SheerPower® 4GL
A Guide to the SheerPower Language
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~

The '~' (quote) character looks for a pattern of text that IS an * (stands for itself).

Example 6-110 PATTERN function - ~ 

  text$ = '$4,670.00' 
  if  pattern(text$, '$~4,670.00') > 0  then 
    print 'Your text is correct.' 
  end if 
  end
                     
 
Your text is correct.

{|nnn,nnn,nnn|}

This feature lets you designate binary data for detecting patterns that are not printable text characters. The characters in the enclosed group can be individual byte values such as {|13|} or groups such as {|0,13,200|}. Since {A-Z} is the range of A through Z, the proper syntax for this same range using byte values would be {{|65|}-{|90|}}.

Example 6-111 PATTERN function - { |nnn,nnn,nnn | } 

  text$ = 'Help yourself to some ' + chr$(13) + 'food' 
  if  pattern(text$, '{|13|}') > 0  then
    print 'Carriage return found.' 
  end if
  end
 
 
Carriage return found.

{<cc|ccc|c>}

The {<cc|ccc|c>} looks for text in str_expr1 that matches the enclosed groups.

Example 6-112 PATTERN function - { <cc |ccc |c > } 

  text$ = 'The area code is 619' 
  if  pattern(text$, 'is {<619|714|916>}') > 0  then
    print 'Your area code is on the list.' 
  end if 
  end
                       
 
Your area code is on the list.

{(word_text)}

(word_text) looks for a match on a word. The word text can contain an embedded "$".

Example 6-113 PATTERN function - {(word_text) } 

  a$ = 'There are dogs and cats in the house.' 
  b$ = 'Everyone would like to make big$bucks!' 
  if  pattern(a$, '{(cats)}') > 0  then
    print 'The word was found.' 
  end if
  if  pattern(b$, '{(big$bucks)}') > 0  then
    print 'The $ word was found.' 
  end if 
  end
 
 
The word was found. 
The $ word was found.

{|directive|}

Directives can be used with the PATTERN function. Multiple directives can be used. Directives are processed from left to right. The valid directives are:

nocase can be uppercase, lowercase or a combination of the two
case unless NOCASE specified, default is CASE (i.e. case-exact)
bol beginning of a line
eol end of a line

Example 6-114 PATTERN function - { |directive | } 

  a$ = 'ElEpHaNtS have trunks' 
  b$ = 'water goes splash' 
  if  pattern(a$, '{|bol|}{|nocase|}elephants') > 0  then
    print 'elephants was found.' 
  end if
  if  pattern(b$, 'splash{|eol|}') > 0  then
    print 'splash was found.' 
  end if
  end
 
 
elephants was found. 
splash was found.

6.5.5 POS(str_expr1, str_expr2[, int_expr])

POS searches for a substring within a string. It returns the substring's starting character position. str-exp1 is the string to be searched, str-exp2 is the substring to locate, and int-exp is the OPTIONAL character position at which to begin the search. (The default is the start of the string.) If the substring is not found, zero is returned.

Example 6-115 POS function 

  text$ = "Hello and goodbye" 
  andpos = pos(text$, 'and') 
  if  andpos > 0  then print 'AND found at position'; andpos 
  end
  
  
AND found at position 7

6.5.6 SCAN(str_expr1, str_expr2 [, int_expr])

This function scans str_expr1 for the characters in str_expr2 and returns the position at which str_expr2 begins. int_expr specifies a character position at which the search is to begin.

The characters in str_expr2 need not appear contiguously in str_expr1.

Example 6-116 SCAN function 

  let a$ = 'Cameron Whitehorn' 
  let b$ = 'amr Wtor' 
  let position = scan(a$, b$) 
  print position
  end
 
 
2

6.5.7 SKIP(str_expr1 [, str_expr2] [, int_expr])

SKIP returns the position of the character following the last skipped character.

str_expr1 is the text string to be searched.

str_expr2 contains the list of characters which are to be skipped. If only one argument is given, SKIP will skip over spaces, tabs and nulls.

int_expr contains the search start position. This parameter is optional.

Example 6-117 SKIP function 

  a$ = '31415 hello' 
  z  = skip(a$, '1234567890 ') 
  print mid(a$, z) 
  end
 
 
hello

6.6 End User Interface Functions

The following are end user interface system functions that SheerPower performs:

6.6.1 _BACK

_BACK returns a TRUE or FALSE value. TRUE if the [esc]or the UP ARROW was pressed at the last prompt.

Example 6-118 _BACK system function 

  message 'Press the Escape key or the Up Arrow key' 
  input 'Please enter your age' : age$ 
  if  _back  then
    print '_back is set to true' 
  end if
  end
  
 
Please enter your age? [Esc]  <---- press the Escape key 
_back is set to true

6.6.2 _EXIT

_EXIT returns a TRUE or FALSE value. TRUE if EXIT was entered at the last prompt.

Example 6-119 _EXIT system function 

  do
    input 'Please enter your name' : name$ 
    if  _exit  then 
    print '_exit is set to true' 
    exit do
    end if
  loop
  end
  
  
Please enter your name? [Ctrl/Z]      <------ hold down the Ctrl key, then press the Z key 
_exit is set to true

6.6.3 _HELP

_HELP returns a TRUE or FALSE value. TRUE if HELP or a question mark (?) was entered at the last prompt.

_HELP should be checked before _BACK and/or _EXIT because, in some cases, all three are set on. For example, if "EXIT" is the default and HELP is entered, both _HELP and _EXIT are set on.

Example 6-120 _HELP system function 

  input 'Do you need help' : location$ 
  if  _help  then
    print '_help is set to true' 
  end if
  end
  
  
Do you need help? help 
_help is set to true

6.6.4 _REPLY

_REPLY returns the user's reply to the last prompt. The reply is returned as a string.

Example 6-121 _REPLY system function 

  last$ = 'Enter new text' 
  do
    line input area 5,10,15,50, default last$: text$ 
    if  _exit  then exit do
    last$ = 'You said ' + _reply
  loop
  end

6.6.5 _TERMINATOR

The _TERMINATOR function returns the name of the key that terminated the last INPUT statement. The values returned are:

  UP Up arrow
  DOWN Down arrow
  ENTER Enter

F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F7, F8, F9, F11, F12

Example 6-122 _TERMINATOR system function 

  do
    line input 'name': yourname$ 
    if  _exit  then exit do
    print 'Terminator was: '; _terminator
  loop
  end
  
  
name? [F3]  <----- press the F3 key 
Terminator was: F3 
name? exit

6.6.6 VALID(text_str, rule_str)

VALID is used to validate user responses.

text_str is the text to be validated.

rule_str is the list of validation rules.

Multiple validation rules are separated by a semicolon. If given characters are NOT between quotes, they are to be uppercase.

VALID returns an error if there is an invalid validation rule. 


        'Illegal validation rule' (-4021)

VALID returns TRUE or FALSE according to the following validation rules:

Example 6-123 Validation rules - ALLOW 

  text$    = 'ann' 
  vrule$   = 'allow ann, dan, tom' 
  number$  = '10' 
  vrules$  = 'number; allow 1 to 6; maxlength 2' 
  number2$ = '12' 
  vrules2$ = 'number; allow 1 to 24, 99' 
  
  if  valid(text$, vrule$)  then print 'true' 
  if  not valid(number$,  vrules$) & 
          then print 'false'             
  if  valid(number2$, vrules2$)  then print 'true' 
  end
 
  
true   
false 
true


  • DISALLOW text1, text2, text3 [to text4]
    DISALLOW returns TRUE if text_str cannot be found on the rule_str list.

    • Example 6-124 Validation rules - DISALLOW 

      number$ = '10' 
  vrules$ = 'disallow 01, 03, 05; minlength 2' 
  if  valid(number$, vrules$) & 
    then print 'true' 
  end
 
 
true

  • MINLENGTH nn
    Minimum of nn characters long.

    • Example 6-125 Validation rules - MINLENGTH 

      text$  = 'Hello there' 
  vrule$ = 'minlength 5' 
  if  valid(text$, vrule$) & 
    then print 'true' 
  end
  
  
true

  • MAXLENGTH nn
    Maximum of nn characters long.

    • Example 6-126 Validation rules - MAXLENGTH 

      text$  = 'Hello' 
  vrule$ = 'maxlength 5' 
  if  valid(text$, vrule$) & 
    then print 'true' 
  end
  
                              
true

  • LENGTH nn
    Exactly nn characters long.

    • Example 6-127 Validation rules - LENGTH 

      text$  = 'abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz' 
  vrule$ = 'length 26' 
  if  valid(text$, vrule$) & 
    then print 'true' 
  end
  
  
true

  • CHARACTERS "ccc"
    Returns TRUE if the given characters (letters or numbers) are on the rule_str list.

    • Example 6-128 Validation rules - CHARACTERS 

      text$  = 'abc123' 
  vrule$ = 'characters "abc123"' 
  if  valid(text$, vrule$) & 
    then print 'true' 
  end
  
  
true

  • NOCHARACTERS "ccc"
    Returns TRUE if the given characters are not on the rule_str list.

    • Example 6-129 Validation rules - NOCHARACTERS 

      text$  = 'abc123' 
  vrule$ = 'nocharacters "def456"' 
  if  valid(text$, vrule$) & 
    then print 'true' 
  end
  
  
true

  • LETTERS
    Returns TRUE if given text_str consists only of A - Z, a - z or space.

    • Example 6-130 Validation rules - LETTERS 

      text$   = 'It is a sunny day today' 
  vrules$ = 'letters' 
  if  valid(text$, vrules$) & 
    then print 'true' 
  end
  
  
true

  • LCASE
    Returns TRUE if given text_str consists of lowercase letters.

    • Example 6-131 Validation rules - LCASE 

      text$   = 'hi there' 
  vrules$ = 'lcase' 
  if  valid(text$, vrules$) & 
    then print 'true' 
  end
  
  
true

  • UCASE
    Returns TRUE if given text_str consists of uppercase characters.

    • Example 6-132 Validation rules - UCASE 

      text$   = 'HI THERE' 
  vrules$ = 'ucase' 
  if  valid(text$, vrules$) & 
    then print 'true' 
  end
  
  
true

  • DIGITS
    Returns TRUE if text_str consists of the numbers 0 - 9.

    • Example 6-133 Validation rules - DIGITS 

      text$   = '983745' 
  vrules$ = 'digits' 
  if  valid(text$, vrules$) & 
    then print 'true' 
  end
  
  
true

  • DECIMALS nn
    Specifies the maximum number of decimal places.

    • Example 6-134 Validation rules - DECIMALS 

      text$   = '9837.45' 
  vrules$ = 'decimals 2' 
  if  valid(text$, vrules$) & 
    then print 'true' 
  end
  
  
true

  • NUMBER
    Indicates that text_str is numeric (validates that number).

    • Example 6-135 Validation rules - NUMBER 

      text$   = '100' 
  vrules$ = 'number' 
  if  valid(text$, vrules$) & 
    then print 'true' 
  end
  
  
true

  • INTEGER
    Returns TRUE if given integer number is up to 32 bits long (i.e. 2147483647).

    • Example 6-136 Validation rules - INTEGER 

      text$   = '2147483647' 
  vrules$ = 'integer' 
  if  valid(text$, vrules$) & 
    then print 'true' 
  end
  
  
true

  • INTEGER WORD
    Returns TRUE if given integer number is up to 16 bits long (i.e. 32767).

    • Example 6-137 Validation rules - INTEGER WORD 

      text$   = '32767' 
  vrules$ = 'integer word' 
  if  valid(text$, vrules$) & 
    then print 'true' 
  end
  
  
true

  • DATE
    Validates a given date in: YYMMDD or CCYYMMDD format.
      DATE YMD YYMMDD format
      DATE DMY DDMMYY format
      DATE MDY MMDDYY format
      DATE MDCY MMDDCCYY format

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