Get a Number from a text string

[Mike Reed]

I am having trouble trying to get a number from a text string. I have a grid field textbox named list_price. It is a numeric field. The validation rules under the numeric format say this: Variable Decimal, no thousands separator, period as the decimal separator.
What happens is this: Say the user types in -13,A034.15. The grid does not come back with error, it simply saved the record and leaves the field totally blank. Interesting behavior.
Say the user types in 14,134.15, then the system saves the record as 14134.15 which is fine....but there is a problem in the CanUpdateRecord event.
The value of the field is a character value which needs to be converted to a numeric value in order to do other calculations in that event. My question is how can I do that? I can't use the val() function because it will only read numbers till it finds a non-numeric character. So the command val("14,134.15") returns 14. It stops when it hits the comma. Can't have that of course.
I found this command:

txt = "12asi8569rp00.15"
?regex_grep(txt,"\d","\0")
= "1285690015"

That's close, but it leaves out the decimal point. I do not understand that regex_grep command at all. Can someone help me find how to get the true number from the pesky character string?

Thanks,
Mike

[peteconway]

Re: Get a Number from a text string

toNumber(_1)

2016-04-07_0913.png
Pete

[RichCPT]

Re: Get a Number from a text string

How about using xbasic's ISNUMBER(str) function?

[GGandhi]

Re: Get a Number from a text string

may i ask why do you need to convert the text to number when you have field that is numeric and validation rule to check that, that should deny the submission of the data.
at least in version 11 it does not submit data using the data that you have provided.
there may be something else wrong in the setup you have. that needs to be reevaluated prior to converting the text to number.

[Mike Reed]

Re: Get a Number from a text string

Thanks Pete,

I can make that work.

I never noticed that little function before, so I appreciate your help.

Mike

[Mike Reed]

Re: Get a Number from a text string

Gandhi thanks.

Why the conversion? I am working in the CanInsertRecord event, so any dataSubmitted values are character. Therefore I need to convert it to a value to do math on other fields before the grid is submitted.
I would agree that the validation rule should deny the submission of the data, especially when there is a character such a the letter A in it, but it does not. I suppose I need to get a bug report off to Alpha about that.
Even then, it does not solve the problem of the comma. If there is a comma in the data submitted, when the val() executes it will only read numbers and quits as soon as it finds a comma or other alpha character in the text.
So the work around is the javascript tonumber function.

Mike

[Mike Reed]

Re: Get a Number from a text string

Hi Rich,
Thanks, but I cannot use the Isnumber function. I need the actual numeric value to do other calculations. The is number just results in a true or false.

Mike

[RichCPT]

Re: Get a Number from a text string

Mike, Yes, I should have referred to two functions. The ISNUMBER() would be to validate the field in xbasic. Then if the data gets passed the validation, I'd use "CONVERT_TYPE(????, "N")" to convert the value to a number.

[Mike Reed]

Re: Get a Number from a text string

Thanks again Rick,
The convert_type works well, as it will take care of the comma and a $ sign. But the isnumber() still responds with a 'FALSE' if a comma or the $ sign comes through. So just plain convert_type() will work fine, because it is supposed to be a numeric field in the first place.

If the user puts a letter in the number field the field validation rules should stop that. I did a little more testing and the behavior is now a little erratic. Sometimes it works as advertised, other times it doesn't. So I need to figure that out or submit a bug report.

I have one user who just can't stop putting $ signs and commas in the numeric field and the occasional alpha character or some other weird thing. He of course, doesn't need to type in a $ sign or comma, but I guess he can't help himself.

Anyway, thanks again.

Mike

[GGandhi]

Re: Get a Number from a text string

I have a grid field textbox named list_price. It is a numeric field

var keyCode = event.keyCode;
//alert(keyCode);
//allowed keys
if (keyCode == 8 || keyCode == 37 || keyCode == 46) {
return;
} 
//disallowed keys
else if (keyCode < 48 || keyCode > 57 ) {
return false;
}

if you need to customize this further uncomment the alert and find out the keycode of the key pressed and add that to the allowed section or disallowed section and comment it out.

place the above code in onKeyPress event of the field in question. see if it helps.

as expected this will return a string that needs to be converted to number for calculations.

[Mike Reed]

Re: Get a Number from a text string

That is great.

Thank you Gandhi.

Mike