Count parameters

Count parameters -> Function result

Parameter	Type		Description
Function result	Longint	←	Number of parameters actually passed

Description

The Count parameters command returns the number of parameters passed to a project method.

WARNING: Count parameters is meaningful only in a project method that has been called by another method (project method or other). If the project method calling this command is associated with a menu, it returns 0.

Example 1

4D project methods accept optional parameters, starting from the right.
For example, you can call the method MyMethod(a;b;c;d) in the following ways:

 MyMethod(a;b;c;d) // All parameters are passed
 MyMethod(a;b;c) // The last parameter is not passed
 MyMethod(a;b) // The last two parameters are not passed
 MyMethod(a) // Only the first parameter is passed
 MyMethod // No Parameter is passed at all

Using Count parameters from within MyMethod, you can detect the actual number of parameters and perform different operations depending on what you have received. The following example displays a text message and can insert the text into a 4D Write area or send the text into a document on disk:

  // APPEND TEXT Project Method
  // APPEND TEXT ( Text { ; Long { ; Time } } )
  // APPEND TEXT ( Text { ; 4D Write Area { ; DocRef } } )
 
 var $1 : Text
 var $2 : Time
 var $3 : Integer
 
 MESSAGE($1)
 If(Count parameters>=3)
    SEND PACKET($3;$1)
 Else
    If(Count parameters>=2)
       WR INSERT TEXT($2;$1)
    End if
 End if

After this project method has been added to your application, you can write:

 APPEND TEXT(vtSomeText) // Will only display the text message
 APPEND TEXT(vtSomeText;$wrArea) // Displays text message and appends it to $wrArea
 APPEND TEXT(vtSomeText;0;$vhDocRef) // Displays text message and writes it to $vhDocRef

Example 2

4D project methods accept a variable number of parameters of the same type, starting from the right. To declare these parameters, you use a compiler directive to which you pass ${N} as a variable, where N specifies the first parameter. Using Count parameters you can address those parameters with a For loop and the parameter indirection syntax. This example is a function that returns the greatest number received as parameter:

  // Max of Project Method
  // Max of ( Real { ; Real2... ; RealN } ) -> Real
  // Max of ( Value { ; Value2... ; ValueN } ) -> Greatest value
 
 var $0;${1} : Real // All parameters will be of type REAL as well as the function result
 $0:=${1}
 For($vlParam;2;Count parameters)
    If(${$vlParam}>$0)
       $0:=${$vlParam}
    End if
 End for

After this project method has been added to your application, you can write:

 vrResult:=Max of(Records in set("Operation A");Records in set("Operation B"))

or:

 vrResult:=Max of(r1;r2;r3;r4;r5;r6)

See also

Compiler Commands
Copy parameters