Database Reference
In-Depth Information
You might get:
Virtualizing software
Holoband
Batteries (for Serge)
The most common use of
List()
is to suck related data or values from repeating fields, or a
series of nonrepeating fields into a single text block for easy display, reporting, or manipula-
a list of related IDs,
List()
is your go-to function.
Round()
The
Round()
function rounds a value to the number of places you set. It takes two paramet-
ers: number and precision. So if you set the precision to 3, this calculation returns
3.142
:
Round ( 3.1416 ; 3 )
TIP
You might be tempted to simply use number formatting on a field to display a value to a specific
number of decimal places. But remember, that method changes only what you see on a layout. If
you perform math on that field, then FileMaker uses the real value (with all its decimal glory) in the
calculation. But when you use the Round function, you're actually changing the value in the field,
and any calculations acting on that field use the rounded value.
Setprecision()
Some calculations demand a high degree of precision, like those that track radioactive iso-
topes or other scientific data with lots of places following the decimal point. The
SetPreci-
sion()
function extends FileMaker's automatic precision of 16 decimal places, up to a max-
imum of 400. To get more than 16 decimal places, add a
SetPrecision()
function to the
calculation that produces the value that requires precision. You can use
SetPrecision()
with all other numeric functions, except trigonometric functions, which don't accept this ex-
tended precision (
Figure 10-1
).
The
SetPrecision()
function requires two parameters: expression and precision. The first
parameter is a number, or any expression that results in a number. The second is the number
of decimal places you want to see.
