In our example, the loop will continue as long as the counter is less than the textLength. When false, the loop stops (and jumps to the result). As long as the condition is true…or while the condition is true, the loop repeats. It is a Boolean expression that is evaluated before each loop iteration.

counter: Has to be initialized here so it can be used later.

theResult: Has to be initialized here so it can be used later.

If we don’t include those variables in this section then we can’t add to the counter and we can’t build up a list in theResult. established) if we want them to retain their value throughout the entire looping process. The reason they are here is because the variables need to be initialized (i.e. The second two variables can be slightly confusing as they don’t seem to be needed until later.

textLength: provides an exit condition for our loop.

theText: The text we are going to loop over.

The first two variables make sense as they are establishing the text we will be looping over and the information we need to exit the loop. This is where you will define the variables that will be needed later in the function. The initial variable parameter is where you establish one or more variables that will be available to use by the other parameters.

Ok, so let’s zoom in on each section of the function and discuss what is happening. TheResult = theResult & Left( theText counter ) & '¶'

If I use that as an example, creating a While function to produce that kind of output looks like this: While ( It would take some text like “FileMaker” and the output would be a text block like this: One of the first simple recursive functions that I saw, called itself in order to loop over some text and make a multi-line key. Let’s start with an example of how the FileMaker while loop functions and then we’ll dig into the pieces. To write it out as it will appear in the calculation engine: There are four parameters for the While function: looping) as long as the condition is true or to say that another way “ while” the condition is true. How the FileMaker While Function WorksĪ “While” loop functions by repeating the logic (i.e. We will also discuss infinite FileMaker loops.

In this article, we will explore the FileMaker While function, its parameters, and some examples. Although Custom Functions (introduced in version 7) have given us a form of looping via recursion, the While function simplifies the looping process as well as brings that functionality into the calculation engine which makes it a vastly more powerful tool. The FileMaker While function gives developers the ability to create looping calculations. FileMaker 18 introduces a new function that developers have long anticipated.

Filemaker pro calculations clean text