I can't get anything but a ? to appear in a text field called "Status" with this simple autocalc lookup:

Evaluate("Updated";triggerfield)

When I enter something into triggerfield a "?" appears in the field called "Status". When I change the calculation to say 1+1 I get a 2. Status is definitely a text field expecting a text result. What am I doing wrong? Thanks in advance

Edited December 9, 200520 yr by Guest

Hi

chech the function format !

It must be:

Evaluate ( expression {; [field1 ; field2 ;...]} )

So, if the other parameter are correct, it must be entered:

Evaluate("Updated";[color:red][triggerfield[color:red]])

Try:

Evaluate ( Quote ( "Updated" ) ; triggerfield )

It cannot work the way you have it now, because Filemaker is trying to evaluate the formula you gave it inside the quotes. For example,

Evaluate ("2+2")

will return 4.

Evaluate("updated";triggerfield)

Is "updated" not merely a text constant?. What if I wanted it to calculate as this:

Evaluate(field1&field2;triggerfield)

Shouldn't it just calculate the concatenation? It doesn't. It puts a ? mark in the Status field.

Remember this is in the "Auto Enter" "Specify Calculation" area of the Options of a text field called status.

I want the word "Updated" to show in the status field if the triggerfield has any change made to it.

Is "updated" not merely a text constant?

Yes, it is. And so is "2+2". That's what Evaluate() is all about: it evaluates its input as calculation.

Evaluate(field1&field2;triggerfield)

Shouldn't it just calculate the concatenation?

No. If you want the concatenation, then use plain

field1&field2

Putting the concatenation inside Evaluate() means you want the result of the concatention to be the expression parameter. And again, Evaluate () evaluates expression as a calculation.

If field1 contains "2+", and field2 contains "2", the result will be 4 again.

as always, comment is right !

Try this calc too

Evaluate ( Quote ( "Updated " & Get ( CurrentTimeStamp )) ; [ triggerfield])

BTW I'm learning just now that, if the trigger field is only one, the function doesn't need square brackets !

This is from FM help on line:

Evaluate(TextField;[Amount]) returns .80 when TextField contains .08 * Amount and the Amount field contains 10.00.

It is not even necessary to use Evaluate() here. Any reference to the trigger field will cause the calc to re-evaluate when the trigger field is modified:

Let (

trigger = triggerfield

;

"Updated"

)

will accomplish the same thing, and IMHO is much clearer.

Yes that's done it. That seems to make whatever I try work with the evaluate function. thanks