You can use the IF control command to specify that text lines should be printed only when certain conditions are met. If the logical expression contained within the IF command is true, then the text lines enclosed by the IF... ENDIF command pair are printed. Otherwise they are ignored.

Syntax:

The logical expression can use the following comparison operators:

The following logical operators can be used to combine conditions:

• NOT

• AND

• OR

Evaluation of both the individual logical expressions and of the combinations of expressions is performed strictly from left to right. There are no precedence rules. Bracketed expressions are not supported.

The comparison is always performed on literal values, that is, the symbols are formatted as character strings before they are compared. This is particularly significant in the case of program symbols, because the formatting of these may depend on various parameters. For example, the formatted form of a currency field employs a variable number of decimal places and a variable ‘decimal point’ symbol (a period or a comma) depending on the applicable currency key.

You can extend the IF command with the ELSE command to allow text lines to be specified that you want to print in case the condition is false. If the condition is true, the text lines enclosed by the IF and ELSE commands are formatted; otherwise the text lines enclosed by the ELSE and ENDIF commands are formatted.

Syntax:

The ELSEIF command allows you to specify multiple cases.

Syntax:

You can use any number of ELSEIF commands within one compound IF.. ENDIF control command. The use of an ELSE command is then optional.

• You must not extend a condition over more than one line. Both the IF or ELSEIF command and the attached condition must be completely contained within a single line.

• You can nest IF commands.

• You must terminate an IF command with an ENDIF command. If you forget this, there will be no more output following the IF command if the condition is false.

• If a syntax error occurs in the interpretation of this command, then the command is not executed. This may have an unexpected effect on the subsequent text output. For example, if the IF statement is incorrect, then all following ELSEIF and ELSE commands will be ignored, since the opening IF command is ‘missing’. This will cause all the text lines attached to the ELSEIF and ELSE commands to be printed.