Allows you to create and edit expressions. An expression can be as simple as a field name or as complex as a calculation involving immediate IF functions, concatenations, and data type conversions. The main purpose of the ExpressionBuilder is to facilitate the creation of expressions by providing you with lists of appropriate options each step of the way. This dialog box can be accessed from multiple locations.
To create an expression, you can type it directly into the expression box, or you can select items from the functions drop-down lists in the dialog box to have FH paste them into the expression box for you.
You might find some of the following functions useful when manipulating strings in expressions.
| To do this | Use this |
|---|---|
| Remove leading and trailing blanks from character expressions | ALLTRIM in A |
| Remove leading blanks | LTRIM in L |
| Remove trailing blanks | RTRIM in R |
| Add specified characters to the left, right, or both sides of a string; | PAD in P |
| Work with parts of a character string for comparisons | SUBSTR in S |
| Use a specified number of characters starting with the left of a string | LEFT in L |
| Have a numeric field interpreted as a character string | STR in S |
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