Works: How to Simulate an IF function in a Works Database Report

In Microsoft Works 4.0, 4.5, and 4.5a for Windows 95, the IF function cannot be used in the database report. However, the relational operators, such as < (less than) and >= (greater than or equal to), can be used as an alternative to the IF function.

When a relational operator is used in an expression, either a 1 (true) or a 0 (false) is returned as a result. Hence, 10<20 = 1 and 10>20 = 0.

You can use this capability to simulate an IF function. The format of the IF operation is as follows: The format of the same function using relational operators instead of the IF is the following (entered on 1 line): NOTES: The NOT operator in Works 2.0 is the tilde (~), and in Works 3.0 and Works for Windows 95, it is #NOT#. For example, if the test expression is (Amount=10), the (NOT(test expression)) is (~(Amount=10)) in Works 2.0 or (#NOT#(Amount=10)) in Works 3.0 or Works for Windows 95. The parentheses are critical: there must parentheses surrounding the test expression and the NOT(test expression), including one before the tilde.

Example

A database contains a field called Sales. You want a formula in the Database Report that returns 50 if the total of Sales is less than 5000, and returns 1% of the total sales otherwise. The following formula could be used in Works 2.0: To use the same formula in Works 3.0 or 4.0, replace the ~ with #NOT#.

For more information about how to perform this task in Works, see your Works printed documentation or online Help.