G Conversion

G codes extract one or more contiguous strings (separated by a specified character), from a field value.

SYNTAX

G{m}xn

SYNTAX ELEMENTS

m is the number of strings to skip. If omitted or zero, extraction begins with the first character.

x is the separation character.

n is the number of strings to be extracted.

NOTES

The field value can consist of any number of strings, each separated by the specified character. The separator can be any non-numeric character, except a system delimiter.

If m is zero or null and the separator x is not found, the whole field will be returned. If m is not zero or null and the separator x is not found, null will be returned.

INPUT CONVERSION

Input conversion does not invert. It simply applies the group extraction to the input data.

EXAMPLE 1

G0.1

If the field contains "123.45", 123 will be returned. You could also use "G.1" to achieve the same effect.

EXAMPLE 2

G2/1

If the field contains "ABC/DEF/GHI", GHI will be returned.

EXAMPLE 3

G0,3

If the field contains "ABC,DEF,GHI,JKL", ABC,DEF,GHI will be returned. Note that the field separators are included in the returned string.

jQL