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 TECH TALK
Lightly technical observations on PeopleSoft and related topics
 

October 17, 2007

Record.Field Specification

First, a reminder: The latest version of the SQR Debugger is available for download. This update deals with the RELLANG.SQC monster. Also, Massimo has started a blog on IT contracting. Check it out...

In a previous post on navigating the component buffer, I talked about the different coding styles that can be used in finding data within the buffer. Today I'd like to mention one particular topic that can cause confusion (it definitely confused me).

The original sytax was RECORD.FIELD. To work with a value in the MY_FIELD field of the MY_RECORD table, you would just code MY_RECORD.MY_FIELD. When "version 2" of PeopleCode was released—the one that supported certain objects and the "dot" syntax, but before the object-oriented Application Packages—it supported both the old and new ways of addressing data in the buffer. Now we can get a reference to a row, a record, a field, or any of a number of other object types. (For documentation on these objects, head to the API Reference instead of the PeopleCode Reference.) There is a "GetRecord" method that returns a reference to a record (table, view, or derived record). One would think that we could code:

   &Rec = GetRecord(MY_RECORD);   Wrong

But that doesn't work. The system thinks that MY_RECORD is a field name, even though we are asking for a record reference! It appends the record name from the current context and you will get an error saying that SOME_RECORD.MY_RECORD is not a defined field. Or, if it can't determine a context within a record, you will get the "full record.field specification required" message.

The key to dealing with these issues is to be verbose. Instead of just asking for a reference to a record object, say that you want the reference to this object and that yes, it really is a record:

   &Rec = GetRecord(Record.MY_RECORD);
   &Fld = GetRecord(Record.MY_RECORD).GetField(Field.MY_FIELD);

Just remember that RECORD.FIELD is PeopleCode's default way of specifying a field, and if it sees one name it will try to turn it into RECORD.FIELD by appending the closest record name. This is the source of many confusing error messages when you are getting started with the newer syntax. It explains why the following variation works—but it looks ugly to me:

   &Fld = GetRecord(MY_RECORD.MY_FIELD).GetField(MY_RECORD.MY_FIELD);

Until next time...








 

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