Oracle Forms Developer – Form Builder Reference, Volume 1

NAME_IN built-in
Description
Returns the value of the indicated variable.
The returned value is in the form of a character string. However, you can use NAME_IN to return
numbers and dates as character strings and then convert those strings to the appropriate data types. You
can use the returned value as you would use any value within an executable statement.
If you nest the NAME_IN function, Form Builder evaluates the individual NAME_IN functions from the
innermost one to the outermost one.
Syntax
FUNCTION NAME_IN
(variable_name VARCHAR2);
Built-in Type unrestricted function
Returns VARCHAR2
Enter Query Mode yes
Parameters
variable_name Specifies a valid variable or text item. The data type of the name is
VARCHAR2.
Usage Notes
If the returned value is a date string, NAME_IN will use the format mask specified in the
BUILTIN_DATE_FORMAT property. If the DATE_FORMAT_COMPATIBILITY_MODE property
is set to 4.5 the default American format is used to format the returned string.
NAME_IN examples
/*
** Built-in: NAME_IN
** Example: Simple implementation of a Last-In-First-Out
** stack mechanism using Global variables.
** For each named stack, a global variable
** GLOBAL._PTR points to the largest
** element on the stack. PUSH increments this
** value as new elements are added. Values
** PUSH’ed on or POP’ed off the named stack are
** actually stored in GLOBAL variables of a
** conveniently formed name: GLOBAL.nnn
** where ’nnn’ is the number of the element on the
** stack.
**
** Usage:
** Push(’MYSTACKNAME’, ’1’);
** Push(’MYSTACKNAME’, ’2’);
**
** str_var := Pop(’MYSTACKNAME’); -- Gets ’2’
** str_var := Pop(’MYSTACKNAME’); -- Gets ’1’
** str_var := Pop(’MYSTACKNAME’); -- Gets ’EOS’
291