Question

I need to write a conditional formatting where a text should be italic if it starts with ” X”. Otherwise it should be normal font.

How do I achieve string compare with wildcard? I tried the following:

IF({my_sp.field_label} like '  X%') then crItalic else crRegular

Any pointers will be appreciated!

Answer 1

Crystal Reports recognizes the * as a wild card in like comparisons.

From some CR documentation available online:

Like pattern operator Basic and Crystal syntax.

The Like operator is useful for selecting records to include or
exclude from your report.

Usage x like y

{fieldname} like “c?n*”

This operator tests to see if the contents of {fieldname} matches a
pattern that you specify in a character string “c?n*”. If the contents
of the field do fit the pattern “c?n*”, then the formula returns the
value True. If the field starts with anything else, the formula
returns False.

Use the wildcard symbols ? and * to stand for variable characters. The
? stands for a single character. The * symbol stands for any number of
characters.

Examples The following examples are applicable to both Basic and
Crystal syntax:

{customer.FIRST NAME} like “D?n”

TRUE, where {customer.FIRST NAME} = Dan or Don.

{customer.FIRST NAME} like “D?n”

FALSE, where {customer.FIRST NAME} = Doug or Rob.

{customer.LAST NAME} like “s?n“

TRUE, where {customer.LAST NAME} = Johnson or Olson or Olsen.

{customer.LAST NAME} like “s?n“

FALSE, where {customer.LAST NAME} = Johnston or Smith.