Returns the data type of an item in a MapMessage.

Syntax

FUNCTION getItemType RETURNS CHARACTER (itemName AS CHARACTER).

Applies to

Message objects

Notes

  • Possible values include UNKNOWN, boolean, byte, short, char, int, datetime-tz, long, float, double, string, or longchar.
  • It returns UNKNOWN if the item does not exist.
  • The getItemType function cannot precisely determine certain data types. It is important to be aware of the following limitations:
    • String values — getItemType function returns the longchar value for a data item consisting of a string longer than 32K. If the item is a string of 32K or less, the function returns the string value for both CHARACTER and LONGCHAR data. In the latter case, it is the responsibility of the ABL programmer to know the order of items in the MapMessage and to call the correct function to interpret the data appropriately.
    • Date values — getItemType function returns the datetime-tz value for all date items.

See also

createMapMessage procedure, setBoolean procedure, setByte procedure, setBytesFromRaw procedure, setChar procedure, setDate procedure, setDateTime procedure, setDateTime-TZ procedure, setDouble procedure, setFloat procedure, setInt procedure, setLong procedure, setLongString procedure, setShort procedure, setString procedure, getMapNames function, getItemType function, getBytesToRaw function, getChar function, getDate function, getDateTime function, getDateTime-TZ function, getDecimal function, getInt function, getLogical function, getLongString function, getLongStringCP function

For more information, see the MapMessage.