Question

Background

• I’m attempting to do some nice looking validation on the details row of my report.
• I have several formulas named as Assert statements, that return false if they fail a test and true if they pass.

Goal

• I would like to create an array that stores “rule violations” and then displays them in a field at the end of the row, under a heading called “Broken Rules”

What I’ve done so far

• Created an Array and Initialized it as an empty string array in the report header
• Created a formula to do evaluation of each rule, increment the array, and add the broken rule number (this is repeated code for each rule, nothing fancy). This gets added into a suppressed details section above my details display.
• Created a formula that is a join of the elements in the rules broken array. This is a formula that is displayed along with my detail fields.
• Created a formula to set the rules broken array to empty. This goes in a suppressed details section after my details display.

Problem

• Crystal doesn’t seem to allow an “end if” statement that I can find.
• As such, it appears I can only evaluate one If statement and not multiples within a single formula.
• This means I can’t do multiple ifs, one for each rule.

Sample Code

Creation of the Array (a formula called Init_StringVar_Array_RulesBroken):

//@Init
//This goes into the report header
WhilePrintingRecords;

//initializes the array of broken rules which we'll add to during details
StringVar Array RulesBroken;
"";

Sample of first three rule assessments that increment arrays and add values (this is in a formula called Increment_StringVar_Array_RulesBroken):

//@Increment
//Goes before the details section is displayed

//accesses the shared variable
WhilePrintingRecords;
StringVar Array RulesBroken;

//separate if statement for each assert statement

//01
if not {@Assert_01_IfCrewIsConstructionCrew_CBFlagShouldBeYesOrDirect} then
Redim Preserve RulesBroken[UBound(RulesBroken) + 1]; //extends the array to be able to hold one more item than it does currently
RulesBroken[UBound(RulesBroken)] := "01"; //adds the new string into the array

//02
if not {@Assert_02_IfCrewIsConstructionCrew_AndCBFlagIsDirect_WONumberShouldStartWithC} then
Redim Preserve RulesBroken[UBound(RulesBroken) + 1]; //extends the array to be able to hold one more item than it does currently
RulesBroken[UBound(RulesBroken)] := "02"; //adds the new string into the array

//03
if not {@Assert_03_IfCrewIsDesign_AndCBFlagIsDirect_WONumberShouldStartWithD} then
Redim Preserve RulesBroken[UBound(RulesBroken) + 1]; //extends the array to be able to hold one more item than it does currently
RulesBroken[UBound(RulesBroken)] := "03"; //adds the new string into the array

Any Ideas?

• Is there an If / then / end if capability in Crystal Reports?
• If not, is there a workaround for this sort of thing in Crystal Reports? do I need to create multiple formulas for each one and make sure they’re placed after the other or something like that?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Answer 1

The simplest way to do this with the code you have is wrapping the if blocks in parentheses and separating them with semicolons:

//01
(
    if not {@Assert_01_IfCrewIsConstructionCrew_CBFlagShouldBeYesOrDirect} then
        Redim Preserve RulesBroken[UBound(RulesBroken) + 1];
        RulesBroken[UBound(RulesBroken)] := "01"
    else ""
);

//02
(
    if not {@Assert_02_IfCrewIsConstructionCrew_AndCBFlagIsDirect_WONumberShouldStartWithC} then
        Redim Preserve RulesBroken[UBound(RulesBroken) + 1];
        RulesBroken[UBound(RulesBroken)] := "02"
    else ""
);

//03
(
    if not {@Assert_03_IfCrewIsDesign_AndCBFlagIsDirect_WONumberShouldStartWithD} then
        Redim Preserve RulesBroken[UBound(RulesBroken) + 1];
        RulesBroken[UBound(RulesBroken)] := "03"
    else ""
);

I added indentation indicating how Crystal interprets the blocks.