What would be the correct syntax in order to output 'none selected' when input text box on launch page contains no entered data or word NULL, output 'ALL' when 'all' typed into the input box or the specific unit number if entered?

BTW launch page designed to pass values through xml containers.

Consider the following:

-SET &UNIT_HDR = IF &UNIT_NO IS MISSING THEN 'None Selected' ELSE
- IF UPCASE(4, &UNIT_NO, 'A4') EQ 'NULL' THEN 'POTATO VALU' ELSE
- IF UPCASE(3, &UNIT_NO, 'A3') EQ 'ALL' THEN 'ALL' ELSE &UNIT_NO;

Entering nothing in the corresponding field on the launch page produces 'None Selected', as does a space character. As a test, when entering Null in the unit no input box on the launch page, I expected to see a header with words 'Potato Valu'. Instead, it also returned 'None Selected'. Entering a specific unit number also resulted in 'none Selected'.

Data received from report source looked like this:

-SET &UNIT_HDR = IF NULL IS MISSING THEN 'None Selected' ELSE
- IF UPCASE(4, NULL, 'A4') EQ 'NULL' THEN 'POTATO VALU' ELSE
- IF UPCASE(3, NULL, 'A3') EQ 'ALL' THEN 'ALL' ELSE NULL;

Is there a better way to do parameter evaluation?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kerry,

IS MISSING is incorrect syntax for Dialogue Manager. To determine the existence of a Dialogue Manager variable, use the EXIST suffix:

IF &UNIT_NO.EXIST EQ 0

See documentation: Developing Reporting Applications > Managing Flow of Control in an Application > Customizing a Procedure With Variables > Screening a Variable Value.

The whole Dialogue Manager IF statement gets evaluated, so, unfortunately, when EXIST is used in a complex IF statement, and the variable does not exist, the IF statement fails with an error.

Instead, and it makes life easier, add a default setting in the program. e.g.:

-DEFAULT &UNIT_NO = '';

-SET &UNIT_HDR = IF &UNIT_NO EQ '' THEN 'None Selected' ELSE
- IF UPCASE(4, &UNIT_NO, 'A4') EQ 'NULL' THEN 'POTATO VALU' ELSE
- IF UPCASE(3, &UNIT_NO, 'A3') EQ 'ALL' THEN 'ALL' ELSE &UNIT_NO;

-TYPE &UNIT_HDR

IS MISSING will not work. If no value is passed then the value is blank, not NULL. Also, your further tests are not testing your variable - they are testing NULL. Try this:
-SET &UNIT_HDR=IF &UNIT_NO EQ '' THEN 'None Selected' ELSE
-IF &UNIT_NO EQ 'NULL' THEN 'POTATO VALU' ELSE &UNIT_NO ;

Francis,

Your default approach worked. I had a default statement written in the code too, but I was trying to evaluate against 'NULL'. I think I was creating conflicts by doing that. Appeared to me like it was ignoring the default value, which had me thinking that there was some special hidden value coming in. Anyway, using the '' was a much easier and simplier solution and the code snippet now works as desired. THANKS!

Darin, if user entered criteria of ALL in input box, I wanted the header to specifically reflect their choice of "ALL". That said, you are technically right. In a later line of code all three of these criteria ('', NULL, ALL) send NULL to the pipeline query.

Francis,

Thank you also for the tech guide tip. Sometimes, finding the help in the documentation is a challenge in and of itself.

Don't forget

quote:

IS MISSING is incorrect syntax for Dialogue Manager. To determine the existence of a Dialogue Manager variable, use the EXIST suffix:

IF &UNIT_NO.EXIST EQ 0

i find it xplatform safer to say something like this:
-SET &myparmexist = &myparm.exist ;
-GOTO fix.&myparmexist ;
-fix.0
-SET &myparm = 'YOU FORGOT';
-fix.1