Using AFIELDS() to Determine Number of Decimal Places

ID: Q97156

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, versions 2.5, and 2.5a
• Microsoft FoxPro for MS-DOS, versions 2.0, 2.5, and 2.5a

SUMMARY

The "Commands & Functions" manual for FoxPro 2.0 for MS-DOS and the "FoxPro Language Reference" manual for FoxPro 2.5 for MS-DOS and Windows do not list an example of using the AFIELDS() function. The following example illustrates how the AFIELDS() function can be used to help determine the number of decimal places in a field named numfld.

MORE INFORMATION

In the code snippet below, AFIELDS() is used to create an array containing field information. The array contains four columns: field name, field type, field length, and decimal places in numeric fields. One row in the array is created for each field in the database structure. The field names and field types are placed in the array as uppercase character strings.

The ASCAN() function scans the fldinfo array to find the field named numfld and returns the element number for the field name. The number of decimal places for the field is three elements past the field name.

1. Create a database with the following two fields. Data records do

   not need to be added for this example.

       Field         Type               Length           Decimals
       -----------------------------------------------------------

       CHARFIELD       C                  10
       NUMFLD          N                  10                3

3. Issue the following commands in the Command window:

   ?AFIELDS(fldinfo)     && Creates an array named fldinfo.
   m.decimals = fldinfo(ASCAN(fldinfo,"NUMFLD") + 3)
   ?m.decimals

   NOTE: M.decimals should contain a value of 3, which is the number of
   decimal places in the field named NUMFLD.

REFERENCES

Pages C3-126 and C3-144 of the FoxPro 2.0 for MS-DOS, "Commands &

 Functions".

  Windows "Language Reference".

Last Reviewed: June 27, 1995