Converts an expression to the date data type.
Syntax
$todate(expression)
Parameters
expression | Any expression. To be meaningful, it should yield a number that has meaning in the format YYYYMMDD. |
Return Value
Date.
Example
$date - $todate(19980923)
In the preceding arithmetic expression, 19980923 is treated as the date 23 September 1998 instead of the number 19,980,923. Assuming that $Date is 19981023, the expression evaluates to 30.
See Also
$toalpha
$tocharacter
$tonumber
Trims leading blanks from a character string.
Syntax
$ltrim(string)
Parameters
string | a character string or an expression that evaluates to a character string |
Return Value
Character string.
Comments
Use $ltrim to remove leading spaces from a character string.
For output purposes, the implicit length of the result returned by $ltrim is the same as the length of string.
Example
$ltrim(Salary)
Evaluates to “20000” if Salary is 20,000 (INT data type).
See Also
$trim
$ttrim
The current user’s operating system group ID.
Syntax
$groupid
Return Value
A character string, or $Null. Cannot be reset by an application program.
Description
The current user’s operating system group ID (if the operating system supports group IDs); otherwise, $Null.
You can use the $UserID and $GroupID system variables to build levels of security into your applications.
During a Zim session, you also can LOGIN to the software under any defined UserName (in EntitySet Users). $ZUserID and $ZGroupID are then set to the UserID and GroupID associated with UserName; $UserID and $GroupID (containing values taken from the operating system) are still available for use.
See Also
$UserID
$ZGroupID
$ZUserID
System Variables
Controls required field checking for EntitySets and relationships with fields.
Syntax
SET CHECKNULLS ON|OFF
Comments
The CHECKNULLS option is set ON by default.
When CHECKNULLS is ON, an error results if a Required field is assigned the $Null property during an ADD, CHANGE, INSERT, or UPDATE command. Normally, you should always leave CHECKNULLS set ON.
Even if you switch null checking OFF, you should always explicitly or implicitly assign some value to every required field.
Note: A field is Required if its definition in the Object Dictionary specifies yes for Reqd.
See Also
ADD
CHANGE
INSERT
UPDATE
Trims leading and trailing blanks from a character string in a field.
Syntax
$trim(string)
Parameters
string | a character string, or any expression that evaluates to a character string |
Return Value
Character string.
Comments
Use $trim to remove leading and trailing spaces from a character string in a field.
For output purposes, the implicit length of the result returned by $trim is the same as the length of string.
Example
$trim(LastName)
Evaluates to “Smith” if LastName is stored as ” Smith “.
See Also
$ltrim
$ttrim
Makes the last member of a result set the current member.
Syntax
BOTTOM [setname]
Parameters
setname | The name of a result set. If a setname is not specified, the current set is used. |
Example
To find all Employees with Jones as a last name, to identify the result set as KeepName, and to set the current member pointer to the last member of KeepName, enter
find all Employees where LastName = “Jones” -> KeepName
bottom KeepName
To move the current member pointer to the last member in the current set, enter
bottom
See Also
$currentmember
DOWN
LOCATE
NEXT
UP
$ZUserID
The application user’s Zim user identifier.
Syntax
$zuserid
Return Value
The user identifier of the user specified in the last successful LOGIN command. Cannot be reset by an application program.
Description
Upon successful execution of a LOGIN command, $ZUserID is set to the specified user’s ID.
Although you can change the value of this variable, you cannot change the effect of the LOGIN command. The software continues to treat the current user according to the GroupID and UserID associated with the UserName given in the last LOGIN command.
When you call up any Zim system (full, Runtime, etc.), the software automatically attempts to log you in as a user called ZIM.
See Also
$GroupID
$UserID
About Character Literals
LOGIN
System Variables
Prints or displays a graphical reports previously created.
Syntax
PRINT REPORT name TO destination
Parameters
name | The name of a Zim document that contains the graphical report. |
destination | The destination can be the SCREEN or to the PRINT. |
Comments
The Zim document specified by name must contain a graphical report previously generated by a REPORT FROM command with the GRAPHIC option. The document can be printed any number of times.
If the destination is the printer, the report is printed automaticaly without operator’s intervention.
If the destination is the screen, the report can be visualized and then, optionally, printed and/or written to a PDF format file.
Examples:
PRINT REPORT MyDoc TO SCREEN
PRINT REPORT AnotherDoc TO PRINT
See Also
$getproperty
$printersetup
$screenprint
$setproperty
FORM REPORT
SET OUTPUT
The error code generated by the last command that returned an error code.
Syntax
$lasterrcode
Return Value
A number (1 to 9999). Can be reset by an application program.
Description
The reason for the failure of the most recently executed command that returned an error code other than 0 (success)
At the beginning of each application session, $LastErrCode is set to $Null. Its value then changes only if a command returns an error code, or the application program explicitly assigns it a new value.
Explanations for many error codes are contained in the ErrorHelp entity set, which you can access from your database application using the DESCERR or EXPLERR utility program.
See Also
$ErrCode
$ErrLevel
$LastErrLevel
$LastErrMessage
$MaxErrLevel
System Variables
Calculates a date value by adding days to (or subtracting days from) from a specified date value.
Syntax
$adddays(date,number)
where
date | a date, or an expression that evaluates to a DATE data type |
number | a number, or an expression that evaluates to a number |
Return Value
Number, representing a DATE value.
Comments
Use $adddays to perform arithmetic with date values. $Adddays calculates a date value by adding a number representing days to a date value. If number is negative, the effect is to subtract the days from the date.
The + (add) and – (subtract) operators can be used to achieve the same results.
If date or the result of the functional expression is an invalid date (e.g., 19930231), it is adjusted to produce a valid date (e.g., 19930228).
Example
If $Date has the value 19981225, then
$adddays($date,5)
Evaluates to 19981230.
$adddays($date,7)
Evaluates to 19990101.
$adddays($date,-5)
Evaluates to 19981220.
$adddays(19990201,30)
Evaluates to 19990303.