ABL Reference

CREATE TEMP-TABLE statement

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CREATE TEMP-TABLE statement

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Last Updated: October 18, 2024
2 minute read

OpenEdge
Version 12.2
Documentation

Creates a TEMP-TABLE dynamically at run time. The TEMP-TABLE that is created is empty and must be defined using ADD/CREATE methods.

Syntax


`CREATE TEMP-TABLE handle [ IN WIDGET-POOL widget-pool-name ]`

handle: A variable of type HANDLE that represents the handle of the TEMP-TABLE object.
IN WIDGET-POOL widget-pool-name: An expression of type CHARACTER that evaluates, at run time, to the name of the widget pool that contains the dynamic TEMP-TABLE.
Note: Widget pool names are not case-sensitive.

Note

You can collect run-time statistics about usage of temp-tables in an ABL session. For more information on collecting statistics for temp-table usage, see Troubleshoot ABL Applications.

Example

The following example creates a TEMP-TABLE like the Order table and populates it from the Order table. In addition, the corresponding SalesRep name is added from the SalesRep table, as shown:

r-cretmpt.p

DEFINE VARIABLE tth AS HANDLE NO-UNDO. DEFINE VARIABLE bh AS HANDLE NO-UNDO. DEFINE VARIABLE qh AS HANDLE NO-UNDO. DEFINE VARIABLE buf-ord-hndl AS HANDLE NO-UNDO. DEFINE VARIABLE buf-rep-hndl AS HANDLE NO-UNDO. DEFINE VARIABLE fld1 AS HANDLE NO-UNDO. DEFINE VARIABLE fld2 AS HANDLE NO-UNDO. /* Get database table handles / buf-ord-hndl = BUFFER Order:HANDLE. buf-rep-hndl = BUFFER SalesRep:HANDLE. / Create an empty, undefined TEMP-TABLE / CREATE TEMP-TABLE tth. / Give it Order table's fields & indexes / tth:CREATE-LIKE(buf-ord-hndl). / Add field like SalesRep.RepName / tth:ADD-LIKE-FIELD("RepName","SalesRep.RepName"). / No more fields will be added / tth:TEMP-TABLE-PREPARE("ordx"). / Get the buffer handle for the temp-table / bh = tth:DEFAULT-BUFFER-HANDLE. / Populate the temp-table from order / FOR EACH Order NO-LOCK: bh:BUFFER-CREATE. bh:BUFFER-COPY(buf-ord-hndl). / Add the corresponding salesrep name / FIND SalesRep NO-LOCK WHERE SalesRep.SalesRep = Order.SalesRep NO-ERROR. IF AVAILABLE SalesRep THEN bh:BUFFER-COPY(buf-rep-hndl,?,"RepName,repname"). END. / Run a query to access the TEMP-TABLE / CREATE QUERY qh. qh:SET-BUFFERS(bh). qh:QUERY-PREPARE("FOR EACH ordx WHERE ordx.OrderNum < 50 BY ordx.RepName"). qh:QUERY-OPEN(). fld1 = bh:BUFFER-FIELD("OrderNum"). fld2 = bh:BUFFER-FIELD("RepName"). / Display the order number and the salesrep name */ REPEAT: qh:GET-NEXT(). IF qh:QUERY-OFF-END THEN LEAVE. DISPLAY fld1:BUFFER-VALUE() FORMAT "X(10)". DISPLAY fld2:BUFFER-VALUE() FORMAT "X(20)". END. qh:QUERY-CLOSE(). bh:BUFFER-RELEASE(). DELETE OBJECT tth. DELETE OBJECT qh.

DEFINE VARIABLE tth          AS HANDLE NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE bh           AS HANDLE NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE qh           AS HANDLE NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE buf-ord-hndl AS HANDLE NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE buf-rep-hndl AS HANDLE NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE fld1         AS HANDLE NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE fld2         AS HANDLE NO-UNDO.

/* Get database table handles */
buf-ord-hndl = BUFFER Order:HANDLE.
buf-rep-hndl = BUFFER SalesRep:HANDLE.

/* Create an empty, undefined TEMP-TABLE */
CREATE TEMP-TABLE tth.
/* Give it Order table's fields & indexes */
tth:CREATE-LIKE(buf-ord-hndl).
/* Add field like SalesRep.RepName */
tth:ADD-LIKE-FIELD("RepName","SalesRep.RepName").
/* No more fields will be added */
tth:TEMP-TABLE-PREPARE("ordx").

/* Get the buffer handle for the temp-table */
bh = tth:DEFAULT-BUFFER-HANDLE.

/* Populate the temp-table from order */
FOR EACH Order NO-LOCK:
  bh:BUFFER-CREATE.
  bh:BUFFER-COPY(buf-ord-hndl).
  /* Add the corresponding salesrep name */
  FIND SalesRep NO-LOCK WHERE SalesRep.SalesRep = Order.SalesRep NO-ERROR.
  IF AVAILABLE SalesRep THEN
    bh:BUFFER-COPY(buf-rep-hndl,?,"RepName,repname").
END. 

/* Run a query to access the TEMP-TABLE */
CREATE QUERY qh.
qh:SET-BUFFERS(bh).
qh:QUERY-PREPARE("FOR EACH ordx WHERE ordx.OrderNum < 50 BY ordx.RepName").
qh:QUERY-OPEN().

fld1 = bh:BUFFER-FIELD("OrderNum").
fld2 = bh:BUFFER-FIELD("RepName").

/* Display the order number and the salesrep name */
REPEAT:
  qh:GET-NEXT().
  IF qh:QUERY-OFF-END THEN LEAVE.
  DISPLAY fld1:BUFFER-VALUE() FORMAT "X(10)".
  DISPLAY fld2:BUFFER-VALUE() FORMAT "X(20)".
END.

qh:QUERY-CLOSE().
bh:BUFFER-RELEASE().
DELETE OBJECT tth.
DELETE OBJECT qh.

Notes

Once the TEMP-TABLE fields and indexes are defined using the ADD/CREATE methods, the definition must be terminated by using the TEMP-TABLE-PREPARE method before the TEMP-TABLE can be used.
You can set the before-table-exp parameter to TRUE in the TEMP-TABLE-PREPARE method to explicitly create a before-table for a dynamic temp-table. See the TEMP-TABLE-PREPARE method entry for more information.
Once the TEMP-TABLE is prepared, it can be manipulated by using its buffer object handle which is retrieved using the DEFAULT-BUFFER-HANDLE attribute. All the BUFFER methods are available to the dynamic TEMP-TABLE.
The dynamic temp-table object is scoped like the buffer object. It is created in a widget pool and ends when the widget pool ends or when it is deleted with the DELETE OBJECT statement. You may not delete the default buffer object belonging to a dynamic temp-table.
Errors for dynamic temp-tables do not automatically raise the ERROR condition since they occur inside a widget expression. All the methods that can have errors return FALSE if an error occurs, so they must be tested. If NO-ERROR is in effect in the statement containing the widget reference, no messages display, but they can be retrieved from the ERROR-STATUS system handle.

ABL Reference