RTF Tips and TricksRTF Tips and Tricks

Trns•port Users GroupPresentation

October 15, 2004

Why We’re HereWhy We’re Here

• C/S Release 5 added a lot to RTF

• RTF was added to SiteManager fairly recently

• Many people haven’t worked with it, or aren’t aware of all its capabilities

• This is not an RTF class

Zen and the Art of RTFZen and the Art of RTF

• Read the manual, significant updates in December 04 release

• Study existing templates– Adapt, instead of re-invent, if possible

• Develop reports incrementally– Logic before formatting– Outline– Work from the outside in– Develop as plain text report first

Save Someone’s SanitySave Someone’s Sanity(possibly even your own)(possibly even your own)

• Develop with sharing in mind– e.g., multiple-project proposals/contracts

• Comment, comment, comment– Then comment some more– RTFLOG.TXT is your friend

• Indent code blocks• Comment ENDIFs, ENDREPEATs, etc.

Enhance Your PerformanceEnhance Your Performance

• SELECT * usually isn’t the best query– Do you really need all the columns?

• Avoid WHERE_OR_AFTER– Retrieves ALL rows matching the

condition

• Keep database keys in mind• Keep unnecessary statements out of

loops

Good Stuff™Good Stuff™

• NUM_ROWS special variable– Gives the number of rows that the latest GET or

REPEAT command found

• FOUND special variable– Returns true if the latest GET or REPEAT

command found a record that matches the condition in the command

• “&!” can be used as a pointer of sorts (code_ex.) (output_ex.)

More Good StuffMore Good Stuff

• Exporting data using RTF– CSV, COLUMNAR built in– Can also export any text-based format, e.g., XML, HTML

• Running external programs and DLL functions within an RTF template (code_ex.)(rawout_ex.)(finout_ex.)

Exporting DataExporting Data

• From CAS ArchiveContracts.rtf:

%LET table_name = "CONTMOD"%REPEAT OVER CONTMOD WHERE CONTID IS

SUBSET.CONTID%EXPORT CSV table_name, SUBSET.CONTID,, CONTMOD.CMODTYPE,,...

Calling an External Program – Calling an External Program – Example 1Example 1

• From SiteManager SMVend2ebs.rtf:

%load SystemCall...%let OutputFile = t_cd_tbl_dtl.cd_desc...%call plug in SystemCall( "if exist " ||

OutputFile || " del " || OutputFile )...

Calling an External Program – Calling an External Program – Example 2Example 2

• From CAS casecnt.rtf:

%load SystemCall...%call plug in SystemCall( "del " ||

CFBEXPTDIR || "\d" || subset.cnfacs || ".dat" )

...

What on Earth is CFBEXPTDIR?What on Earth is CFBEXPTDIR?

• Environment variable– Defined in ITIDPSSV.CFG– Other job-specific variables are defined in

the job parameter file

• Other examples: OutFiles, SysFiles– For a list, look at a JOBPARM.TXT file– JOBEXEC.TXT also handy

RTF Tips and TricksRTF Tips and Tricks

Mark Douglasmark.douglas@infotechfl.com

Questions??Questions??