Quick tweak needed for a calculation, please

[Rich S]

Greets from Ceti Alpha 5 (otherwise known as Texas):

I'm trying to create a calculation that counts the number of characters in a field, but am having trouble inserting a thousands separator for the text output. Here's what I have so far:

Case( IsEmpty( JobDescription__lxt ) ; "Count: 0" ; "Count: " & Length( JobDescription__lxt ) )

The only addition I could come up with injecting into the calc is:

Left (JobDescription__lxt;1) & "," & Right(JobDescription__lxt;3);

Left (JobDescription__lxt;2) & "," & Right(JobDescription__lxt;3);

Left (JobDescription__lxt;3) & "," & Right(JobDescription__lxt;3)

...but I think I'm on the wrong track. How would I code the calc so the output would be:

Count: 1,540

...instead of:

Count: 1540

TIA for your help!

Rich

[efen]

Just format the field as decimal, no decimal places with a thousand separator

[Rich S]

Well, I thought of that and tried it, but when I set the output of the calc to "Calculation result is a Number", the word, Count, no longer appears; setting the result as Text brings it back, but then I don't have access to the Inspector's Date Formatting choices where I'd set the it for Decimal. :S

[Raybaudi]

"Count: " &

Case (

IsEmpty ( JobDescription__lxt ) ; 0 ;

NumToJText ( Length ( JobDescription__lxt ) ; 1 ; 0 )

)

[comment]

when I set the output of the calc to "Calculation result is a Number", the word, Count, no longer appears

Some context would be useful here. If you need this for display only, you could type the word "Count: " directly onto the layout, and append a merged calculation field (or a variable) to it.

[Rich S]

Very clever, Raybaudi! I _never_ would've thought of using NumToJText--thanks for a nice addition to my FMP toolbox.

Indeed, Comment, your suggestion would've worked just as well, too. Thank you both!

[Raybaudi]

Very clever, Raybaudi!

I stolen this particular use of NumToJText ( ) from Fabrice Nordmann

[comment]

I stolen this particular use of NumToJText ( ) from Fabrice Nordmann

I stole it from Agnès Barouh - though she used it for a different purpose.

[Raybaudi]

Both are French: now who was the original creator?

[comment]

Both are French: now who was the original creator?

LOL - do you know how many punchlines are possible with a setup like that?

[Raybaudi]

LOL

[David Jondreau]

I can test that NumtoJText produces commas in the right places...but I don't understand why. Can someone explain it to me?

PS: I think Fabrice is Belgian.

[fabriceN]

I see there is a need for clarification here

I didn't steal this but took a license at Agnès Inc.

I was born holding 3 passports (British, French, Swiss). I have lived in these 3 countries as well as in Germany, Poland, and now Belgium.

This makes me a natural born European, completely ignorant of the concept of nation :)

[Raybaudi]

Hi Fabrice,

did you really take a license for a FileMaker function ? Or for its particular use ?

And, speaking of your born, which was the city ? ( Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK )

[fabriceN]

I was just kidding. Agnès invented this technique.

And because this matters above all and everyone wants to know:

http://g.co/maps/re928

And now I'm moved to tears because of you!

(that is another stupid joke)