DOCUMENT:Q193079  12-AUG-1999  [foxpro]
TITLE   :FIX: "Syntax Error" with EVAL of ALL or LTRIM in SELECT-SQL
PRODUCT :Microsoft FoxPro
PROD/VER:WINDOWS:5.0,5.0a
OPER/SYS:
KEYWORDS:

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

 - Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0a 
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SYMPTOMS
========

If you issue a SELECT SQL statement that contains a WHERE clause comparing a
field value to an expression, which involves an ALLTRIM() or LTRIM() function
that is passed to the EVALUATE() function, if the trim function trims a leading
space or spaces the following error occurs when the SELECT statement is
processed:

   Syntax error.

RESOLUTION
==========

As a workaround, trim the leading space or spaces by using STRTRAN() rather than
ALLTRIM() or LTRIM().

The following example demonstrates the workaround:

      SELECT *, .t. FROM temp_table ;
         WHERE temp_table.cUsageTL = EVALUATE(STRTRAN("lcService" ;
         + (" 91")," ","")) ;
         INTO CURSOR Temp4

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the
beginning of this article. This bug has been corrected in Visual FoxPro 6.0.

MORE INFORMATION
================

Steps to Reproduce Behavior
---------------------------

1. Run the following code from a program (.PRG) file:

         CLOSE DATABASES ALL
         SET SAFETY OFF

         * Create table and index.
         CREATE table temp_table (cBTN c(2), cUsageTl c(10))
         INDEX on cUsageTl tag cUsageTl

         SET SAFETY ON

         * Insert some records.
         FOR lnj = 1 to 10
            INSERT into temp_table (cBTN, cUsageTl) values ("91", "Sp800/W")
            INSERT into temp_table (cBTN, cUsageTl) values ("91", "Sp800/X")
            INSERT into temp_table (cBTN, cUsageTl) values ("91", "Sp800/Y")
         ENDFOR

         * Initialize variables to Evaluate.
         lcService91="Sp800/W"
         lcService92="Sp800/X"
         lcService93="Sp800/Y"

         * Issue SELECT with trailing, no and leading space.
         SELECT *, .t. FROM temp_table WHERE temp_table.cUsageTl = ;
            EVALUATE("lcService"+ALLTRIM("91 ")) ;
            INTO CURSOR Temp2

         SELECT *, .t. FROM temp_table WHERE temp_table.cUsageTl = ;
            EVALUATE("lcService"+ALLTRIM("92")) ;
            INTO CURSOR Temp3

         * It fails with the leading space.
         SELECT *, .t. FROM temp_table WHERE temp_table.cUsageTl = ;
            EVALUATE("lcService"+ALLTRIM(" 93")) ;
            INTO CURSOR Temp4

In Visual FoxPro 5.0, the third select fails with a "Syntax error". This works
without error in Visual FoxPro 6.0.

Demonstration of Workaround
---------------------------

Replace the third select statement in the preceding program example with the
following code:

      SELECT *, .t. FROM temp_table ;
         WHERE temp_table.cUsageTL = EVALUATE(STRTRAN("lcService" ;
         + (" 91")," ","")) ;
         INTO CURSOR Temp4

RESULTS: After running the program, no error occurs, and the STRTRAN() function
trims the leading space.

REFERENCES
==========

(c) Microsoft Corporation 1998. All Rights Reserved. Contributions by Jim
Saunders, Microsoft Corporation


Additional query words: kbVFp500abug kbVFp600fix kbSQL

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Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbVFPsearch kbAudDeveloper kbVFP500 kbVFP500a
Version           : WINDOWS:5.0,5.0a
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

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