Field Referencing

Reference by Name

Fields should usually be referenced using the full field name.

The full form for referencing a database fields in Report Writer is as follows:
tablename.fieldname.fieldrole

Blank field roles are denoted by _. Report Writer will accept non ambiguous abbreviated field names in the following formats:

• fieldname
• fieldname.fieldrole
• tablename.fieldname
• tablename.fieldname.fieldrole

The rule for deciding on whether a name is ambiguous is not the same in Report Writer as in QAB. In Report Writer the only fields considered when checking whether a name is ambiguous are the fields already processed in the field processsing list.

$ field reference

$ may be used to refer to the current field in a formula, or a condition to total. In the context of a formula, $ is only valid when used as PREV($).

#Field Number Syntax

In Report Writer you can designate a field used in a condition or formula by number rather than by name. For example #3 refers to the field listed as a field number 3 in the Report. Obviously changing the order of the fields could cause such a reference to become invalid. However, REPSETUP attempts to automatically correct formulas using this syntax when the order of fields is changed.