Attribute functions get the values of global attributes and summarize them during the template output process. You can access attribute functions in the Formula Contents dialog box and in the Rule Contents dialog box.
To select a parameter for an attribute function, click the Select button in the Attribute area of the dialog box. It opens the hierarchical list of global attributes.
Parameters: The parameter must appear inside parentheses and double quotation marks (" ").
In addition to this list you can use:
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free attributes from your product
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a constant parameter CONTENTTYPE that returns the content type of the current row.
GetValue
Use this function when you want to return the value of the attribute on this output row, i.e. for the currently processed object in the product database.
In the following example, GetValue is used in a row rule condition to check if the current row has a desired field value. The rule outputs the row only if the material is S235JR.
NextValue
Use this function when you want to get the value of the attribute on the next output row (not printed yet). You can use this, for example, to inquire material types.
In the following example, NextValue is used in a row rule condition to inquire the material on the next row. The rule outputs the current row only if the material on the next row is different. This is a way to avoid outputting duplicate rows in a report.
PreviousValue
Use this function when you want to get the value of the attribute on the previous output row.
In the following example PreviousValue is used in a row rule condition to check the content type of the previous row. The rule outputs the current row only if the previous content type is not PART. This is a way to avoid outputting rows not relevant for PART types.
IsSet
Use this function when you want to check whether a value has been set for a user-defined free attribute.
The following rule is an example of using IsSet in a row rule condition. The rule outputs the row only if a user-defined "comment" attribute has been set.
All other rows are skipped.