version 6.5 (Modified)
SET QUERY DESTINATION (destinationType{; destinationObject})
Parameter | Type | Description | |
destinationType | Number | 0 current selection | |
1 set | |||
2 named selection | |||
3 variable | |||
destinationObject | String | Variable | Name of the set, or | |
Name of the named selection, or | |||
Variable |
Description
SET QUERY DESTINATION enables you to tell 4th Dimension where to put the result of any subsequent query for the current process.
You specify the type of the destination in the parameter destinationType. 4th Dimension provides the following predefined constants:
Constant | Type | Value |
Into current selection | Long Integer | 0 |
Into set | Long Integer | 1 |
Into named selection | Long Integer | 2 |
Into variable | Long Integer | 3 |
You specify the destination of the query itself in the optional destinationObject parameter according to the following table:
destinationType | destinationObject |
parameter | parameter |
0 (current selection) | You omit the parameter |
1 (set) | You pass the name of a set (existing or to be created) |
2 (named selection) | You pass the named of a named selection (existing or to be created) |
3 (variable) | You pass a numeric variable (existing or to be created) |
With:
SET QUERY DESTINATION(Into current selection)
The records found by any subsequent query will end up in a new current selection for the table involved by the query.
With:
SET QUERY DESTINATION(Into set;"mySet")
The records found by any subsequent query will end up in the set "mySet". The current selection and the current record for the table involved by the query are left unchanged.
Note: In client/server, you cannot use local/client sets (name preceeded by $ symbol) as a query destination. This type of set is created on client machines when queries are executed on the server. For more information on these types of sets, refer to the Sets section.
With:
SET QUERY DESTINATION(Into named selection;"myNamedSel")
The records found by any subsequent query will end up in the named selection "myNamedSel". The current selection and the current record for the table involved by the query are left unchanged.
Note: If the named selection does not exist beforehand, it will be created automatically at the end of the query.
With:
SET QUERY DESTINATION(Into variable;$vlResult)
The number of records found by any subsequent query will end up in the variable $vlResult. The current selection and the current record for the table involved by the query are left unchanged.
Warning: SET QUERY DESTINATION affects all subsequent queries made within the current process. REMEMBER to always counterbalance a call to SET QUERY DESTINATION (where destinationType#0) with a call to SET QUERY DESTINATION(0) in order to restore normal query mode.
SET QUERY DESTINATION changes the behavior of the query commands only:
QUERY
On the other hand, SET QUERY DESTINATION does not affect other commands that may change the current selection of a table such as ALL RECORDS, RELATE MANY and so on.
Examples
1. You create a form that will display the records from a [Phone Book] table. You create a Tab Control named asRolodex (with the 26 letters of the alphabet) and a subform displaying the [Phone Book] records. Choosing one Tab from the Tab Control displays the records whose names start with the corresponding letter.
In your application, the [Phone Book] table contains a set of quite static data, so you do not want to (or need to) perform a query each time you select a Tab. In this way, you can save precious database engine time.
To do so, you can redirect your queries into named selections that you reuse as needed. You write the object method of the Tab Control asRolodex as follows:
` asRolodex object method Case of : (Form event=On Load) ` Before the form appears on the screen, ` initialize the rolodex and an array of Booleans that ` will tell us if a query for the corresponding letter ` has been performed or not ARRAY STRING(1;asRolodex;26) ARRAY BOOLEAN(abQueryDone;26) For ($vlElem;1;26) asRolodex{$vlElem}:=Char(64+$vlElem) abQueryDone{$vlElem}:=False End for : (Form event=On Clicked) ` When a click on the Tab control occurs, check whether the corresponding query ` has been performed or not If (Not(abQueryDone{asRolodex})) ` If not, redirect the next query(ies) toward a named selection SET QUERY DESTINATION(Into named selection;"Rolodex"+asRolodex{asRolodex}) ` Perform the query QUERY([Phone Book];[Phone Book]Last name=asRolodex{asRolodex}+"@") ` Restore normal query mode SET QUERY DESTINATION(Into current selection) ` Next time we choose that letter, we won't perform the query again abQueryDone{asRolodex}:=True End if ` Use the named selection for displaying the records corresponding to the chosen letter USE NAMED SELECTION("Rolodex"+asRolodex{asRolodex}) : (Form event=On Unload) ` After the form disappeared from the screen ` Clear the named selections we created For ($vlElem;1;26) If(abQueryDone{$vlElem}) CLEAR NAMED SELECTION("Rolodex"+asRolodex{$vlElem}) End if End for ` Clear the two arrays we no longer need CLEAR VARIABLE(asRolodex) CLEAR VARIABLE(abQueryDone) End case
2. The Unique values project method in this example allows you to verify the uniqueness of the values for any number of fields in a table. The current record can be an existing or a newly created record.
` Unique values project method ` Unique values ( Pointer ; Pointer { ; Pointer... } ) -> Boolean ` Unique values ( ->Table ; ->Field { ; ->Field2... } ) -> Yes or No C_BOOLEAN($0;$2) C_POINTER(${1}) C_LONGINT($vlField;$vlNbFields;$vlFound;$vlCurrentRecord) $vlNbFields:=Count parameters-1 $vlCurrentRecord:=Record number($1->) If ($vlNbFields>0) If ($vlCurrentRecord#-1) If ($vlCurrentRecord<0) ` The current record is an unsaved new record (record number is -3); ` therefore we can stop the query as soon as at least one record is found SET QUERY LIMIT(1) Else ` The current record is an existing record; ` therefore we can stop the query as soon as at least two records are found SET QUERY LIMIT(2) End if ` The query will return its result in $vlFound ` without changing the current record nor the current selection SET QUERY DESTINATION(Into variable;$vlFound) ` Make the query according to the number of fields that are specified Case of : ($vlNbFields=1) QUERY($1->;$2->=$2->) : ($vlNbFields=2) QUERY($1->;$2->=$2->;*) QUERY($1->; & ;$3->=$3->) Else QUERY($1->;$2->=$2->;*) For ($vlField;2;$vlNbFields-1) QUERY($1->; & ;${1+$vlField}->=${1+$vlField}->;*) End for QUERY($1->; & ;${1+$vlNbFields}->=${1+$vlNbFields}->) End case SET QUERY DESTINATION(Into current selection) ` Restore normal query mode SET QUERY LIMIT(0) ` No longer limit queries ` Process query result Case of : ($vlFound=0) $0:=True ` No duplicated values : ($vlFound=1) If ($vlCurrentRecord<0) $0:=False ` Found an existing record with the same values as the unsaved new record Else $0:=True ` No duplicated values; just found the very same record End if : ($vlFound=2) $0:=False ` Whatever the case is, the values are duplicated End case Else If (<>DebugOn) ` Does not make sense; signal it if development version TRACE ` WARNING! Unique values is called with NO current record End if $0:=False ` Can't guarantee the result End if Else If (<>DebugOn) ` Does not make sense; signal it if development version TRACE ` WARNING! Unique values is called with NO query condition End if $0:=False ` Can't guarantee the result End if
After this project method is implemented in your application, you can write:
` ... If (Unique values (->[Contacts];->[Contacts]Company);->[Contacts]Last name;->[Contacts]First name) ` Do appropriate actions for that record which has unique values Else ALERT("There is already a Contact with this name for this Company.") End if ` ...
See Also
QUERY, QUERY BY EXAMPLE, QUERY BY FORMULA, QUERY SELECTION, QUERY SELECTION BY FORMULA, QUERY WITH ARRAY, SET QUERY LIMIT.