Functions

Use functions when you are concatenating strings, formatting strings, counting records in a collection, and setting default values on a control. All functions begin with $_.

Supported functions include:

Function
`$_concat(param1, ...) : string`	Converts and concatenates all parameters to a single string: $_concat("StartDate: ", $LeaveRequests.StartDate, " - EndDate: ", $LeaveRequests.EndDate) You must provide at least one parameter. If you provide only one parameter, it is converted to a string and returned by the function.
`$_now() : date`	Returns the current date and time as dateTime.
`$_format.date(date value, format option) : string`	Returns the formatted string of a date value. Parameters include: date value – date typed value. format option – valid values are: short, medium, long (or 1, 2, 3 respectively). Examples: //returns for example "1 January 2012" if the date is 2012-01-01 and format option is long $_format.date($LeaveRequests.StartDate, long) //returns for example "1 Jan 2012" if the date is 2012-01-01 and format option is medium $_format.date($LeaveReuqests.StarDate, medium) The phone's region setting is used to format the date.
`$_format.datetime(date value, format option) : string`	Returns the formatted string of a date and time value and supports these parameters: date value – date typed value. format option – valid values are: short, medium, long (or 1, 2, 3 respectively). Example: //long format of today's date and time, result: "1 January 2012 11:55" $_format.datetime($_now(), long) The phone's region setting is used to format the date and time
`$_date(year, month, day) : date`	Creates a date typed value from parameters and supports these parameters: year – year value as int or float. month – month value as int or float. day – day value as int or float. Example: //returns "Since 1 January 2012" (UK locale was set on the phone) $_concat("Since", $_format.date($_date($_year($_now(), 1, 1)), long))
`$_count(binding_id) : int`	Returns the number of entries in a collection: //returns Leave Requests (6) $_concat("Leave Requests (", $_count($LeaveRequests), ")")
`$_isNull(value) : int`	Checks whether the parameter is a null value or nonexistent. Returns 0 (false) or 1 (true).
`$_isNotNull(value) : int`	Checks whether the parameter value is null. . The function returns 1 (true) if the parameter value is not a null value, or 0 (false) otherwise.
`$_isEmpty(value) : int`	The function returns 1 (true) if: Its parameter is a null value. The referred variable or data field of a BO in its parameter does not exist. The referred variable or data field of a BO exists, but its value is either an empty string ('') or an NSData instance with zero length. Otherwise, this function returns 0 (false).
`$_isNotEmpty(value) : int`	Returns true (1) for values for which $_isEmpty returns false (0).
`$_isExisting(value) : int`	The function returns true (1) if its parameter refers to an existing variable or data field of a BO; false (0) otherwise. The function also returns true (1) when the referred variable or data field of a BO is null, or empty string, or if it is an NSData instance with zero length, because the parameter refers to an existing object.
`$_isNotExisting(value) : int`	Returns true (1) for values for which `$_isExisting` returns false (0).
`$_setValues(data_reference, value, [data reference, value], ..., return value) : any`	Sets one or more values in a business object with a given value, and returns a value you select. Use this function to initialize fields of a new BO with default values before showing it on a create screen. For example, in a new leave request BO, you can write the start date, end date, approved ID, approver name, and absence types into the appropriate fields before showing the BO on the screen. Example: //The function sets the values of AbsenceTypeName and AbsenceTypeCode fields in the new leave request object and returns with the value of AbsenceTypeName of the given AbsenceTypes entry $_setValues("$LeaveRequestsNew.AbsenceTypeName", $AbsenceTypes.AbsenceTypeName, "$LeaveRequestsNew.AbsenceTypeCode", $AbsenceTypes.AbsenceTypeCode, $AbsenceTypes.AbsenceTypeName)
`$_year(date value) : int`	Returns the year as an int from a date value: //Returns the current year $_year($_now())