Home
Macro Language Elements
The section contains detailed specifications for all 1010data Macro Language elements.
Data Transformation
Data transformation operations use functions and expressions to functionally alter tabular data. These operations take 0, 1, or 2 tables as input and produce a single table as a result.
<columns>
<columns> is a special operation that retrieves column information from a table.

Macro Language Elements
The section contains detailed specifications for all 1010data Macro Language elements.
- Data Transformation
  Data transformation operations use functions and expressions to functionally alter tabular data. These operations take 0, 1, or 2 tables as input and produce a single table as a result.
  - <amend>
    Update a specified value, or column of values, either by entering a new value or by using an expression. The expression can be applied to the column the value is in or to another column.
  - <base>
    <base> is the concrete macro operation that represents the action of opening the initial table.
  - <col>
    <col> changes the display attributes of a column in a table. It does not change the name of a column, but it does change the heading, as an example.
  - <colord>
    <colord> tells the system which columns to display and in what order.
  - <cols>
    Modifies the metadata of multiple columns at once, based on a query result or formatted tabular input.
  - <columns>
    <columns> is a special operation that retrieves column information from a table.
  - <directory>
    <directory> returns a table that provides information about the child objects of a particular folder. These include any tables, folders, and queries that have been saved to that folder.
  - <find>
    Efficiently finds (without selecting) the first n rows, between the specified row numbers, where the specified Boolean value expression is true.
  - <ignore>
    <ignore> encases code in a Macro Language query that should not be executed by the system.
  - <link>
    Link a foreign table to a base table or worksheet. Both tables must share a column on which to link.
  - <materialize>
    Creates a new physical table.
  - <merge>
    Merge a table to another table or worksheet.
  - <meta>
    <meta> allows settings to be made at the level of an individual query (and saved along with the query).
  - <note>
    <note> may be used to place a comment in the Macro Language. The contents of the element is any standard text.
  - <sel>
    Select the rows relevant to your analysis.
  - <sort>
    Changes the order in which rows appear in a table by sorting according to the values in a column.
  - <stats:>
    The <stats:> package provides more advanced statistics operations.
  - <table>
    <table> is a special operation that creates a temporary table within the scope of a query.
  - <tabu>
    <tabu> defines a tabulation or cross-tabulation.
  - <transpose>
    <transpose> results in a table in which the rows from the original table are its columns and the columns from the original table are its rows.
  - <willbe>
    Define a new computed column in an existing worksheet with a value expression.
- Blocks
  Blocks allow users to reuse sections of Macro Language code and to parameterize values in that code for greater flexibility and power.
- Application Development

`<columns>`

<columns> is a special operation that retrieves column information from a table.

Description

The <columns> operation can retrieve the following information about columns in a table:

Column name
Column label
Origin
Data type
K type
Fixed position indicator - 1 if it is fixed, 0 if it isn't
Column width
Column is indexed? - 0 for no, 1 for yes
Uppercase or lower case
Column format
Column description metadata
Total (i.e., the total of a column in a cross-tabulation)

Syntax

<columns/>

Attributes

full

Specifies whether metadata for all columns in the table should be returned or only those visible according to the current <colord> of the table.

0 shows data only for those columns in the current <colord> (default), 1 returns data for all columns in the table.

crosstype

Specifies which type the labels column should be in the table returned by <columns/>.

The default is a for text. Also accepts i and f for integer and floating point respectively.

Useful for extracting the columns breaks from a cross-tabulation.

(Available as of prod-9)

totaltype

Specifies which type the Total column should be in the table returned by <columns/>.

The default is a for text. Also accepts i and f for integer and floating point respectively. Useful for extracting the column headings (totals) from a cross-tabulation.

(Available as of prod-9)

title

Accepts arbitrary text that overrides the title of the table returned by <columns/>.

sdesc

Accepts arbitrary text that overrides the short descriptions of the table returned by <columns/>.

ldesc

Accepts arbitrary text that overrides the long description of the table returned by <columns/>.

Example

<base table="pub.demo.retail.item"/>
<columns/>