What is the easiest control to use for my project? [SOLVED]

[karmacomposer]

I've used it once or twice but I could not really decipher it. Yes, I know. I already read all the docs.

On the other hand, breakpoints are awesome. Just did not know about them till now. I have not coded in LiveCode that long and
took about 3 years off of using LiveCode.

Anyway, if I have a piece of text "sales_tax=5.60"

How do I isolate the 5.60 as a value and store it in a variable?

Thanks.

Mike

[Klaus]

Hi Mike,

that's an easy one:
...
put "sales_tax=5.60" into tVar
set itemdel to "="
put item 2 of tVar into tValueSalesTax
...



Best

Klaus

[Klaus]

Hi Mike,

although I really prefer the solution that Jaqueline proposed (a list with name of: item TAB price)
here another hint to save a lot of typing.

Since many or all sizes of an item have the same price, you could save the SIZE check and script something like this:

Code: Select all

...
   switch 
      case tThingBought begins with "Heather Gray Zippered and Sweatshirt Hoodies Size Kids" 
      case tThingBought begins with "Maroon Zippered and Sweatshirt Hoodies Size Kids"     
      case tThingBought begins with "Royal Blue Zippered and Sweatshirt Hoodies Size Kids"
      case tThingBought begins with "Gold School Spirit Shirt Size Kids"
      case tThingBought begins with "Heather Gray School Spirit Shirt Size Kids"
     etc...

Get the picture?


Best

Klaus

[Klaus]

Hi Mike,

and here some hints to your datagrid stuff in your last script.

1. You cannot address a column in a datagrid like this:
...
set the dgText["itemPurchased"] of group "dgItems" to tThingBought
...
"the dgtext" will only accept ONE parameter in [], but that is not a column name or something!
AND setting "the dgtext" of a datagrid will replace the complete previous content!

2. You do this in a repeat loop, which means in every loop the content of your datagrid will be overwritten!

3. Sorry, still have no idea what "theStuff" will contain in the end, but is has to be an Array when used in "set the dgData of grp..."
Set a breakpoint at this line:
...
set the dgData of group "dgItems" to theStuff
...
and check the content of the array "theStuff" in the debugger.


Best

Klaus

[karmacomposer]

Thank you, however, why does the following give me a execution error:

Code: Select all

--====================================
      --Main Loop
      --====================================
      put 1 into col1date
      put 1 into col2tax
      answer "Begin Processing Orders"
      repeat with tNum = 1 to numlines
         if t[tNum] contains "payment_date" then 
            put t(tNum) into payVar
            set itemdel to "="
            put item 2 of payVar into theStuff[theLine]["datePurchase"]
            Put "Processing Order: " &OrderIDNum into field "lblInfo"
            add 1 to col1date
            add 1 to OrderIDNum
         else
            if t[tNum] contains "tax" then 
               put t(tNum) into taxVar
               set itemdel to "="
               put item 2 of taxVar into theStuff[theLine]["Tax"]
               put item 2 of taxVar into tSalesTax
               add 1 to col2tax
            end if
end if

Is the syntax wrong? t(tNum) holds each line of the array. I am using a if/then/else loop to process each necessary array line. The first finds out if the line has "payment_date" in it. If it does, it should now lop off "payment_date=" and just put the actual date in the array. Likewise, in the next if/then, if t(tNum) contains "tax" then it gives the result: "sales_tax=5.60". The answer you gave should lop off the "sales_tax=", right?

So why do I get function: error in function handler in the line put t(tNum) into taxVar? Can I not put two of these in a row. Eventually, there will be far more than two in the if/then/else loop.

Mike

[dunbarx]

Mike.

Make a new button. Put this into its script:

Code: Select all

on mouseUp
   repeat with y = 1 to 10
      put y & "," & random(99) into temp
      put y * 10 into testArray[y]
   end repeat
end mouseUp

Place a breakpoint at the "repeat with..." line. Do you know how to do this? You can click in the narrow column that contains the line numbers, and set a small green circle at that point, or you can place the command "breakPoint" at any line within your script. But for now, just click on the line number (line 2).

Click the button. You are now in debug mode, a sub-environment of LC, and you can step through your handler. Make sure you are using the "variable" pane. Examine the small icons at the top left of the debugger window. Hover over each and see the tooltip that comes up. Play around. But you will see the values of your handler as you step through. Note that the array, normally invisible without massaging, is displayed as a hierarchal "pullDown" in the variable pane. Note you can create a separate window for any variable, and watch it change as you step through. Write back. You need to have this tool be second nature.

Craig

[Klaus]

Shouldn't this read:

Code: Select all

...
if t[tNum] contains "payment_date" then 
     ## put t(tNum) into payVar
     put t[tNum] into payVar
...

?

[karmacomposer]

Shouldn't this read:

Code: Select all

...
if t[tNum] contains "payment_date" then 
     ## put t(tNum) into payVar
     put t[tNum] into payVar
...

?

OMG!!!!!!!! That's what programming till 4am does to you. I NEVER would have seen the () instead of the []

Sheesh!

That, of course, fixed it now that you pointed out my blunder. Where are my NECESSARY prescription eyeglasses? (think My Cousin Vinnie)

Mike

[karmacomposer]

Going through the sales tax array, an error popped up because a paypal line had the word 'TAX' in it, but it was NOT the sales tax, as a result, it crashes because it cannot add the value.

Here is the list of sales tax numbers (scroll all the way down to see the problem):

Code: Select all

5.60
6.44
7.14
2.80
11.20
11.27
2.38
8.33
5.60
7.84
7.49
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
14.98
2.38
8.33
8.33
5.60
6.30
5.60
9.03
5.60
8.68
11.20
11.20
4.06
3.57
8.12
8.19
11.90
6.23
17.64
14.98
2.38
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
11.20
9.80
8.47
7.98
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
8.47
5.60
8.33
12.46
6.44
7.49
6.44
6.09
4.76
11.90
11.20
5.60
8.68
7.28
15.26
4.76
4.69
6.93
8.54
5.95
11.20
5.95
11.55
5.60
6.44
7.98
3.22
3.57
6.44
11.20
5.60
5.60
3.22
11.20
2.38
3.22
5.60
4.41
11.13
6.16
5.95
5.60
5.60
KZX9VLWATAXE8

At what it considers Order ID 80, you can see instead of a sales tax figure, we get a string of crap. However, the word TAX is embedded in this string. How do we test to make sure only NUMBERS are stored? Specifically monetary amounts (ie 5.60 with the decimal in place)?

The code to add these together is simple:

Code: Select all

add tSalesTax to tTotalSalesTax

How do I fix this?

Mike

[Klaus]

Hi Mike,

Code: Select all

add tSalesTax to tTotalSalesTax

but that did not work.

maybe you could be a TAD more precise?
Syntax is correct, so what exactly does not work?


Best

Klaus

[karmacomposer]

Hi Mike,

Code: Select all

add tSalesTax to tTotalSalesTax

but that did not work.

maybe you could be a TAD more precise?
Syntax is correct, so what exactly does not work?


Best

Klaus

Klaus,

I corrected myself when I realized it was a error due to a string creeping in (scroll all the way to the bottom to see the string).

Code: Select all

5.60
6.44
7.14
2.80
11.20
11.27
2.38
8.33
5.60
7.84
7.49
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
14.98
2.38
8.33
8.33
5.60
6.30
5.60
9.03
5.60
8.68
11.20
11.20
4.06
3.57
8.12
8.19
11.90
6.23
17.64
14.98
2.38
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
11.20
9.80
8.47
7.98
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
8.47
5.60
8.33
12.46
6.44
7.49
6.44
6.09
4.76
11.90
11.20
5.60
8.68
7.28
15.26
4.76
4.69
6.93
8.54
5.95
11.20
5.95
11.55
5.60
6.44
7.98
3.22
3.57
6.44
11.20
5.60
5.60
3.22
11.20
2.38
3.22
5.60
4.41
11.13
6.16
5.95
5.60
5.60
KZX9VLWATAXE8

It was adding all the numbers perfectly till it got to Order 80, which as a string with the word TAX embedded in it. It tried to add the sales tax, but it's not a number, so it crashes the program.

How do I test to make sure it's a number and not a string?

Code: Select all

if tSalesTax <> a number then ???

something like that?

Mike

[Klaus]

Hi Mike,

just give it a TRY, as you would in real life:

Code: Select all

...
## Simple TRY form without ERROR detexting/checking, but will do in your case
try
  add tSalesTax to tTotalSalesTax
end try
...

Best

Klaus

[karmacomposer]

Amazing.

Never even heard of the Try command.

Honestly, it does work, but adding up all the sales tax is not correct. It seems to be adding values even if it's a string????

Code: Select all

 if t[tNum] contains "tax" then 
               put t[tNum] into taxVar
               set itemdel to "="
               --This goes into the Data Grid Array
               put item 2 of taxVar into theStuff[theLine]["Tax"]
               -- This goes into a variable for a field that shows the total Sales Tax to Date
               put item 2 of taxVar into tSalesTax
               ## Simple TRY form without ERROR detexting/checking, but will do in your case
               try
                  add tSalesTax to tTotalSalesTax
                  put tTotalSalesTax into field "fldSalesTaxtoDate"
               end try
               put tSalesTax into line col2tax field "fldRawData2"
               add 1 to col2tax
            end if

It works. No crashes now. However, tTotalSalesTax seems to be WAY too high to be accurate. How would I throw out a sales tax array variable if it's NOT a number at all? Is that possible?

Pseudocode:

Code: Select all

If tSalesTax <> a number than throw it out

How would I actually structure that? The Try command kind of gives me a pass, like Visual Basic's On Error Resume Next command - keeps going regardless of the error.

Also, magically the datagrid started working (WOW!). The dates are perfect (kind of - they need to be converted to a normal, American data structure).
Not sure how to do that, although I suspect it is nearly identical to what you suggested with

Code: Select all

put t[tNum] into taxVar
               set itemdel to "="
               put item 2 of taxVar into theStuff[theLine]["Tax"]

For example:

Code: Select all

22:06:12 Aug 05, 2014 PDT

Needs to be just Aug 05, 2014. I don't want or need the time and PDT.

Also the tax is also showing up on the grid, but the alignment (the lines they are on) is WAY off. I KNOW I am doing it wrong. How do I get the fields to align properly:

Code: Select all

Each data chunk contains the following:

Date Purchased (just one item)
Items Purchased (there could be multiple items here)
Quantity (just one item)
Payout (aligns with Items Purchased)
Shipping (just one item)
Tax (just one item)

End of data chunk

Any suggestions? Sorry for all the questions, but I am so excited to be getting somewhere. I cannot thank Klaus and all of you helping me out. Trust me, as you answer my questions, I am learning the 'right' way to do it in LiveCode. I come from other programming languages, so 'unlearning' them is quite difficult when you are so used to them, but I like LiveCode so much more!!

Mike

[Klaus]

Hi Mike,

this is getting way too abstract to "cure" from afar
Maybe you can supply a sample stack with some example data, so we can check what's going on?


Best

Klaus

[karmacomposer]

Hi Mike,

this is getting way too abstract to "cure" from afar
Maybe you can supply a sample stack with some example data, so we can check what's going on?


Best

Klaus

Klaus,

What is your email address and I will be happy to send you the project file. It has sensitive data in it, so I cannot just post it here (due to database access of my client). You can email me at mike at world-class-multimedia dot com.

Mike