System.Evaluate(var Any, Text [, Integer]) Method

Version: Available or changed with runtime version 1.0.

Evaluates a string representation of a value into its typical representation. The result is assigned to a variable.

Syntax

[Ok := ]  System.Evaluate(var Variable: Any, String: Text [, Number: Integer])

Note

This method can be invoked without specifying the data type name.

Parameters

Variable
 Type: Any
The value of the string is assigned to the variable.

String
 Type: Text
A string that contains a value of any simple AL data type.

[Optional] Number
 Type: Integer
This optional value can be used when exporting data with an XmlPort. The only valid values are 9 and 10. 9 indicates that the data must be converted from XML format to C/SIDE format. 10 indicates that the data must be converted from bookmark.

Return Value

[Optional] Ok
 Type: Boolean
true if the operation was successful; otherwise false. If you omit this optional return value and the operation does not execute successfully, a runtime error will occur.

Example

This example shows how to use the Evaluate method when it is called with four different types of variables.

var
    VarInteger: Integer;  
    VarDate: Date;
    VarYesNo: Boolean;  
    VarDuration: Duration;  
    Value: Text;
    Ok1: Boolean;  
    Ok2: Boolean;  
    Ok3: Boolean;  
    Ok4: Boolean; 
    Text000: Label 'VarInteger = \#1\#\#\#\#\#\#. The return code is: %2.\\';
    Text001: Label 'VarDate = \#3\#\#\#\#\#\#. The return code is: %4.\\'; 
    Text002: Label 'VarYesNo = \#5\#\#\#\#\#\#. The return code is: %6.\\';  
    Text003: Label 'VarDuration = %7. The return code is: %8.';
begin
    Value := '19960101';  
    Ok1 := Evaluate(VarInteger, Value);  
    Ok2 := Evaluate(VarDate, Value);  
    Ok3 := Evaluate(VarYesNo, Value);  
    Value := '2days 4hours 3.7 seconds 17 milliseconds';  
    Ok4 := Evaluate(VarDuration, Value);  
    Message(Text000 + Text001 + Text002 + Text003, VarInteger, Ok1, VarDate, Ok2, VarYesNo, Ok3, VarDuration, Ok4); 
end; 

The message window displays the following:

VarInteger = 10196 . The return code is: Yes.

VarDate = 01/01/96. The return code is: Yes.

VarYesNo = No . The return code is: No.

VarDuration = 2 days 4 hours 3 seconds 717 milliseconds. The return code is: Yes.

This example shows that although Value ('19960101') can be interpreted as both an integer and a date expression, it cannot be interpreted as a Boolean expression. This causes an error, shown in the return code Ok3 (=False).

This example also shows that when you evaluate a string as a duration data type, you can use certain words in the string to describe the duration. The following words or abbreviations are supported:

  • day, days, d

  • hour, hours, h

  • minute, minutes, min, m

  • second, seconds, sec, s

  • millisecond, milliseconds, milli, millis

You can include decimal values in the string that you evaluate as a duration, except for milliseconds, which must be a whole number.

See Also

System Data Type
Get Started with AL
Developing Extensions