* Expression guidance please

[peterbel]

I want to add a icon to my Diagram Tree View, dependant upon the Birth OR Baptism place but all my expression attempts are rejected as "Expression not valid". For example, starting just with Birth:
ContainsText(%INDI.BIRT[1].PLAC>%,"Devon",FULL)

What should I be writing?
Thanks

[tatewise]

FULL is not a valid 3rd parameter. Check the function Help page.

Also, the outermost function needs a leading = sign.

[peterbel]

I am puzzled. I don't quite understand how ContainsText and = can work in the same expression.
None of the examples I have studied in the KB use it, but I am new to this.

[tatewise]

See FHUG Knowledge Base Understanding Functions where the The Basics section explains where the = sign should and should not appear. The = sign indicates to the FH expression processor to expect a function name.

Your function should be:
=ContainsText( %INDI.BIRT[1].PLAC>%, "Devon", STD ) if it is NOT within the parentheses of another Function.
ContainsText( %INDI.BIRT[1].PLAC>%, "Devon", STD ) if is within the parentheses of another Function.
e.g. =TextIf( ContainsText( %INDI.BIRT[1].PLAC>%, "Devon", STD ), "Yes", "No" )

Understanding Expressions has many examples where functions have a leading = sign and many that do not for the reasons given above.

[ADC65]

You put the equals sign at the beginning of the expression, like this:

Code: Select all

=ContainsText(%INDI.BIRT[1].PLAC>%,"Devon",STD)

You can see some examples in the online help, here:

https://www.family-historian.co.uk/help ... stext.html

If you are using a function in an expression in a condition to display an Icon, you will need the equals sign. If you are just basing it on a fact, you won't need it, just the Data Reference. Have a look at some of the examples from my tree below:

Screenshot 2023-04-11 230554.jpg (50.63 KiB) Viewed 1152 times

Hope this helps. It can be a bit hit and miss while you develop complex expressions, just start simple and ask if you get stuck.

EDIT: Posted the same time as Mike, above, who explains it better

[AdrianBruce]

One common misunderstanding is whether to include or exclude the leading = sign on the Function name.

• If the Function is NOT within the parentheses of another Function then the = sign is required.
• If the Function is within the parentheses then the = must be omitted.

My problem with the above is that it's just a recipe, and I'm not good at remembering recipes that I don't understand.

Can anyone explain why FH is happy with no = within parentheses, but needs a = outside? For instance
=CalcDate(Year(%INDI.BIRT.DATE%), 10)
doesn't have one on Year in that place - inside () - but CalcDate does need one? Is it to distinguish CalcDate from something else? Such as....?

[tatewise]

Adrian, in some expressions (such as Sentence Templates, Diagram Text Schemes, and Report Heading Text) the items may be any of three types:

1. Data Reference enclosed in %, e.g. %INDI.BIRT.DATE%
2. Function starting with = sign, e.g. =CalcDate( ... )
3. Plain text that can be anything.

It is necessary to have the % and = syntax to differentiate those three.
Otherwise INDI.BIRTH.DATE or CalcDate( ... ) would get taken as plain text.
When there is a syntax error, FH often displays parts of an expression in plain text when they are supposed to be Data References or Functions.

Inside the parentheses of a Function, the parameters that are plain text must be enclosed in single or double quotes.
Other parameters can be numbers or data references or functions which now don't need the = sign to differentiate them.

[peterbel]

Thanks everyone. Forum replies always seem much easier to understand than reading the KB and the examples.

I am now struggling trying to add the OR operator to test if the both the Birth or Baptism place are in Devon.
I have tried to find the correct syntax for the expression and my several attempts have all been invalid, including this:
=ContainsText (%INDI.BIRT.PLAC>%,"Devon",STD) or ContainsText (%INDI.BAPM[1].PLAC>%,"Devon",STD)

[tatewise]

Peter, if you inspect Understanding Expressions closely enough you will examples that are similar to your requirements involving or and and operators.
Clue: They all start with =IsTrue

[peterbel]

Thanks Mike. I hadn't realised the or had to pair with an IsTrue

[AdrianBruce]

Adrian, in some expressions (such as Sentence Templates, Diagram Text Schemes, and Report Heading Text) the items may be any of three types:

1. Data Reference enclosed in %, e.g. %INDI.BIRT.DATE%
2. Function starting with = sign, e.g. =CalcDate( ... )
3. Plain text that can be anything.

Ah - thanks very much Mike. I think my analytical (or pedantic ) mind was missing the "plain text" classification. Once you said that (which I suspect I was a long way from realising) then the three cases fall into place.

Inside the parentheses of a Function, the parameters that are plain text must be enclosed in single or double quotes.
Other parameters can be numbers or data references or functions which now don't need the = sign to differentiate them.

Yes that flip as you enter between the parentheses made little sense to me without the threefold classification and the "in some expressions" background. I could quite happily use the "Inside the parentheses" constructions on the outside as well. But (a) there might be some issue I've not thought of and (b) if I think of a typical simple line in a diagram text scheme like:

Code: Select all

C: %INDI.CENS[1+].DATE:YEAR% %INDI.CENS[1+].PLAC:SHORT%

then it would be that bit more complicated because I'd need to enter C: (for census, not C: drive!) between quotes, plus there'd be concatenation operators between the three elements - I think (no promises, I've not thought it through). Those of us less used to computer language constructions might be less pleased with that approach.

So yes, thanks for that Mike - all I have to do now is remember where I've filed this.

[peterbel]

Now happily playing with expressions in diagrams
One comment, which might have been mentioned before, the entry box is too small for more than one expression.
I ended up working in Notepad and then cutting and pasting.

[tatewise]

Peter, there is a longstanding 5-year-old Wish List Ref 545 Edit window for short Text fields that you can Vote for, and covers all short text fields, data fields, template fields, etc.

Yes, the workaround is to use something like Notepad which has the advantage that you can structure the expression over several lines to see that brackets are in balanced pairs and examine complex functions more clearly. Then remove the newline characters before pasting it into the template box.

[peterbel]

Thanks Mike added my vote.