Hey all!

How do I get this (should be) simple data type conversion to work?:

-SET &DATE = TODAY('A10');
-SET &YEAR = EDIT('&DATE.EVAL', '$$$$$$9999');
-SET &YEAR = EDIT(&YEAR);
-TYPE &YEAR.TYPE

I get back N. I need to get back A.

Thanks in advance!

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

I'm not sure you can change the TYPE of &YEAR within dialogue manager. In my playing with it just now, I had to force quoutes around it. Why are you trying to force it to alpha anyways?

  -SET &YEAR = '''&DATEYY.EVAL''';
-TYPE The data type of &YEAR is &YEAR.TYPE

quote:

-SET &DATE = TODAY('A10');
-SET &YEAR = EDIT('&DATE.EVAL', '$$$$$$9999');
-SET &YEAR = EDIT(&YEAR);
-TYPE &YEAR.TYPE

1. More simply,

-SET &DATE = TODAY('A10');
-SET &YEAR = EDIT(&DATE, '$$$$$$9999');

2. Dialog Manager variables are typeless -- their content is always a character-string. The .TYPE operator simply indicates whether the string value "looks" like a number or not.
-- By contrast, FOCUS (TABLE) variables are typed, and EDIT() can be used to convert between alpha and integer types.

Thanks everyone!

Appreciate the help with understanding type conversion quirks in WF.

eric.woerle: I had to compare today's year part to a field that stores the year in an A4 format. I didn't design the table... Kind of annoying, but working around it.

Thanks again everyone!

CoolGuy,

Sounds like your over complicating things then. Use the suffix .QUOTEDSTRING to wrap quotes around your year. It will automatically compare them as alpha's. No need for validating type. As Jack mentions, Variables don't actually have an associated data type.

Good to know eric.woerle and j.gross! Thanks for the insights!