Creating Formulas

Formulas can be inserted into specific formula fields located in various forms within the database setup area. When you create formulas for specific columns, the results are calculated for each record in the table.

At the bottom of the formula entry field, there are hints on how to choose and insert building blocks into the entry field. Click [ to list columns, and press Ctrl+Space for function names. If you need information about the Formula Language Reference, use the "click here for help" link.

The formula editor provides syntax highlighting, brace matching, suggestions, and auto-completion for column and function names.

Basic syntax validation highlights and reports malformed pieces of code in red. Comments are displayed in green, known function names appear in blue, and constants are shown in dark red.

Formula Errors

While creating formulas, you will likely encounter various types of errors. These include syntax errors when the formula is not arranged correctly or unaccepted characters are used; validation errors, such as cases where the formula refers to incorrect fields; or evaluation problems.

Basic syntax validation highlights and reports malformed pieces of code in red. Messages about errors that your formula may contain are displayed below the formula entry field. If the system detects a specific incorrect formula part, it marks that part with the ^ character pointing to the erroneous section (as seen in the example below):

Some errors, such as division by zero, cannot be tracked during the formula creation stage. These errors are identified when the formulas are calculated and should be addressed as soon as they are discovered.