Field Functions and Methods

Alpha Five provides the following field methods. All methods need to be preceded with the <FIELD> pointer to the selected field. Use the <TBL>.FIELD_GET() method to retrieve the <FIELD> pointer.

Function		Description
.BLANK_PUT()	V5	Places a blank value in the specified field.
.CLASS()	V5	Returns the class name.
.DEC_GET()	V5	Returns the Decimal Width of the specified numeric field.
.EXPR_GET()	V5	Returns the expression for a calculated field that has been defined at the Form level.
.EXPR_SET()	V5	Change the expression if field is a calculated field.
.FULLNAME_GET()	V5	Returns the fully qualified (i.e., prefixed with an alias) Fieldname of a field.
.HANDLE()	V5	Returns an old style handle.
.HAS_RULES()	V5	Returns TRUE (.T.) if the field has loaded rules.
.INITIAL_VALUE_GET()	V5	Returns the initial value of the field.
.IS_BLANK()	V5	Returns TRUE (.T.) if the specified field is blank (i.e., has no value).
.IS_VALID()	V5	Returns TRUE (.T.) if the field is valid.
.LINK_TABLE_GET()	V5	Returns the table of the link if field is a linking key, blank if field is not a linking key.
.LINK_TYPE_GET()	V5	Returns type of link if the field is a linking key, blank if field is not a linking key.
.MEMO_READ_FROM_FILE()	V5	Transfers the contents of a Filename to the memo or bitmap field.
.MEMO_WRITE_TO_FILE()	V5	Transfers data from the memo field.
.NAME_GET()	V5	Returns the Fieldname of a field.
.RULES_GET()	V5	Returns active field rule information for this field.
.TABLE_GET()	V5	Returns a <TBL> object pointer to the table that contains the field.
.TAG_GET()	V5	If the field is indexed, return the tagname, else return an empty string.
.TYPE_GET()	V5	Returns the field type of a field.
.VALUE_GET()	V5	Returns the value of a field.
.VALUE_PUT()	V5	Sets the value of a field.
.WIDTH_GET()	V5	Returns the field width of a field.

Alpha Five provides the TABLE.FIELD_ADD() method, which is used between the TABLE.CREATE_BEGIN() and TABLE.CREATE_END() methods to define a field for a table.

Alpha Five provides the following useful field functions and methods.

Function		Description
A5_ADD_FIELDS_TO_TABLE()	V5	Adds field(s) to an existing table.
A5_CHANGEFIELDSIZE()	V5	Changes the sizes (width or decimal places) of a list of fields in a table.
A5_DEL_FIELDS_FM_TABLE()	V5	Removes the fields from a table.
A5_FIELD_INFO()	V6	Returns a dot variable containing information about the field. The table does not have to be open.
A5_FIELDSIZES()	V6	Returns the size of a table field that is not character or numeric.
A5_GET_FIELDNAMES()	V5	Lists field names from a table or set.
ALLTEXT()	V5	Returns a character string of all of the field values in the current record in the table specified by Table_Alias.
ALLTEXT_INITIAL()	V5	Returns a character string of all of the field values in the current record in Table_Alias before any editing changes are made by the user.
COMPUTE_FIELD_ STATISTICS()	V5	Returns a dot variable, with all of the relevant statistics (e.g. count, minimum, maximum, total, average, etc.) for the field.
CURRENT()	V5	Returns the value of a field or an expression based on field contents for the current record.
FIELD()	V5	Returns the Field_Name of the field specified by its Field_Number in the table specified by the Table_Name parameter.
INLIST()	V5	Searches for a matching value in a list of one or more expressions or fields from the same record. The function returns .T. (TRUE) if the Search_Value matches any of the remaining expressions; returns .F. (FALSE) if the value is not found in a specified expression.
INVERT()	V5	Returns the complement of the value in the field specified by Field_Name.
ISBLANK()	V5	Returns .T. (TRUE) if the field identified in the Field_Name is blank; otherwise, returns .F. (FALSE).. This function works on any type of field.
PREVIOUS()	V5	Returns the Field_Value of a field, referenced by its Field_Name, from the previous record in the current primary index order.
RECSIZE()	V5	Returns an integer that is the size of a record in the specified table, measured by adding the number of characters reserved for each field.
<TBL>.FIELD_BLANK()	V5	Erases the contents of a field.
<TBL>.FIELD_GET()	V5	Returns the <FIELD> object pointer that references the specified Fieldname.
<TBL>.FIELD_NAME_GET()	V5	Returns the names of the fields in a table.
<TBL>.FIELD_STATISTICS()	V5	Computes statistics (first value, last value, minimum value, count, total, average, standard deviation and variance) for Expression, for all of the currently selected records in the table referenced by <TBL>.
<TBL>.FIELDS_GET()	V5	Returns the number of fields in a record for the table referenced by <TBL>.
TABLE.EXTERNAL_ FIELD_NAME_GET()	V5	The most flexible method of returning information about the fields in a table without first getting a pointer to the table.