DataSoft Functions

DataSoft functions are Articles-specific utility functions that provide additional capabilities beyond the standard function library. They are available throughout the Articles report script editor.

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Clamp

Restricts a value to within a specified minimum and maximum range. If the value is below the minimum the minimum is returned, if above the maximum the maximum is returned, otherwise the value itself is returned. See also IsBetween for checking a range without clamping.

Clamp(Value, Min, Max: Double): Double

Parameter	Type	Description
Value	Double	The value to clamp
Min	Double	The minimum allowed value
Max	Double	The maximum allowed value

// Ensure a discount rate never goes below 0 or above 50%
Result := FormatNumberSafe(Clamp([Orders.DiscountRate], 0, 0.5), 2);

// Cap a commission rate between 1% and 15%
var rate := Clamp([Employee.CommissionRate], 0.01, 0.15);
Result := FormatFloat('0.00"%"', rate * 100);

// Keep a quantity within valid bounds before processing
var qty := Clamp([Orders.Quantity], 1, 9999);
Result := IntToStr(Round(qty));

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QuotedStr

Returns a string value enclosed in single quotation marks. Useful when building dynamic SQL strings or constructing text that requires quoted values.

QuotedStr(V: Variant): String

Parameter	Type	Description
V	Variant	The value to wrap in single quotes

Result := QuotedStr('Acme Corp');
// Returns: '''Acme Corp'''

// Build a SQL-style WHERE clause string
var filter := 'AccountNo = ' + QuotedStr([Customer.AccountNo]);

// Useful when constructing parameterised strings dynamically
Result := 'WHERE CustomerID = ' + QuotedStr(VarToStr([Customer.ID]));

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RoundToN

Rounds a number to a specified number of decimal places. See also RoundTo2 for the common case of rounding to 2 decimal places.

RoundToN(V: Double; N: Integer): Double

Parameter	Type	Description
V	Double	The number to round
N	Integer	Number of decimal places to round to

// Round a weight to 3 decimal places
Result := FormatNumberSafe(RoundToN([Item.Weight], 3), 3);
// Returns: '12.456'

// Round an interest rate to 4 decimal places
Result := FormatNumberSafe(RoundToN([Finance.InterestRate], 4), 4);
// Returns: '0.0675'

// Round to a whole number
Result := IntToStr(Round(RoundToN([Stats.Average], 0)));

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SetParam

Sets a parameter value on a named dataset at runtime. Use this to pass values into a stored procedure or parameterised query from within a report script, typically in a BeforeStartReport or BeforePrint event.

SetParam(DataSetName, ParamName: String; Value: Variant): Variant

Parameter	Type	Description
DataSetName	String	The name of the dataset component in the report
ParamName	String	The name of the parameter to set
Value	Variant	The value to assign to the parameter

// Set a date range on a stored procedure dataset
SetParam('spSalesData', 'StartDate', [Param.StartDate]);
SetParam('spSalesData', 'EndDate',   [Param.EndDate]);

// Pass a customer ID to filter results
SetParam('spCustomerOrders', 'CustomerID', [Customer.ID]);

// Use Sage period dates as parameters
SetParam('spPayroll', 'PeriodStart',
         SagePeriodStartDate([ConnectionDef], [Param.Period]));
SetParam('spPayroll', 'PeriodEnd',
         SagePeriodEndDate([ConnectionDef], [Param.Period]));