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$LISTGET (ObjectScript)

Returns an element in a list, or a specified default value if the requested element is undefined.

Synopsis

$LISTGET(list,position,default)
$LG(list,position,default)

SET $LISTGET(var1,var2,...)=list
SET $LG(var1,var2,...)=list

Arguments

Argument Description
list An expression that evaluates to a valid list.
position

Optional — An integer code specifying the starting position in list. Permitted values are n (count from beginning of list), * (last element in list), and *-n (relative offset count backwards from end of list). Thus, the first element in the list is 1, the second element is 2, the last element in the list is *, and the next-to-last element is *-1. If position is a fractional number, it is truncated to its integer part. If position is omitted, it defaults to 1.

-1 may be used in older code to specify the last element in the list. This deprecated use of -1 should not be combined with * or *-n relative offset syntax.

default Optional — An expression that provides the value to return if the list element has an undefined value. If default is omitted, it defaults to the null string (““). You must specify a position argument value to specify a default value.
var A variable, specified as a single variable or as a variable in a comma-separated list of variables. A placeholder comma can be specified for an omitted variable. A var may be a variable of any type: local, process-private, or global, unsubscripted or subscripted.

Description

$LISTGET has two syntax forms: $LISTGET and SET $LISTGET:

  • $LISTGET(list,position,default) returns the requested element in the specified list. If the value of position refers to a nonexistent element or identifies an element with an undefined value, the default value is returned.

    The $LISTGET function is identical to the one- and two-argument forms of the $LIST function except that, under conditions that would cause $LIST to produce a <NULL VALUE> error, $LISTGET returns a default value. See the description of the $LIST function for more information on conditions that generate <NULL VALUE> errors.

  • SET $LISTGET(var1,var2,...)=list extracts multiple elements from a list into variables. It is similar to SET $LISTBUILD(var1,var2,...)=list. They differ in how they handle variables that are not assigned an explicit value: SET $LISTGET defines these variables (thus avoiding an <UNDEFINED> error), and assigns them the null string value, overwriting any prior value. SET $LISTBUILD does not define these variables; if the variable had no prior value it generates an <UNDEFINED> error, if the variable had a prior value, this value is preserved.

Arguments

list

A list can be created using $LISTBUILD or $LISTFROMSTRING, or extracted from another list using $LIST. The null string ("") is also treated as a valid list. You can use $LISTVALID to determine if list is a valid list. An invalid list causes $LISTGET to generate a <LIST> error.

position

The position (element count) of the list element to return. An element is returned as a string. List elements are counted from 1. If position is omitted, $LISTGET returns the first element.

  • If position is n (a positive integer), $LISTGET counts elements from the beginning of list. If position is greater than the number of elements in list, $LISTGET returns the default value.

  • If position is *, $LIST returns the last element in list.

  • If position is *-n (an asterisk followed by a negative integer), $LIST counts elements by relative offset from the end of list. Thus, *-0 is the last element in the list, *-1 is the next-to-last list element (an offset of 1 from the end). If the *-n offset specifies the position before the first element of list (for example, *-3 for a 3–element list), $LISTGET returns the default value. If the *-n offset specifies a position prior to that (for example, *-4 for a 3–element list), InterSystems IRIS issues a <RANGE> error.

  • If position is 0 or -0, $LISTGET returns the default value.

The numeric portion of the position argument evaluates to an integer. InterSystems IRIS truncates a fractional number to its integer portion. Specifying position as -1 (indicating last element of the list) is deprecated and should not be used in new code; a position negative number less than -1 generates a <RANGE> error.

When using a variable to specify *-n you must always specify the asterisk and a sign character in the argument itself.

The following are valid specifications of *-n:

  SET count=2
  SET alph=$LISTBUILD("a","b","c","d")
  WRITE $LISTGET(alph,*-count,"blank")
  SET count=-2
  SET alph=$LISTBUILD("a","b","c","d")
  WRITE $LISTGET(alph,*+count,"blank")

default

An expression that evaluates to a string or numeric value. $LISTGET returns default if the element specified by position does not exist. This may occur if position is beyond the end of the list, if position specifies an element that has no value, if position is 0, or if list contains no elements. However, if a position of *-n specifies a position before the 0th element of list, InterSystems IRIS issues a <RANGE> error.

If you omit the default argument, the null string ("") is returned as the default value.

SET $LISTGET

When used on the left side of the equal sign in a SET command, the $LISTGET function extracts multiple elements from a list as a single operation. The syntax is as follows:

SET $LISTGET(var1,var2,...)=list

The var arguments of SET $LISTGET are a comma-separated list of variables, each of which is set to the value of the list element in the corresponding position. Thus, var1 is set to the value of the first list element, var2 is set to the value of the second list element, and so forth. The var arguments do not have to be existing variables; the variable is defined when SET $LISTGET assigns it a value.

  • The number of var arguments may be less than or greater than the number of list elements. Unspecified var values are assigned the null string value: if previously defined, the prior value is replaced with the null string; if previously undefined, the variable is defined. Compare this behavior with SET $LISTBUILD. Excess list elements are ignored.

  • The var arguments and/or the list elements may contain omitted values, represented by placeholder commas. An omitted var argument is undefined. An omitted list element causes the corresponding var value to be set to the null string: if previously defined, the prior value is deleted; if previously undefined, the variable is defined. Compare this behavior with SET $LISTBUILD.

SET $LISTGET is an atomic operation. The maximum number of var arguments in a compiled program is 1024. The maximum number of var arguments when executed from the Terminal is 128. Attempting to exceed these limits results in a <SYNTAX> error.

If a var argument is an object property (object.property) the property must be multidimensional. Any property may be referenced as an i%property instance variable within an object method.

In the following examples, $LISTBUILD (on the right side of the equal sign) creates a list with four elements.

In the following example, SET $LISTGET extracts the first two elements from a list into two variables:

   SET colorlist=$LISTBUILD("red","blue","green","white")
   SET $LISTGET(a,b)=colorlist
   WRITE "a=",a," b=",b   /* a="red" b="blue" */

In the following example, SET $LISTGET extracts elements from a list into five variables. Because the specified list does not have a 5th element, the corresponding var variable (e) is defined, with a value of the null string (""):

   SET (a,b,c,d,e)=0
   SET colorlist=$LISTBUILD("red","blue","green","white")
   SET $LISTGET(a,b,c,d,e)=colorlist
   WRITE "a=",a," b=",b," c=",c," d=",d," e=",e
   /* a="red" b="blue" c="green" d="white" e= */

In the following example, SET $LISTGET extracts elements from a list into four variables. Because the specified list does not have a 3rd element, the corresponding var variable (c) is defined with a value of the null string (""):

   SET (a,b,c,d)=0
   SET colorlist=$LISTBUILD("red","blue",,"white")
   SET $LISTGET(a,b,c,d)=colorlist
   WRITE "a=",a," b=",b," c=",c," d=",d
   /* a="red" b="blue" c= d="white" */

In the following example, SET $LISTGET extracts elements from a list into four variables. Because the 3rd list element value is a nested list, the corresponding var variable (c) contains a list value:

   SET (a,b,c,d)=0
   SET colorlist=$LISTBUILD("red","blue",$LISTBUILD("green","yellow"),"white")
   SET $LISTGET(a,b,c,d)=colorlist
   WRITE "a=",a," b=",b," c=",c," d=",d
   /* a="red" b="blue" c=$LB("green","yellow") d="white" */

Examples

The $LISTGET functions in the following example return the value of the list element specified by position (the position default is 1):

   SET list=$LISTBUILD("A","B","C")
   WRITE !,$LISTGET(list)     ; returns "A"
   WRITE !,$LISTGET(list,1)   ; returns "A"
   WRITE !,$LISTGET(list,3)   ; returns "C"
   WRITE !,$LISTGET(list,*)   ; returns "C"
   WRITE !,$LISTGET(list,*-1) ; returns "B"

The $LISTGET functions in the following example return a value upon encountering the undefined 2nd element in the list. The first two returns a question mark (?), which the user has defined as the default value. The second two returns a null string because the user has not specified a default value:

   WRITE "returns:",$LISTGET($LISTBUILD("A",,"C"),2,"?"),!
   WRITE "returns:",$LISTGET($LISTBUILD("A",,"C"),*-1,"?"),!
   WRITE "returns:",$LISTGET($LISTBUILD("A",,"C"),2),!
   WRITE "returns:",$LISTGET($LISTBUILD("A",,"C"),*-1)

The following example returns all of the element values in the list. It also lists the positions before and after the ends of the list. Where a value is non-existent, it returns the default value:

   SET list=$LISTBUILD("a","b",,"d",,,"g")
   SET llen=$LISTLENGTH(list)
      FOR x=0:1:llen+1 { 
      WRITE "position ",x,"=",$LISTGET(list,x," no value"),!
      }
      WRITE "end of the list"

The following example returns all of the element values in the list in reverse order. Where a value is omitted, it returns the default value:

   SET list=$LISTBUILD("a","b",,"d",,,"g")
   SET llen=$LISTLENGTH(list)
      FOR x=0:1:llen { 
      WRITE "position *-",x,"=",$LISTGET(list,*-x," no value"),!
      }
      WRITE "beginning of the list"

The $LISTGET functions in the following example return the list element value of the null string; they do not return the default value:

   WRITE "returns:",$LISTGET($LB(""),1,"no value"),!
   WRITE "returns:",$LISTGET($LB(""),*,"no value"),!
   WRITE "returns:",$LISTGET($LB(""),*-0,"no value")

The $LISTGET functions in the following example all return the default value:

   WRITE $LISTGET("",1,"no value"),!
   WRITE $LISTGET($LB(),1,"no value"),!
   WRITE $LISTGET($LB(UndefinedVar),1,"no value"),!
   WRITE $LISTGET($LB(,),1,"no value"),!
   WRITE $LISTGET($LB(,),*,"no value"),!
   WRITE $LISTGET($LB(,),*-1,"no value"),!
   WRITE $LISTGET($LB(""),2,"no value"),!
   WRITE $LISTGET($LB(""),*-1,"no value")

See Also

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