Verifies that a record complies with mandatory field and unique index definitions.

Syntax

VALIDATE record [ NO-ERROR ]
record

The name of the record you want to validate.

To validate a record in a table defined for multiple databases, you must qualify the record's table name with the database name. See the record definition in the Record phrase reference entry for more information.

NO-ERROR
The NO-ERROR option is used to prevent the statement from raising ERROR and displaying error messages.

Example

This procedure prompts for an item number. If an Item with that number is not available, the procedure creates a new Item record and lets you supply some Item information. The VALIDATE statement checks the data you enter against the index and mandatory field criteria for the Item record.

r-valid.p 

REPEAT FOR Item:
  PROMPT-FOR Item.ItemNum.
  FIND Item USING Item.ItemNum NO-ERROR.
  IF NOT AVAILABLE Item THEN DO:
    CREATE iIem.
    ASSIGN Item.ItemNum.
    UPDATE Item.ItemName Item.Price.
    VALIDATE Item.
  END.
  ELSE 
    DISPLAY Item.ItemName Item.Price.
END.

Notes

  • Because validation is done automatically, you rarely have to use the VALIDATE statement. The AVM automatically validates a record when a record in the record buffer is replaced by another, a record's scope iterates or ends, the innermost iterating subtransaction block that creates a record iterates, or a transaction ends.
  • The AVM automatically validates mandatory fields when those fields are modified.
  • If the validation fails on a newly-created record, VALIDATE raises the ERROR condition.
  • The AVM performs validation when it leaves a field.
  • For complex validations, it might be easier to use the IF...THEN...ELSE statement instead of the VALIDATE statement.
  • You cannot use the VALIDATE statement to test fields that are referenced in SQL statements, since validation is not performed for these fields.
  • If a field or table has been modified, the VALIDATE statement causes WRITE events and all related WRITE triggers to execute.

See also

IF...THEN...ELSE statement, NO-ERROR option