Re: Sequencing of Page header and Before group

In article <65efv7$37h$1@godzilla.zeta.org.au>, Bryan Tonnet <batonnet@zeta.org.au> writes >I'm getting into an awful bind with the processing order of PAGE HEADER and >BEFORE GROUP OF in a 4GL report. > >Basically, my BEFORE GROUP OF clause sets some variables that are then >used conditionally in the PAGE HEADER block. eg. > >PAGE HEADER > > LET variable = variable + 1 > > IF variable = 1 THEN > blah > ELSE > yada > END IF > >BEFORE GROUP OF a > > LET variable = 0 > SKIP TO TOP OF PAGE > >Problem is that (my understanding only) the PAGE HEADER processing is >deferred until the "SKIP" in the BEFORE GROUP OF *except* on the first >page where the PAGE HEADER is processed before the BEFORE GROUP OF. The >report certainly acts this way, in any case. Try use a FIRST PAGE HEADER section as well FIRST PAGE HEADER yada-yada > >So, in order to set the variable on the *first* page, I have to >reproduce the BEFORE GROUP OF block in the PAGE HEADER like this; > >PAGE HEADER > > IF pageno = 1 THEN > LET variable = 0 > END IF > > LET variable = variable + 1 > > IF variable = 1 THEN > blah > ELSE > yada > END IF > >BEFORE GROUP OF a > > LET variable = 0 > SKIP TO TOP OF PAGE > >However, the variables I am setting are tracking the logical page numbers >within a GROUP, and the BEFORE GROUP *does* get executed on the first page >which mucks up the assignments. To get around this I need a conditional >in the BEFORE GROUP OF like so; > >PAGE HEADER > > IF pageno = 1 THEN > LET variable = 0 > END IF > > LET variable = variable + 1 > > IF variable = 1 THEN > blah > ELSE > yada > END IF > >BEFORE GROUP OF a > > IF pageno = 1 THEN > LET variable = 1 > ELSE > LET variable = 0 > END IF > SKIP TO TOP OF PAGE > >Getting ugly, eh? But there's more. Because the pageno doesn't change until >the "SKIP", the second page of the report (if it is a new group) still has >pageno = 1 and so gets variable = 2 after the PAGE HEADER executes. And I >can't put the "SKIP" at the top of the BEFORE GROUP because then the PAGE HEADER >executes immediately before the variables are set. > >I can write spagetti to circumvent all this, but I'm sure there's something >I'm missing that could turn it into a nice grilled trout with buttered >potatoes (maybe some sour cream). > >Sorry if I'm not explaining myself well, it's late and my eyes are getting >screen burn. > >Sorry if it's plainly obvious what to do, it's late and my eyes are >getting screen burn. > >I tried mucking about with AFTER GROUP which only made things more >convoluted. > >Thanks in advance > >[Anyone from Sarf Efrica - Shane Warne's warming up against the Kiwis, > rumour has it that Mr Cronje's boys are already starting to fake injuries > to try and get out of the Tests :) ] > > -- David Williams