If(Mode(salary for page) > Mode(salary), "Above Mode", " ")

This expression for a graph value sets the data value to the mode of the sale_price column:

Mode(sale_price)

This expression for a graph value entered on the Data page in the graph's property sheet sets the data value to the mode of the sale_price column for the entire graph:

Mode(sale_price for graph)

Assuming a DataWindow object displays the order number, amount, and line items for each order, this computed field returns the mode of the order amount for the distinct order numbers:

Mode(order_amt for all DISTINCT order_nbr)

See also

Avg

Median

Month

Description

Gets the month of a date value.

Syntax

Month ( date )

Argument

Description

date

The date from which you want the month


Return value

Integer. Returns an integer (1 to 12) whose value is the month portion of date.

Examples

This expression returns 1:

Month(2005-01-31)

This expression for a computed column returns Wrong Month if the month in the column expected_grad_date is not 6:

If(Month(expected_grad_date) = 6, "June", "Wrong Month")

This validation rule expression checks that the value of the month in the date in the column expected_grad_date is 6:

Month(expected_grad_date) = 6

See also

Day

Date

Year

Month in the section called “Month” in PowerScript Reference 

Now

Description

Obtains the current time based on the system time of the client machine.

Syntax

Now ( )

Return value

Time. Returns the current time based on the system time of the client machine.

Usage

Use Now to compare a time to the system time or to display the system time on the screen. The timer interval specified for the DataWindow object determines the frequency at which the value of Now is updated. For example, if the timer interval is one second, it is updated every second. The default timer interval is one minute (60,000 milliseconds).

Examples

This expression returns the current system time:

Now()

This expression sets the column value to 8:00 when the current system time is before 8:00 and to the current time if it is after 8:00:

If(Now() < 08:00:00, '08:00:00', String(Now()))

The displayed time refreshes every time the specified time interval period elapses.

If a static value of time is required (for example, the time when a report has been executed or the retrieve has started), you can use a static text field that you modify as follows:

//Set the time when the report was executed in 
//the text field t_now
dw1.Modify("t_now.text='"+ String(Now(),"hh:mm")+"'")
//execute the report
dw1.retrieve() 

See also

If

Year

Now in the section called “Now” in PowerScript Reference 

Number

Description

Converts a string to a number.

Syntax

Number ( string )

Argument

Description

string

The string you want returned as a number


Return value

A numeric datatype. Returns the contents of string as a number. If string is not a valid number, Number returns 0.

Examples

This expression converts the string 24 to a number:

Number("24")

This expression for a computed field tests whether the value in the age column is greater than 55 and if so displays N/A; otherwise, it displays the value in age:

If(Number(age) > 55, "N/A", age)

This validation rule checks that the number the user entered is between 25,000 and 50,000:

Number(GetText())>25000 AND Number (GetText())<50000

Page

Description

Gets the number of the current page.

Syntax

Page ( )

Return value

Long. Returns the number of the current page.

Calculating the page count

The vertical size of the paper less the top and bottom margins is used to calculate the page count. When the print orientation is landscape, the vertical size of the paper is the shorter dimension. If the DataWindow object is not set to print preview, then the size of the control determines the page number.

When Page() is in the header, it uses the first row currently visible on the page to determine the page number. When it is in the footer, it uses the last row currently visible. Therefore, it is possible for the values to be different.

Examples

This expression returns the number of the current page:

Page()

In the DataWindow object's footer band, this expression for a computed field displays a string showing the current page number and the total number of pages in the report. The result has the format Page n of total:

'Page ' + Page() + ' of ' + PageCount()

See also

PageAbs

PageAcross

PageCount

PageCountAcross

PageAbs

Description

Gets the absolute number of the current page.

Syntax

PageAbs ( )

Return value

Long. Returns the absolute number of the current page.

Usage

Use this function for group reports that have ResetPageCount = yes. It returns the absolute page number, ignoring the page reset count. This enables you to number the grouped pages, but also to obtain the absolute page when the user wants to print the current page, regardless of what that page number is in a grouped page report.

Examples

This expression returns the absolute number of the current page:

PageAbs()

This example obtains the absolute page number for the first row on the page in the string variable ret:

string ret, row
row = dw1.Object.DataWindow.FirstRowOnPage
ret = dw1.Describe("Evaluate('pageabs()', "+row+")")

See also

Page

PageCount

PageCountAcross

PageAcross

Description

Gets the number of the current horizontal page. For example, if a report is twice the width of the print preview window and the window is scrolled horizontally to display the portion of the report that was outside the preview, PageAcross returns 2 because the current page is the second horizontal page.

Syntax

PageAcross ( )

Return value

Long. Returns the number of the current horizontal page if it succeeds and -1 if an error occurs.

Examples

This expression returns the number of the current horizontal page:

PageAcross()

See also

Page

PageCount

PageCountAcross

PageCount

Description

Gets the total number of pages when a DataWindow object is being viewed in Print Preview. This number is also the number of printed pages if the DataWindow object is not wider than the preview window. If the DataWindow object is wider than the preview window, the number of printed pages will be greater than the number PageCount gets.

Syntax

PageCount ( )

Return value

Long. Returns the total number of pages.

Usage

PageCount applies to Print Preview.

Calculating the page count

The vertical size of the paper less the top and bottom margins is used to calculate the page count. When the print orientation is landscape, the vertical size of the paper is the shorter dimension. If the DataWindow object is not set to print preview, then the size of the control determines the page count.

Examples

This expression returns the number of pages:

PageCount()

In the DataWindow object's footer band, this expression for a computed field displays a string showing the current page number and the total number of pages in the report. The result has the format Page n of total:

'Page ' + Page() + ' of ' + PageCount()

See also

Page

PageAcross

PageCountAcross

PageCountAcross

Description

Gets the total number of horizontal pages that are wider than the Print Preview window when a DataWindow object is viewed in Print preview.

Syntax

PageCountAcross ( )

Return value

Long. Returns the total number of horizontal pages if it succeeds and -1 if an error occurs.

Usage

PageCountAcross applies to Print Preview.

Examples

This expression returns the number of horizontal pages in the Print Preview window:

PageCountAcross()

See also

Page

PageAcross

PageCount

Paint

Description

Takes a string expression argument and returns the same string, allowing you to paint inside a DataWindow object in a way that respect the position and z-order of other DataWindow objects.

Syntax

Paint ( expr )

Argument

Description

expr

Any valid DataWindow expression. It should contain a function call to a drawing global function with rendering logic. If expr is a string expression and the value is not null, the computed field will render the evaluated string expression.


Return value

String. The Paint expression function takes a string expression argument and returns the same string.

Examples

This example instantiates the drawing functions and, if the drawing function returns false, the text "No Pie" displays.

Paint
(
     MyDrawPieSlice
     (
          GetPaintDC()
          GetPaintRectX()
          GetPaintRectY()
          GetPaintRectWidth()
          GetPaintRectHeight()
          GetRow()*100/RowCount()
     )
)
 
Paint
(
     MyDrawPieSlice
     (
          GetPaintDC(),
          GetRow()*100/RowCount()
     )
)
 
Paint
(
 if MyDrawPieSlice(GetPaintDC()),"","No Pie")
)

Percent

Description

Gets the percentage that the current value represents of the total of the values in the column.

Syntax

Percent ( column { FOR range { DISTINCT { expres1 {, expres2  {, ... } } } } } )

Argument

Description

column

The column for which you want the value of each row expressed as a percentage of the total of the values of the column. Column can be the column name or the column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column. The datatype of column must be numeric.

FOR range  (optional)

The data to be included in the percentage. For most presentation styles, values for range are:

  • ALL -- (Default) The percentage that the current value represents of all rows in column.

  • GROUP n -- The percentage that the current value represents of rows in column in the specified group. Specify the keyword GROUP followed by the group number: for example, GROUP 1.

  • PAGE -- The percentage that the current value represents of the rows in column on a page.

For Crosstabs, specify CROSSTAB for range:

  • CROSSTAB -- (Crosstabs only) The percentage that the current value represents of all rows in column in the crosstab.

For Graph and OLE objects, specify one of the following:

  • GRAPH -- (Graphs only) The percentage that the current value represents of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

  • OBJECT -- (OLE objects only) The percentage that the current value represents of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

DISTINCT (optional)

Causes Percent to consider only the distinct values in column when determining the percentage. For a value of column, the first row found with the value is used and other rows that have the same value are ignored.

expresn  (optional)

One or more expressions that you want to evaluate to determine distinct rows. Expresn can be the name of a column, a function, or an expression.


Return value

A numeric datatype (decimal, double, integer, long, or real). Returns the percentage the current row of column represents of the total value of the column.

Usage

Usually you use Percent in a column to display the percentage for each row. You can also use Percent in a header or trailer for a group. In the header, Percent displays the percentage for the first value in the group, and in the trailer, for the last value in the group.

If you specify range, Percent returns the percentage that the current row of column represents relative to the total value of range. For example, if column 5 is salary, Percent(#5 for group 1) is equivalent to salary/(Sum(Salary for group 1)).

If you specify DISTINCT, Percent returns the percent that a distinct value in column represents of the total value of column. If you specify expresn, Percent returns the percent that the value in column represents of the total for column in a row in which the value of expresn is distinct.

Formatting the percent value

The percentage is displayed as a decimal value unless you specify a format for the result. A display format can be part of the computed field's definition.

For graphs and OLE objects, you do not select the range when you call the function. The range has already been determined by the Rows setting on the Data property page (the Range property), and the aggregation function uses that range. Settings for Rows include the following:

  • For the Graph or OLE presentation style, Rows is always All.

  • For Graph controls, Rows can be All, Page, or Group.

  • For OLE controls, Rows can be All, Current Row, Page, or Group. The available choices depend on the layer the control occupies.

Null values are ignored and are not considered in the calculation.

Not in validation rules, filter expressions, or crosstabs

You cannot use Percent or other aggregate functions in validation rules or filter expressions. Percent does not work for crosstabs; specifying "for crosstab" as a range is not available for Percent.

Using an aggregate function cancels the effect of setting Retrieve Rows As Needed in the painter. To do the aggregation, a DataWindow object always retrieves all rows.

Examples

This expression returns the value of each row in the column named salary as a percentage of the total of salary:

Percent(salary)

This expression returns the value of each row in the column named cost as a percentage of the total of cost in group 2:

Percent(cost for group 2)

This expression entered in the Value box on the Data tab page in the Graph Object property sheet returns the value of each row in the qty_ordered as a percentage of the total for the column in the graph:

Percent(qty_ordered for graph)

Assuming a DataWindow object displays the order number, amount, and line items for each order, this computed field returns the order amount as a percentage of the total order amount for the distinct order numbers:

Percent(order_amt for all DISTINCT order_nbr)

See also

CumulativePercent

Pi

Description

Multiplies pi by a specified number.

Syntax

Pi ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The number you want to multiply by pi (3.14159265358979323...)


Return value

Double. Returns the result of multiplying n by pi if it succeeds and -1 if an error occurs.

Usage

Use Pi to convert angles to and from radians.

Examples

This expression returns pi:

Pi(1)

Both these expressions return the area of a circle with the radius Rad:

Pi(1) * Rad^2
Pi(Rad^2)

This expression computes the cosine of a 45-degree angle:

Cos(45.0 * (Pi(2)/360))

See also

Cos

Sin

Tan

Pi in the section called “Pi” in PowerScript Reference 

Pos

Description

Finds one string within another string.

Syntax

Pos ( string1, string2 {, start } )

Argument

Description

string1

The string in which you want to find string2.

string2

The string you want to find in string1.

start  (optional)

A long indicating where the search will begin in string. The default is 1.


Return value

Long. Returns a long whose value is the starting position of the first occurrence of string2 in string1 after the position specified in start. If string2 is not found in string1 or if start is not within string1, Pos returns 0.

Usage

The Pos function is case-sensitive.

Examples

This expression returns the position of the letter a in the value of the last_name column:

Pos(last_name, "a")

This expression returns 6:

Pos("BABE RUTH", "RU")

This expression returns 1:

Pos("BABE RUTH", "B")

This expression returns 0 (because the case does not match):

Pos("BABE RUTH", "be")

This expression returns 0 (because it starts searching at position 5, after the occurrence of BE):

Pos("BABE RUTH", "BE", 5)

See also

LastPos

Left

Mid

PosA

Right

Pos in the section called “Pos” in PowerScript Reference

PosA

Description

Finds one string within another string.

Syntax

PosA ( string1, string2 {, start } )

Argument

Description

string1

The string in which you want to find string2.

string2

The string you want to find in string1.

start  (optional)

A long indicating the position in bytes where the search will begin in string. The default is 1.


Return value

Long. Returns a long whose value is the starting position of the first occurrence of string2 in string1 after the position in bytes specified in start. If string2 is not found in string1 or if start is not within string1, PosA returns 0.

Usage

PosA replaces the functionality that Pos had in DBCS environments in PowerBuilder 9. In SBCS environments, Pos and PosA return the same results.

See also

LastPos

LeftA

MidA

Pos

RightA

PosA in the section called “PosA” in PowerScript Reference

ProfileInt

Description

Obtains the integer value of a setting in the specified profile file.

Syntax

ProfileInt ( filename, section, key, default )

Argument

Description

filename

A string whose value is the name of the profile file. If you do not specify a full path, ProfileInt uses the operating system's standard file search order to find the file.

section

A string whose value is the name of a group of related values in the profile file. In the file, section names are in square brackets. Do not include the brackets in section. Section is not case-sensitive.

key

A string specifying the setting name in section whose value you want. The setting name is followed by an equal sign in the file. Do not include the equal sign in key. Key is not case-sensitive.

default

An integer value that ProfileInt returns if filename is not found, if section or key does not exist in filename, or if the value of key cannot be converted to an integer.


Return value

Integer. Returns default if filename is not found, section is not found in filename, key is not found in section, or the value of key is not an integer. Returns -1 if an error occurs.

Usage

Use ProfileInt and ProfileString to get configuration settings from a profile file you have designed for your application. ProfileInt and ProfileString can read files with ANSI or UTF16-LE encoding on Windows systems, and ANSI or UTF16-BE encoding on UNIX systems.

Using a DataWindow object in different environments

PowerBuilder

You can use PowerScript SetProfileString to change values in the profile file to customize your application's configuration at runtime. Before you make changes, you can use ProfileInt and ProfileString to obtain the original settings so you can optionally restore them when the user exits the application.

Web control

ProfileInt always returns the value of default. It does not open a file on the user's machine; doing so would be a security violation.

Examples

This example uses the following PROFILE.INI file:

[MyApp]
Maximized=1
[Security]
Class = 7

This expression tries to return the integer value of the keyword Minimized in section MyApp of file C:\PROFILE.INI. It returns 3 if there is no MyApp section or no Minimized keyword in the MyApp section. Based on the sample file above, it returns 3:

ProfileInt("C:\PROFILE.INI", "MyApp", "minimized", 3)

See also

ProfileString

ProfileInt in the section called “ProfileInt” in PowerScript Reference 

ProfileString

Description

Obtains the string value of a setting in the specified profile file.

Syntax

ProfileString ( filename, section, key, default )

Argument

Description

filename

A string whose value is the name of the profile file. If you do not specify a full path, ProfileString uses the operating system's standard file search order to find the file.

section

A string whose value is the name of a group of related values in the profile file. In the file, section names are in square brackets. Do not include the brackets in section. Section is not case-sensitive.

key

A string specifying the setting name in section whose value you want. The setting name is followed by an equal sign in the file. Do not include the equal sign in key. Key is not case-sensitive.

default

A string value that ProfileString returns if filename is not found, if section or key does not exist in filename, or if the value of key cannot be converted to an integer.


Return value

String, with a maximum length of 4096 characters. Returns the string from key within section within filename. If filename is not found, section is not found in filename, or key is not found in section, ProfileString returns default. If an error occurs, it returns the empty string ("").

Usage

Use ProfileInt and ProfileString to get configuration settings from a profile file you have designed for your application. ProfileInt and ProfileString can read files with ANSI or UTF16-LE encoding on Windows systems, and ANSI or UTF16-BE encoding on UNIX systems.

Using a DataWindow object in different environments

PowerBuilder

You can use PowerScript SetProfileString to change values in the profile file to customize your application's configuration at runtime. Before you make changes, you can use ProfileInt and ProfileString to obtain the original settings so you can optionally restore them when the user exits the application.

Web control

ProfileString always returns the value of default. It does not open a file on the user's machine; doing so would be a security violation.

Examples

This example uses the following section in the PROFILE.INI file:

[Employee]
Name="Smith"
[Dept]
Name="Marketing"

This expression returns the string for the keyword Name in section Employee in file C:\PROFILE.INI. It returns None if the section or keyword does not exist. In this case it returns Smith:

ProfileString("C:\PROFILE.INI", "Employee", "Name", "None")

See also

ProfileInt

ProfileString in the section called “ProfileString” in PowerScript Reference

SetProfileString in the section called “SetProfileString” in PowerScript Reference 

Rand

Description

Obtains a random whole number between 1 and a specified upper limit.

Syntax

Rand ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The upper limit of the range of random numbers you want returned. The lower limit is always 1. The upper limit cannot exceed 32,767.


Return value

A numeric datatype, the datatype of n. Returns a random whole number between 1 and n.

Usage

The sequence of numbers generated by repeated calls to the Rand function is a computer-generated pseudorandom sequence.

You can control whether the sequence is different each time your application runs by calling the PowerScript Randomize function to initialize the random number generator.

Examples

This expression returns a random whole number between 1 and 10:

Rand(10)

See also

Rand in the section called “Rand” in PowerScript Reference 

Randomize in the section called “Randomize” in PowerScript Reference 

Real

Description

Converts a string value to a real datatype.

Syntax

Real ( string )

Argument

Description

string

The string whose value you want to convert to a real


Return value

Real. Returns the contents of a string as a real. If string is not a valid number, Real returns 0.

Examples

This expression converts 24 to a real:

Real("24")

This expression returns the value in the column temp_text as a real:

Real(temp_text)

See also

Real in the section called “Real” in PowerScript Reference 

RelativeDate

Description

Obtains the date that occurs a specified number of days after or before another date.

Syntax

RelativeDate ( date, n )

Argument

Description

date

A date value

n

An integer indicating the number of days


Return value

Date. Returns the date that occurs n days after date if n is greater than 0. Returns the date that occurs n days before date if n is less than 0.

Examples

This expression returns 2005-02-10:

RelativeDate(2005-01-31, 10)

This expression returns 2005-01-21:

RelativeDate(2005-01-31, -10)

See also

DaysAfter

RelativeDate in the section called “RelativeDate” in PowerScript Reference 

RelativeTime

Description

Obtains a time that occurs a specified number of seconds after or before another time within a 24-hour period.

Syntax

RelativeTime ( time, n )

Argument

Description

time

A time value

n

A long number of seconds


Return value

Time. Returns the time that occurs n seconds after time if n is greater than 0. Returns the time that occurs n seconds before time if n is less than 0. The maximum return value is 23:59:59.

Examples

This expression returns 19:01:41:

RelativeTime(19:01:31, 10)

This expression returns 19:01:21:

RelativeTime(19:01:31, -10)

See also

SecondsAfter

RelativeTime in the section called “RelativeTime” in PowerScript Reference 

Replace

Description

Replaces a portion of one string with another.

Syntax

Replace ( string1, start, n, string2 )

Argument

Description

string1

The string in which you want to replace characters with string2.

start

A long whose value is the number of the first character you want replaced. (The first character in the string is number 1.)

n

A long whose value is the number of characters you want to replace.

string2

The string that replaces characters in string1. The number of characters in string2 can be greater than, equal to, or fewer than the number of characters you are replacing.


Return value

String. Returns the string with the characters replaced if it succeeds and the empty string ("") if it fails.

Usage

If the start position is beyond the end of the string, Replace appends string2 to string1. If there are fewer characters after the start position than specified in n, Replace replaces all the characters to the right of character start.

If n is zero, then in effect Replace inserts string2 into string1.

Examples

This expression changes the last two characters of the string David to e to make it Dave:

Replace("David", 4, 2, "e")

This expression returns MY HOUSE:

Replace("YOUR HOUSE", 1, 4, "MY")

This expression returns Closed for the Winter:

Replace("Closed for Vacation", 12, 8, "the Winter")

See also

ReplaceA

Replace in the section called “Replace” in PowerScript Reference 

ReplaceA

Description

Replaces a portion of one string with another.

Syntax

ReplaceA ( string1, start, n, string2 )

Argument

Description

string1

The string in which you want to replace bytes with string2.

start

A long whose value is the number of the first byte you want replaced. (The first byte in the string is number 1.)

n

A long whose value is the number of bytes you want to replace.

string2

The string that replaces bytes in string1. The number of bytes in string2 can be greater than, equal to, or fewer than the number of bytes you are replacing.


Return value

String. Returns the string with the bytes replaced if it succeeds and the empty string ("") if it fails.

Usage

If the start position is beyond the end of the string, ReplaceA appends string2 to string1. If there are fewer bytes after the start position than specified in n, ReplaceA replaces all the bytes to the right of character start.

If n is zero, then in effect ReplaceA inserts string2 into string1.

ReplaceA replaces the functionality that Replace had in DBCS environments in PowerBuilder 9. In SBCS environments, Replace and ReplaceA return the same results.

See also

Replace

ReplaceA in the section called “ReplaceA” in PowerScript Reference

RGB

Description

Calculates the long value that represents the color specified by numeric values for the red, green, and blue components of the color.

Syntax

RGB ( red, green, blue )

Argument

Description

red

The integer value of the red component of the color

green

The integer value of the green component of the color

blue

The integer value of the blue component of the color


Return value

Long. Returns the long that represents the color created by combining the values specified in red, green, and blue. If an error occurs, RGB returns null.

Usage

The formula for combining the colors is:

Red + (256 * Green) + (65536 * Blue)

Use RGB to obtain the long value required to set the color for text and drawing objects. You can also set an object's color to the long value that represents the color. The RGB function provides an easy way to calculate that value.

Determining color components

The value of a component color is an integer between 0 and 255 that represents the amount of the component that is required to create the color you want. The lower the value, the darker the color; the higher the value, the lighter the color.

The following table lists red, green, and blue values for the 16 standard colors:

Color

Red value

Green value

Blue value

Black

0

0

0

White

255

255

255

Light Gray

192

192

192

Dark Gray

128

128

128

Red

255

0

0

Dark Red

128

0

0

Green

0

255

0

Dark Green

0

128

0

Blue

0

0

255

Dark Blue

0

0

128

Magenta

255

0

255

Dark Magenta

128

0

128

Cyan

0

255

255

Dark Cyan

0

128

128

Yellow

255

255

0

Brown

128

128

0


Examples

This expression returns as a long 8421376, which represents dark cyan:

RGB(0,128,128)

This expression for the Background.Color property of a salary column returns a long that represents red if an employee's salary is greater than $50,000 and white if salary is less than or equal to $50,000:

If(salary>50000, RGB(255,0,0), RGB(255,255,255))

See also

Example 3: creating a row indicator

RGB in the section called “RGB” in PowerScript Reference 

RichText

Description

Takes as argument a string expression interpreted as RTF and renders it as such. If the argument is not RTF nothing is rendered.

Syntax

RichText ( string )

Argument

Description

string

The string expression to render as RTF


Return value

None.

Examples

This expression displays the contents of the short_desc column's as rich text.

RichText( short_desc )

RichTextFile

Description

Takes as argument a string expression interpreted as a RTF file name and renders the contents. If the argument is not a RTF file nothing is rendered.

Syntax

RichTextFile ( string )

Argument

Description

string

The string expression to render as RTF file


Return value

None.

Examples

This expression displays the contents of the richtext.rtf file as rich text.

RichTextFile("richtext.rtf")

Right

Description

Obtains a specified number of characters from the end of a string.

Syntax

Right ( string, n )

Argument

Description

string

The string from which you want characters returned

n

A long whose value is the number of characters you want returned from the right end of string


Return value

String. Returns the rightmost n characters in string if it succeeds and the empty string ("") if an error occurs.

If n is greater than or equal to the length of the string, Right returns the entire string. It does not add spaces to make the return value's length equal to n.

Examples

This expression returns HILL:

Right("CASTLE HILL", 4)

This expression returns CASTLE HILL:

Right("CASTLE HILL", 75)

See also

Left

Mid

Pos

Right in the section called “Right” in PowerScript Reference 

RightA

Description

Obtains a specified number of characters from the end of a string.

Syntax

Right ( string, n )

Argument

Description

string

The string from which you want characters returned

n

A long whose value is the number of characters you want returned from the right end of string


Return value

String. Returns the rightmost n characters in string if it succeeds and the empty string ("") if an error occurs.

If n is greater than or equal to the length of the string, RightA returns the entire string. It does not add spaces to make the return value's length equal to n.

Usage

RightA replaces the functionality that Right had in DBCS environments in PowerBuilder 9. In SBCS environments, Right and RightA return the same results.

See also

LeftA

MidA

PosA

Right

RightTrim

Description

Removes spaces from the end of a string.

Syntax

RightTrim ( string )

Argument

Description

string

The string you want returned with trailing blanks deleted


Return value

String. Returns a copy of string with trailing blanks deleted if it succeeds and the empty string ("") if an error occurs.

Examples

This expression returns RUTH:

RightTrim("RUTH ")

See also

LeftTrim

Trim

RightTrim in the section called “RightTrim” in PowerScript Reference

Round

Description

Rounds a number to the specified number of decimal places.

Syntax

Round ( x , n )

Argument

Description

x

The number you want to round.

n

The number of decimal places to which you want to round x. Valid values are 0 through 28.


Return value

Decimal. If n is positive, Round returns x rounded to the specified number of decimal places. If n is negative, it returns x rounded to (- n +1) places before the decimal point. Returns -1 if it fails.

Examples

This expression returns 9.62:

Round(9.624, 2)

This expression returns 9.63:

Round(9.625, 2)

This expression returns 9.600:

Round(9.6, 3)

This expression returns -9.63:

Round(-9.625, 2)

This expression returns -10:

Round(-9.625, -1)

See also

Ceiling

Int

Truncate

Round in the section called “Round” in PowerScript Reference 

RowCount

Description

Obtains the number of rows that are currently available in the primary buffer.

Syntax

RowCount ( )

Return value

Long. Returns the number of rows that are currently available, 0 if no rows are currently available, and -1 if an error occurs.

Examples

This expression in a computed field returns a warning if no data exists and the number of rows if there is data:

If(RowCount() = 0, "No Data", String(RowCount()))

See also

RowCount

RowHeight

Description

Reports the height of a row associated with a band in a DataWindow object.

Syntax

RowHeight ( )

Return value

Long. Returns the height of the row in the units specified for the DataWindow object if it succeeds, and -1 if an error occurs.

Usage

When you call RowHeight in a band other than the detail band, it reports on a row in the detail band. See GetRow for a table specifying which row is associated with each band for reporting purposes.

When a band has Autosize Height set to true, you should avoid using the RowHeight DataWindow expression function to set the height of any element in the row. Doing so can result in a logical inconsistency between the height of the row and the height of the element. If you need to use RowHeight, you must set the Y coordinate of the element to 0 on the Position page in the Properties view, otherwise the bottom of the element might be clipped. You must do this for every element that uses such an expression. If you move any elements in the band, make sure that their Y coordinates are still set to 0.

You should not use an expression whose runtime value is greater than the value returned by RowHeight. For example, you should not set the height of a column to rowheight() + 30. Such an expression produces unpredictable results at runtime.

Examples

This expression for a computed field in the detail band displays the height of each row:

RowHeight()

See also

GetRow

Second

Description

Obtains the number of seconds in the seconds portion of a time value.

Syntax

Second ( time )

Argument

Description

time

The time value from which you want the seconds


Return value

Integer. Returns the seconds portion of time (00 to 59).

Examples

This expression returns 31:

Second(19:01:31)

See also

Hour

Minute

Second in the section called “Second” in PowerScript Reference 

SecondsAfter

Description

Gets the number of seconds one time occurs after another.

Syntax

SecondsAfter ( time1, time2 )

Argument

Description

time1

A time value that is the start time of the interval being measured

time2

A time value that is the end time of the interval


Return value

Long. Returns the number of seconds time2 occurs after time1. If time2 occurs before time1, SecondsAfter returns a negative number.

Examples

This expression returns 15:

SecondsAfter(21:15:30, 21:15:45)

This expression returns -15:

SecondsAfter(21:15:45, 21:15:30)

This expression returns 0:

SecondsAfter(21:15:45, 21:15:45)

See also

DaysAfter

SecondsAfter in the section called “SecondsAfter” in PowerScript Reference 

Sign

Description

Reports whether the number is negative, zero, or positive by checking its sign.

Syntax

Sign ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The number for which you want to determine the sign


Return value

Integer. Returns a number (-1, 0, or 1) indicating the sign of n.

Examples

This expression returns 1 (the number is positive):

Sign(5)

This expression returns 0:

Sign(0)

This expression returns -1 (the number is negative):

Sign(-5)

See also

Sign in the section called “Sign” in PowerScript Reference 

Sin

Description

Calculates the sine of an angle.

Syntax

Sin ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The angle (in radians) for which you want the sine


Return value

Double. Returns the sine of n if it succeeds and -1 if an error occurs.

Examples

This expression returns .8414709848078965:

Sin(1)

This expression returns 0:

Sin(0)

This expression returns 0:

Sin(pi(1))

See also

Cos

Pi

Tan

Sin in the section called “Sin” in PowerScript Reference 

Small

Description

Finds a small value at a specified ranking in a column (for example, third-smallest, fifth-smallest) and returns the value of another column or expression based on the result.

Syntax

Small ( returnexp, column, nbottom { FOR range { DISTINCT { expres1 
   {,  expres2 {, ... } } } } } )

Argument

Description

returnexp

The value you want returned when the small value is found. Returnexp includes a reference to a column, but not necessarily the column that is being evaluated for the small value, so that a value is returned from the same row that contains the small value.

column

The column that contains the small value you are searching for. Column can be a column name or a column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column. The datatype of column must be numeric.

nbottom

The relationship of the small value to the column's smallest value. For example, when nbottom is 2, Small finds the second-smallest value.

FOR range  (optional)

The data that will be included when finding the small value. For most presentation styles, values for range are:

  • ALL -- (Default) The small value of all rows in column.

  • GROUP n -- The small value of rows in column in the specified group. Specify the keyword GROUP followed by the group number: for example, GROUP 1.

  • PAGE -- The small value of the rows in column on a page.

For Crosstabs, specify CROSSTAB for range:

  • CROSSTAB -- (Crosstabs only) The small value of all rows in column in the crosstab.

For Graph and OLE objects, specify one of the following:

  • GRAPH -- (Graphs only) The small value in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

  • OBJECT -- (OLE objects only) The small value in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

DISTINCT (optional)

Causes Small to consider only the distinct values in column when determining the small value. For a value of column, the first row found with the value is used and other rows that have the same value are ignored.

expresn  (optional)

One or more expressions that you want to evaluate to determine distinct rows. Expresn can be the name of a column, a function, or an expression.


Return value

The datatype of returnexp. Returns the nbottom-smallest value if it succeeds and -1 if an error occurs.

Usage

If you specify range, Small returns the value in returnexp when the value in column is the nbottom-smallest value in range. If you specify DISTINCT, Small returns returnexp when the value in column is the nbottom-smallest value of the distinct values in column, or if you specify expresn, then bottom-smallest for each distinct value of expresn.

For graphs and OLE objects, you do not select the range when you call the function. The range has already been determined by the Rows setting on the Data property page (the Range property), and the aggregation function uses that range.

Settings for Rows include the following:

  • For the Graph or OLE presentation style, Rows is always All.

  • For Graph controls, Rows can be All, Page, or Group.

  • For OLE controls, Rows can be All, Current Row, Page, or Group. The available choices depend on the layer the control occupies.

Min might be faster

If you do not need a return value from another column and you want to find the smallest value (nbottom = 1), use Min; it is faster.

Not in validation rules or filter expressions

You cannot use this or other aggregate functions in validation rules or filter expressions.

Using an aggregate function cancels the effect of setting Retrieve Rows As Needed in the painter. To do the aggregation, a DataWindow object always retrieves all rows.

Examples

These expressions return the names of the salespersons with the three smallest sales (sum_sales is the sum of the sales for each salesperson) in group 2, which might be the salesregion group. Note that sum_sales contains the values being compared, but Small returns a value in the name column:

Small(name, sum_sales, 1 for group 2)
Small(name, sum_sales, 2 for group 2)
Small(name, sum_sales, 3 for group 2)

This example reports the salesperson with the third-smallest sales, considering only the first entry for each salesperson:

Small(name, sum_sales, 3 for all DISTINCT sum_sales)

See also

Large

Space

Description

Builds a string of the specified length whose value consists of spaces.

Syntax

Space ( n )

Argument

Description

n

A long whose value is the length of the string you want filled with spaces


Return value

String. Returns a string filled with n spaces if it succeeds and the empty string ("") if an error occurs.

Examples

This expression for a computed field returns 10 spaces in the computed field if the value of the rating column is Top Secret; otherwise, it returns the value in rating:

If(rating = "Top Secret", Space(10), rating)

See also

Fill

Space in the section called “Space” in PowerScript Reference 

Sqrt

Description

Calculates the square root of a number.

Syntax

Sqrt ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The number for which you want the square root


Return value

Double. Returns the square root of n.

Usage

Sqrt( n ) is the same as n ^.5.

Taking the square root of a negative number causes an execution error.

Examples

This expression returns 1.414213562373095:

Sqrt(2)

This expression results in an error at execution time:

Sqrt(-2)

See also

Sqrt in the section called “Sqrt” in PowerScript Reference 

StDev

Description

Calculates an estimate of the standard deviation for the specified column. Standard deviation is a measurement of how widely values vary from average.

Syntax

StDev ( column { FOR range { DISTINCT { expres1 {, expres2 {, ... } } } } } )

Argument

Description

column

The column for which you want an estimate for the standard deviation of the values in the rows. Column can be the column name or the column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column. The datatype of column must be numeric.

FOR range  (optional)

The data to be included in the estimate of the standard deviation. For most presentation styles, values for range are:

  • ALL -- (Default) The estimate of the standard deviation for all values in column.

  • GROUP n -- The estimate of the standard deviation for values in column in the specified group. Specify the keyword GROUP followed by the group number: for example, GROUP 1.

  • PAGE -- The estimate of the standard deviation for the values in column on a page.

For Crosstabs, specify CROSSTAB for range to indicate the standard deviation for all values in column in the crosstab.

For Graph objects specify GRAPH and for OLE objects specify OBJECT to indicate the standard deviation for values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

DISTINCT (optional)

Causes StDev to consider only the distinct values in column when determining the standard deviation. For a value of column, the first row found with the value is used and other rows that have the same value are ignored.

expresn (optional)

One or more expressions that you want to evaluate to determine distinct rows. Expresn can be the name of a column, a function, or an expression.


Return value

Double. Returns an estimate of the standard deviation for column.

Usage

If you specify range, StDev returns an estimate for the standard deviation of column within range. If you specify DISTINCT, StDev returns an estimate of the standard deviation for the distinct values in column, or if you specify expresn, the estimate of the standard deviation of the rows in column where the value of expresn is distinct.

For graphs and OLE objects, you do not select the range when you call the function. The range has already been determined by the Rows setting on the Data tab page (the Range property), and the aggregation function uses that range. Settings for Rows include the following:

  • For the Graph or OLE presentation style, Rows is always All.

  • For Graph controls, Rows can be All, Page, or Group.

  • For OLE controls, Rows can be All, Current Row, Page, or Group. The available choices depend on the layer the control occupies.

Estimating or calculating actual standard deviation

StDev assumes that the values in column are a sample of the values in the rows in the column in the database table. If you selected all the rows in the column in the DataWindow object's SELECT statement, use StDevP to compute the standard deviation of the population.

Not in validation rules or filter expressions

You cannot use this or other aggregate functions in validation rules or filter expressions.

Using an aggregate function cancels the effect of setting Retrieve Rows As Needed in the painter. To do the aggregation, a DataWindow object always retrieves all rows.

Examples

These examples all assume that the SELECT statement did not retrieve all the rows in the database table. StDev is intended to work with a subset of rows, which is a sample of the full set of data.

This expression returns an estimate for standard deviation of the values in the column named salary:

StDev(salary)

This expression returns an estimate for standard deviation of the values in the column named salary in group 1:

StDev(salary for group 1)

This expression returns an estimate for standard deviation of the values in column 4 on the page:

StDev(#4 for page)

This expression entered in the Value box on the Data tab page in the graph's property sheet returns an estimate for standard deviation of the values in the qty_used column in the graph:

StDev(qty_used for graph)

This expression for a computed field in a crosstab returns the estimate for standard deviation of the values in the qty_ordered column in the crosstab:

StDev(qty_ordered for crosstab)

Assuming a DataWindow object displays the order number, amount, and line items for each order, this computed field returns the estimated standard deviation of the order amount for the distinct order numbers:

StDev(order_amt for all DISTINCT order_nbr)

See also

StDevP

Var

StDevP

Description

Calculates the standard deviation for the specified column. Standard deviation is a measurement of how widely values vary from average.

Syntax

StDevP ( column { FOR range { DISTINCT { expres1 {, expres2  {, ... } } } } } )

Argument

Description

column

The column for which you want the standard deviation of the values in the rows. Column can be the column name or the column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column. The datatype of column must be numeric.

FOR range  (optional)

The data to be included in the standard deviation. For most presentation styles, values for range are:

  • ALL -- (Default) The standard deviation for all values in column.

  • GROUP n -- The standard deviation for values in column in the specified group. Specify the keyword GROUP followed by the group number: for example, GROUP 1.

  • PAGE -- The standard deviation for the values in column on a page.

For Crosstabs, specify CROSSTAB for range to indicate the standard deviation for all values in column in the crosstab.

For Graph objects specify GRAPH and for OLE objects specify OBJECT to indicate the standard deviation for values in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

DISTINCT (optional)

Causes StDevP to consider only the distinct values in column when determining the standard deviation. For a value of column, the first row found with the value is used and other rows that have the same value are ignored.

expresn  (optional)

One or more expressions that you want to evaluate to determine distinct rows. Expresn can be the name of a column, a function, or an expression.


Return value

Double. Returns the standard deviation for column.

Usage

If you specify range, StDevP returns the standard deviation for column within range. If you specify DISTINCT, StDevP returns an estimate of the standard deviation for the distinct values in column, or if you specify expresn, the estimate of the standard deviation of the rows in column where the value of expresn is distinct.

For graphs and OLE objects, you do not select the range when you call the function. The range has already been determined by the Rows setting on the Data tab page (the Range property), and the aggregation function uses that range. Settings for Rows include the following:

  • For the Graph or OLE presentation style, Rows is always All.

  • For Graph controls, Rows can be All, Page, or Group.

  • For OLE controls, Rows can be All, Current Row, Page, or Group. The available choices depend on the layer the control occupies.

Estimating or calculating actual standard deviation

StDevP assumes that the values in column are the values in all the rows in the column in the database table. If you did not select all rows in the column in the SELECT statement, use StDev to compute an estimate of the standard deviation of a sample.

Not in validation rules or filter expressions

You cannot use this or other aggregate functions in validation rules or filter expressions.

Using an aggregate function cancels the effect of setting Retrieve Rows As Needed in the painter. To do the aggregation, a DataWindow object always retrieves all rows.

Examples

These examples all assume that the SELECT statement retrieved all rows in the database table. StDevP is intended to work with a full set of data, not a subset.

This expression returns the standard deviation of the values in the column named salary:

StDevP(salary)

This expression returns the standard deviation of the values in group 1 in the column named salary:

StDevP(salary for group 1)

This expression returns the standard deviation of the values in column 4 on the page:

StDevP(#4 for page)

This expression entered in the Value box on the Data tab page in the graph's property sheet returns the standard deviation of the values in the qty_ordered column in the graph:

StDevP(qty_ordered for graph)

This expression for a computed field in a crosstab returns the standard deviation of the values in the qty_ordered column in the crosstab:

StDevP(qty_ordered for crosstab)

Assuming a DataWindow object displays the order number, amount, and line items for each order, this computed field returns the standard deviation of the order amount for the distinct order numbers:

StDevP(order_amt for all DISTINCT order_nbr)

See also

StDev

VarP

String

Description

Formats data as a string according to a specified display format mask. You can convert and format date, DateTime, numeric, and time data. You can also apply a display format to a string.

Syntax

String ( data {, format } )

Argument

Description

data

The data you want returned as a string with the specified formatting. Data can have a date, DateTime, numeric, time, or string datatype.

format  (optional)

A string of the display masks you want to use to format the data. The masks consist of formatting information specific to the datatype of data. If data is type string, format is required.

The format string can consist of more than one mask, depending on the datatype of data. Each mask is separated by a semicolon. See Usage for details on each datatype.


Return value

String. Returns data in the specified format if it succeeds and the empty string ("") if the datatype of data does not match the type of display mask specified or format is not a valid mask.

Usage

For date, DateTime, numeric, and time data, the system's default format is used for the returned string if you do not specify a format. For numeric data, the default format is the [General] format.

For string data, a display format mask is required. (Otherwise, the function would have nothing to do.)

The format can consist of one or more masks:

  • Formats for date, DateTime, string, and time data can include one or two masks. The first mask is the format for the data; the second mask is the format for a null value.

  • Formats for numeric data can have up to four masks. A format with a single mask handles both positive and negative data. If there are additional masks, the first mask is for positive values, and the additional masks are for negative, zero, and null values.

A format can include color specifications.

If the display format does not match the datatype, the attempt to apply the mask produces unpredictable results.

For information on specifying display formats, see the section called “Defining display formats” in Users Guide.

When you use String to format a date and the month is displayed as text (for example, when the display format includes "mmm"), the month is in the language of the deployment files available when the application is run. If you have installed localized files in the development environment or on a user's machine, then on that machine the month in the resulting string will be in the language of the localized files.

For information about localized deployment files, see Internationalizing an Application in Application Techniques.

Examples

This expression returns Jan 31, 2005:

String(2005-01-31, "mmm dd, yyyy")

This expression returns Jan 31, 2005 6 hrs and 8 min:

String(2005-01-31 06:08:00, 'mmm dd, yyyy, h "hrs and" m "min"')

This expression:

String(nbr, "0000;(000);****;empty")

returns:

0123 if nbr is 123
(123) if nbr is -123
**** if nbr is 0
empty if nbr is null

This expression returns A-B-C:

String("ABC", "@-@-@")

This expression returns A*B:

String("ABC", "@*@")

This expression returns ABC:

String("ABC", "@@@")

This expression returns a space:

String("ABC", " ")

This expression returns 6 hrs and 8 min:

String(06:08:02,'h "hrs and" m "min"')

This expression returns 08:06:04 pm:

String(20:06:04, "hh:mm:ss am/pm")

This expression returns 8:06:04 am:

String(08:06:04, "h:mm:ss am/pm")

This expression returns 6:11:25.300000:

String(6:11:25.300000, "h:mm:ss.ffffff")

See also

String in the section called “String” in PowerScript Reference 

StripRTF

Description

Removes the rich text formatting from the specified column

Syntax

StripRTF ( string )

Argument

Description

string

The column to be stripped of rich text formatting.


Examples

This expression is used in a compute field expression to remove the formatting from a rich text edit column and display plain text in the compute field.

StripRTF(rte_description)

Sum

Description

Calculates the sum of the values in the specified column.

Syntax

Sum ( column { FOR range { DISTINCT { expres1 {, expres2  {, ... } } } } } )

Argument

Description

column

The column for which you want the sum of the data values. Column can be the column name or the column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column. The datatype of column must be numeric.

FOR range  (optional)

The data to be included in the sum. For most presentation styles, values for range are:

  • ALL -- (Default) The sum of all values in column.

  • GROUP n -- The sum of values in column in the specified group. Specify the keyword GROUP followed by the group number: for example, GROUP 1.

  • PAGE -- The sum of the values in column on a page.

For Crosstabs, specify CROSSTAB for range:

  • CROSSTAB -- (Crosstabs only) The sum of all values in column in the crosstab.

For Graph and OLE objects, specify one of the following:

  • GRAPH -- (Graphs only) The sum of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option of the graph.

  • OBJECT -- (OLE objects only) The sum of values in column in the range specified for the Rows option of the OLE object.

DISTINCT (optional)

Causes Sum to consider only the distinct values in column when determining the sum. For a value of column, the first row found with the value is used and other rows that have the same value are ignored.

expresn  (optional)

One or more expressions that you want to evaluate to determine distinct rows. Expresn can be the name of a column, a function, or an expression.


Return value

The appropriate numeric datatype. Returns the sum of the data values in column.

Usage

If you specify range, Sum returns the sum of the values in column within range. If you specify DISTINCT, Sum returns the sum of the distinct values in column, or if you specify expresn, the sum of the values of column where the value of expresn is distinct.

For graphs and OLE objects, you do not select the range when you call the function. The range has already been determined by the Rows setting on the Data property page (the Range property), and the aggregation function uses that range. Settings for Rows include the following:

  • For the Graph or OLE presentation style, Rows is always All.

  • For Graph controls, Rows can be All, Page, or Group.

  • For OLE controls, Rows can be All, Current Row, Page, or Group. The available choices depend on the layer the control occupies.

Null values are ignored and are not included in the calculation.

Not in validation rules or filter expressions

You cannot use this or other aggregate functions in validation rules or filter expressions.

Using an aggregate function cancels the effect of setting Retrieve Rows As Needed in the painter. To do the aggregation, a DataWindow object always retrieves all rows.

Examples

This expression returns the sum of the values in group 1 in the column named salary:

Sum(salary for group 1)

This expression returns the sum of the values in column 4 on the page:

Sum(#4 for page)

Assuming a DataWindow object displays the order number, amount, and line items for each order, this computed field returns the sum of the order amount for the distinct order numbers:

Sum(order_amt for all DISTINCT order_nbr)

See also

Example 1: counting null values in a column

Example 2: counting male and female employees

Tan

Description

Calculates the tangent of an angle.

Syntax

Tan ( n )

Argument

Description

n

The angle (in radians) for which you want the tangent


Return value

Double. Returns the tangent of n if it succeeds and -1 if an error occurs.

Examples

Both these expressions return 0:

Tan(0)
Tan(Pi(1))

This expression returns 1.55741:

Tan(1)

See also

Cos

Pi

Sin

Tan in the section called “Tan” in PowerScript Reference 

Time

Description

Converts a string to a time datatype.

Syntax

Time ( string )

Argument

Description

string

A string containing a valid time (such as 8 am or 10:25) that you want returned as a time datatype. Only the hour is required; you do not have to include the minutes, seconds, or microseconds of the time or am or pm. The default value for minutes and seconds is 00 and for microseconds is 000000. am or pm is determined automatically.


Return value

Time. Returns the time in string as a time datatype. If string does not contain a valid time, Time returns 00:00:00.

Examples

This expression returns the time datatype for 45 seconds before midnight (23:59:15):

Time("23:59:15")

This expression for a computed field returns the value in the time_received column as a value of type time if time_received is not the empty string. Otherwise, it returns 00:00:00:

If(time_received = "" ,00:00:00, Time(time_received))

This example is similar to the previous one, except that it returns 00:00:00 if time_received contains a null value:

If(IsNull(time_received), 00:00:00, Time(time_received))

See also

Time in the section called “Time” in PowerScript Reference 

Today

Description

Obtains the system date and time.

Syntax

Today ( )

Return value

DateTime. Returns the current system date and time.

Usage

To display both the date and the time, a computed field must have a display format that includes the time.

The PowerScript and DataWindow painter versions of the Today function have different datatypes. The return value of the PowerScript Today function is date.

Examples

This expression for a computed field displays the date and time when the display format for the field is "mm/dd/yy hh:mm":

Today()

See also

Now

Today in the section called “Today” in PowerScript Reference 

Trim

Description

Removes leading and trailing spaces from a string.

Syntax

Trim ( string )

Argument

Description

string

The string you want returned with leading and trailing spaces deleted


Return value

String. Returns a copy of string with all leading and trailing spaces deleted if it succeeds and the empty string ("") if an error occurs.

Usage

Trim is useful for removing spaces that a user might have typed before or after newly entered data.

Examples

This expression returns BABE RUTH:

Trim(" BABE RUTH ")

See also

LeftTrim

RightTrim

Trim in the section called “Trim” in PowerScript Reference 

Truncate

Description

Truncates a number to the specified number of decimal places.

Syntax

Truncate ( x,  n )

Argument

Description

x

The number you want to truncate.

n

The number of decimal places to which you want to truncate x. Valid values are 0 through 28.


Return value

The datatype of x. If n is positive, returns x truncated to the specified number of decimal places. If n is negative, returns x truncated to (- n +1) places before the decimal point. Returns -1 if it fails.

Examples

This expression returns 9.2:

Truncate(9.22, 1)

This expression returns 9.2:

Truncate(9.28, 1)

This expression returns 9:

Truncate(9.9, 0)

This expression returns -9.2:

Truncate(-9.29, 1)

This expression returns 0:

Truncate(9.2, -1)

This expression returns 50:

Truncate(54, -1)

See also

Ceiling

Int

Round

Truncate in the section called “Truncate” in PowerScript Reference 

Upper

Description

Converts all characters in a string to uppercase letters.

Syntax

Upper ( string )

Argument

Description

string

The string you want to convert to uppercase letters


Return value

String. Returns string with lowercase letters changed to uppercase if it succeeds and the empty string ("") if an error occurs.

Examples

This expression returns BABE RUTH:

Upper("Babe Ruth")

See also

Lower

Upper in the section called “Upper” in PowerScript Reference 

Var

Description

Calculates an estimate of the variance for the specified column. The variance is the square of the standard deviation.

Syntax

Var ( column { FOR range { DISTINCT { expres1 {, expres2  {, ... } } } } } )

Argument

Description

column

The column for which you want an estimate for the variance of the values in the rows. Column can be the column name or the column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column. The datatype of column must be numeric.

FOR range  (optional)

The data to be included in the estimate of the variance. For most presentation styles, values for range are:

  • ALL -- (Default) The estimate of the variance for all rows in column.

  • GROUP n -- The estimate of the variance for rows in column in the specified group. Specify the keyword GROUP followed by the group number: for example, GROUP 1.

  • PAGE -- The estimate of the variance for the rows in column on a page.

For Crosstabs, specify CROSSTAB for range:

  • CROSSTAB -- (Crosstabs only) The estimate of the variance for all rows in column in the crosstab.

For Graph and OLE objects, specify one of the following:

  • GRAPH -- (Graphs only) The estimate of the variance for rows in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

  • OBJECT -- (OLE objects only) The estimate of the variance for rows in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

DISTINCT (optional)

Causes Var to consider only the distinct values in column when determining the variance. For a value of column, the first row found with the value is used and other rows that have the same value are ignored.

expresn  (optional)

One or more expressions that you want to evaluate to determine distinct rows. Expresn can be the name of a column, a function, or an expression.


Return value

Double or decimal if the arguments are decimal. Returns an estimate for the variance for column. If you specify group, Var returns an estimate for the variance for column within group.

Usage

If you specify range, Var returns an estimate for the variance for column within range. If you specify DISTINCT, Var returns the variance for the distinct values in column, or if you specify expresn, the estimate for the variance of the rows in column where the value of expresn is distinct.

For graphs and OLE objects, you do not select the range when you call the function. The range has already been determined by the Rows setting on the Data property page (the Range property), and the aggregation function uses that range.

Settings for Rows include the following:

  • For the Graph or OLE presentation style, Rows is always All.

  • For Graph controls, Rows can be All, Page, or Group.

  • For OLE controls, Rows can be All, Current Row, Page, or Group. The available choices depend on the layer the control occupies.

Estimating variance or calculating actual variance

Var assumes that the values in column are a sample of the values in rows in the column in the database table. If you select all rows in the column in the SELECT statement, use VarP to compute the variance of a population.

Not in validation rules or filter expressions

You cannot use this or other aggregate functions in validation rules or filter expressions.

Using an aggregate function cancels the effect of setting Retrieve Rows As Needed in the painter. To do the aggregation, a DataWindow object always retrieves all rows.

Examples

These examples all assume that the SELECT statement did not retrieve all of the rows in the database table. Var is intended to work with a subset of rows, which is a sample of the full set of data.

This expression returns an estimate for the variance of the values in the column named salary:

Var(salary)

This expression returns an estimate for the variance of the values in the column named salary in group 1:

Var(salary for group 1)

This expression entered in the Value box on the Data property page in the graph's property sheet returns an estimate for the variance of the values in the quantity column in the graph:

Var(quantity for graph)

This expression for a computed field in a crosstab returns an estimate for the variance of the values in the quantity column in the crosstab:

Var(quantity for crosstab)

Assuming a DataWindow object displays the order number, amount, and line items for each order, this computed field returns the estimate for the variance of the order amount for the distinct order numbers:

Var(order_amt for all DISTINCT order_nbr)

See also

StDev

VarP

VarP

Description

Calculates the variance for the specified column. The variance is the square of the standard deviation.

Syntax

VarP ( column { FOR range { DISTINCT { expres1 {, expres2 {, ... } } } } } )

Argument

Description

column

The column for which you want the variance of the values in the rows. Column can be the column name or the column number preceded by a pound sign (#). Column can also be an expression that includes a reference to the column. The datatype of column must be numeric.

FOR range  (optional)

The data that will be included in the variance. For most presentation styles, values for range are:

  • ALL -- (Default) The variance for all rows in column.

  • GROUP n -- The variance for rows in column in the specified group. Specify the keyword GROUP followed by the group number: for example, GROUP 1.

  • PAGE -- The variance for the rows in column on a page.

For Crosstabs, specify CROSSTAB for range:

  • CROSSTAB -- (Crosstabs only) The variance for all rows in column in the crosstab.

For Graph and OLE objects, specify one of the following:

  • GRAPH -- (Graphs only) The variance for rows in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

  • OBJECT -- (OLE objects only) The variance for rows in column in the range specified for the Rows option.

DISTINCT (optional)

Causes VarP to consider only the distinct values in column when determining the variance. For a value of column, the first row found with the value is used and other rows that have the same value are ignored.

expresn  (optional)

One or more expressions that you want to evaluate to determine distinct rows. Expresn can be the name of a column, a function, or an expression.


Return value

Double or decimal if the arguments are decimal. Returns the variance for column. If you specify group, Var returns the variance for column within range.

Usage

If you specify range, VarP returns the variance for column within range. If you specify DISTINCT, VarP returns the variance for the distinct values in column, or if you specify expresn, the variance of the rows in column where the value of expresn is distinct.

For graphs and OLE objects, you do not select the range when you call the function. The range has already been determined by the Rows setting on the Data property page (the Range property), and the aggregation function uses that range. Settings for Rows include the following:

  • For the Graph or OLE presentation style, Rows is always All.

  • For Graph controls, Rows can be All, Page, or Group.

  • For OLE controls, Rows can be All, Current Row, Page, or Group. The available choices depend on the layer the control occupies.

Estimating variance or calculating actual variance

VarP assumes that the values in column are the values in all rows in the column in the database table. If you did not select all the rows in the column in the SELECT statement, use Var to compute an estimate of the variance of a sample.

Not in validation rules or filter expressions

You cannot use this or other aggregate functions in validation rules or filter expressions.

Using an aggregate function cancels the effect of setting Retrieve Rows As Needed in the painter. To do the aggregation, a DataWindow object always retrieves all rows.

Examples

These examples all assume that the SELECT statement retrieved all rows in the database table. VarP is intended to work with a full set of data, not a subset.

This expression returns the variance of the values in the column named salary:

VarP(salary)

This expression returns the variance of the values in group 1 in the column named salary:

VarP(salary for group 1)

This expression returns the variance of the values in column 4 on the page:

VarP(#4 for page)

This expression entered in the Value box on the Data property page in the graph's property sheet returns the variance of the values in the quantity column in the graph:

VarP(quantity for graph)

This expression for a computed field in a crosstab returns the variance of the values in the quantity column in the crosstab:

VarP(quantity for crosstab)

Assuming a DataWindow object displays the order number, amount, and line items for each order, this computed field returns the variance of the order amount for the distinct order numbers:

VarP(order_amt for all DISTINCT order_nbr)

See also

StDevP

Var

WordCap

Description

Sets the first letter of each word in a string to a capital letter and all other letters to lowercase (for example, ROBERT E. LEE would be Robert E. Lee).

Syntax

WordCap ( string )

Argument

Description

string

A string or expression that evaluates to a string that you want to display with initial capital letters (for example, Monday Morning)


Return value

String. Returns string with the first letter of each word set to uppercase and the remaining letters lowercase if it succeeds, and null if an error occurs.

Examples

This expression returns Boston, Massachusetts:

WordCap("boston, MASSACHUSETTS")

This expression concatenates the characters in the emp_fname and emp_lname columns and makes the first letter of each word uppercase:

WordCap(emp_fname + " " + emp_lname)

Year

Description

Gets the year of a date value.

Syntax

Year ( date )

Argument

Description

date

The date value from which you want the year


Return value

Integer. Returns an integer whose value is a 4-digit year adapted from the year portion of date if it succeeds and 1900 if an error occurs.

If the year is two digits, then the century is set as follows. If the year is between 00 to 49, the first two digits are 20; if the year is between 50 and 99, the first two digits are 19.

Usage

Obtains the year portion of date. Years from 1000 to 3000 inclusive are handled.

If your data includes dates before 1950, such as birth dates, always specify a 4-digit year so that Year (and other functions, such as Sort) interpret the date as intended.

Regional settings

To make sure you get correct return values for the year, you must verify that yyyy is the Short Date Style for year in the Regional Settings of the user's Control Panel. Your program can check this with the RegistryGet function.

If the setting is not correct, you can ask the user to change it manually or to have the application change it (by calling the RegistrySet function). The user might need to reboot after the setting is changed.

Examples

This expression returns 2005:

Year(2005-01-31)

See also

Day

Month

Year in the section called “Year” in PowerScript Reference