ISO FileMaker Magazine: FileMaker Video Tutorials, Templates, Help & More

Alright guys, been busy so pardon the greater than one month gap. This is more on the whole numeric addressing issue we have with repeating vars and fields... its really annoying and puts limits on what can be achieved.

So, we want to simulate text based key's that are available in every programming language known to man - one method I don't mind (though i haven't extensively run speed tests on it):

Custom Function: getValueFromArray( array ; key)
Let( [
newList = Substitute( array ; "\," ; "|||" ) ;
newList = ¶ & Substitute( newList ; "," ; "¶" ) & ¶;
newList = Substitute( newList ; "|||" ; "," );
keyStart = Position( newList ; ¶ & key & "=>" ; 1 ; 1 ) ;
valueStart = keyStart + Length(key)+3;
valueEnd = Position( newList ; "¶" ; valueStart ; 1 )];
If( PatternCount( newList ; ¶ & key & "=>" ) ; Middle( newList ; valueStart ; valueEnd - valueStart) ; "?" )
)

Method for setting the key / value array:
$array = "key=>value,sentance=>I am a value\, values are cool!!,key3=>\"value3\""

Now, so lets say we wanted to extract the value for sentance from that array:
getValueFromArray( $array ; "sentance" ) which would return: I am a value, values are cool!!
getValueFromArray( $array ; "key3" ) would return "value3".

I hope this has been a fun and eductational experience ;)

Cheers guys, will try build a bit on this and run some speed tests over the next few weeks, in the mean time, behave yourselves!!

Hi Guys,

I recently had the need (or more likely the desire) to set global variables dynamically..

As most of you will know, Set variable allows you to specify a dynamic value and repetition, but not a dynamic name for your variable. This often leads you to store info in a delimited list within one repetition when you need to store multiple peices of information per one subject.

This will soon make your scripts become messy and the logic harder to follow

Hence two small custom functions:

Custom Function: SetGlobalVariable( name ; value ; repetition)
Evaluate("Let( $$" & name & "[" & repetition & "] = \"" & value & "\" ; \"\" )" )

Example Usage: SetGlobalVariable( "record_" & table::primaryKey ; table::aField ; 1 )

If your primaryKey field contained "991" and your aField field contained "Alex!!" -
This would be the equivalent of using the script step: Set Variable( $$record_991[1] ; Value: "Alex!!" ) ..
or otherwise writing: Let( $$record_991[1] = "Alex!!" ; "" )

Which means that if you were to now retrieve the value of $$record_991 - you would get "Alex!!" as the value returned.

Call: GetGlobalVariable( name ; repetition)

Custom Function: GetGlobalVariable( name ; repetition)
Evaluate("$$" & name & "[" & repetition & "]" )

Example Usage: GetGlobalVariable( "record_" & table::primaryKey ; 1 )
Which would (where primaryKey = 991 and the variable was set as above) return "Alex!!"

These examples aren't great, but they certainly simplify my scripts and I hope they'll help someone else out.