ATR

Returns Attribute Value of a Data Element

This string function returns the attribute value of a data element from a format currently in memory.

Syntax

ATR( name$, elem-number, attr-number [,ERR=line-ref|,ERC=error-code])

name$: is a string that specifies the name of a format or data name.
elem-number: is an integer, which represents the data element number in the format whose attributes are to be referenced. The element number must be 0 if a data name is specified.
attr-number: is any integer from 0 through 28, which determines the attribute value to be returned.
line-ref: is the program line number or label to branch to if an error is produced.
error-code: is a programmer-defined error code. Valid values are positive or negative whole numbers.

Remarks

Specifying an elem-number of 0 and an attr-number of 0 retrieves the number of data elements in the format.

The attempt to specify an attr-number other than the positive integers from 0 through 28 results in an ERR=17.

The attempt to reference an invalid format/data name results in an ERR=17.

The attempt to reference a format name that the data dictionary or the current program does not recognize results in an ERR=161.

The attempt to reference a data name, either by name or by element number, that does not exist in the format’s data element table results in an ERR=163.

The attempt to reference a format name without a data element number results in an ERR=17.

The attempt to reference a data name with a data element number results in an ERR=17.

Starting with release 8.2.2, this string function will return the appropriate mask for any data element that has a non-Julian date, phone number, or Social Security number as an attribute.

The following table describes the attribute value retrieved for a given attribute number:

Attr-number	Attribute value
0	Data element value
1	Length
2	Precision
3	Numeric type
4	Field separator
5	Type input
6	Pad
7	Date
8	Audit
9	Post-process procedure
10	Special prompt
11	Preset value
12	Valid value
13	Delete value
14	Security value
15	Pre-process procedure
16	Y/N value
17	Key indicator
18	Occurrence value
19	Documentation code
20	Position in format
21	Data element name
22	Occurrence field spectator
23	Print length (no comma mask)
24	Print length (comma mask)
25	Mask with no commas
26	Mask with commas
27	Data description
28	Language code
29	Element number of a data name

Starting with release 8.3.0, specifying a format name and a zero for the element number for the following attribute numbers will return all entries of the specified attribute for the format:

Attr-number	Attribute value
4	Field separator
8	Audit
9	Post-process procedure
10	Special prompt
11	Preset value
12	Valid value
13	Delete value
14	Security value
15	Pre-process procedure
21	Data element name
27	Data description

Examples

The following examples assume that a format named “DNFFMT” has been successfully INCLUDEd.

LET A$=ATR("#DNFFMT",1,1);

retrieves the length attribute of the first data element of the format “DNFFMT”.

LET A$=ATR("#DNFFMT.DATA-ELEMENT-1",0,1);

retrieves the length attribute of the data element “DATA-ELEMENT-1” of the format “DNFFMT”.

LET F$="#DNFFMT"
LET A$=ATR(F$,0,1);

results in an ERR=17 because neither a data name nor an element number were specified.

LET D$="#DNFFMT.DATA-ELEMENT-1";
LET A$=ATR(D$,1,5);

results in an ERR=17 because a data element’s name, “DATA-ELEMENT-1”, and number, 1, were both referenced.

N = NUM (ATR(F$,0,0))

retrieves the number of data elements contained in the format #DNFFMT.

SEP$=ATR("#DNFFMT",0,4)

retrieves the field separator elimination table for the format “#DNFFMT”.

NAM$=ATR("#DNFFMT",0,21)

retrieves all data element names for the format “#DNFFMT”.

ATR

Syntax

Remarks

Examples

See also