Dynamic Arguments are evaluated using application supplied data. We refer to this data as targets. The language of Dynamic Arguments allows you to calculate a new target based on the application supplied target. This is accomplished using a Target Component Identifiers.
For example, the Target Date Component Identifier, can be used to calculate a new target date as a bases for the Variable evaluation. Effectively, the supplied target date is modified before the variable calculation takes place.
Specifically, suppose your application supplied Target Date was May 11, 2011. The execution of SUNDAY(1) would result in a date value of May 15th, 2011. May 15th, 2011 is the first Sunday on or after 05/11/2011. Alternatively, given the same Target Date of May 11th, 2011, you could establish a new Target Date before execution thus resulting in a different date. In this example, *(##/01/####)SUNDAY(1) would result in a date value of May 8th, 2011. The supplied Target Date Component modifies the Target Date to May 1st, 2011 and then SUNDAY(1) is evaluated.
The table below describes the Target Component Identifiers.
| Identifier | Target Component Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| + / - | The Offset Component Identifier allows you to add years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and/or seconds to a DyD | EASTER+3days Returns the date value of the third day follow the first Easter on or before the application supplied target date. |
| * | The Target Date Component Identifier allows you to derive a new target date based on the application supplied context sensitive target date. | *(##/01/####)NEARESTWEEKDAY(1) Returns the date value of the nearest Friday or Monday on or after the first day of the target month. |
| ( ) | The Parameter Component Identifier allows you to supply Dynamic Variable specific arguments. | PERSONHASSHIFT(1) Returns True if the Target Person is assigned to A Shift. Insert the target record’s Unique Identifier inside the parenthesis, such as (1). |
| ^ | The Segment Component Identifier allows you to establish a time-line of recurring date time events and then use the application's target date as a jumping-in point to find your resulting date. By example "SUNDAY" and "TARGET^(05/01/2011,7days)" result in the same value. In both cases we are looking for the first Sunday on or before the same Target Date. | SUNDAY(1)^(01/01/####,3months) Returns the date value of the first Sunday on or after the target business quarter. |
| ~ | The Shift Component Identifier allows you to override the application supplied target Shift. | ~(1)SHIFTSTART Returns the Shift start date and time value for A Shift (Unique Identifier of 1) for the application supplied target Date. |
| ‘ | The Person Component Identifier allows you to override the application supplied, Target Person is the logged in user. This is the grave accent symbol, alternatively known as acute, backtick, left quote, open quote, or the back quote and generally located below the tilde keyboard key. | ‘PERSONHASSHIFT(1) Returns True if the logged-in user is assigned to A Shift (A Shift record contains the Unique Identifier of 1). |
| @ | Allows you to build a Date Time from type DyD’s. The second DyD is usually a <LITERAL TIME> however any DyD containing a time would be legal. | DyD@DyD |
| % | Indicates which part of the DyD should be incremented for future calculations. | *(11/01/####(0%))THURSDAY(4) Returns Thanksgiving Day every year. Placing (0%) next to the year defines the moving target when multiple calculations are possible for the system to perform. To take this example further, suppose that both the year and Thursday increment by one, the syntax would be: *(11/01/####(0%)) THURSDAY(4%) Returns 11/28/2013, 12/4/2014, 12/10/2015, 12/15/2016, 12/21/2017 and so on. |