sselect command

sselect file.reference {item.list} {selection.criteria} {sort.criteria}
{output.specification} {modifiers}{(option)}

These are the options most often used with sselect. As a retrieval sentence it accepts the full set of AQL options, though the report-formatting options have little effect since sselect builds a list rather than a report.

The list is a temporary list that is used by the next command as its implicit item list. The list can be permanently saved by the save-list command. The list can also be passed to an Output processor command or to a FlashBASIC program if the next TCL command executes that program. When an output.specification displays in any of the various select sentences, the list is built from the contents of the specified attribute.

The elements of the list may be used as item-IDs to reference data in any file, not just the file referenced in the sselect command. For example, if a sselect on one file is followed by a list on a different file, the list of item-IDs generated by the sselect are used as an item list in the list.

In the special case where the sselect command is used with a by-exp or by-dsnd-exp modifier, the elements of the list are MultiValue, where the first value is the selected data, and the second value is the 3-digit value count. In

FlashBASIC, the two values are retrieved by the use of the readnext ID,vc form of the readnext statement.

Creates a list of invoice item-IDs that have an amount.due > 0, and which have not made a payment. The list is sorted by invoice item-ID.

sselect invoices with amount.due > 0 and with no payment

Creates a list of entity names that start with the string ROCKET sorted in name order.

sselect entity by name with name = "ROCKET]" name

The session below, run on D3 10.3.4, selects every master-dictionary entry whose item-ID begins with S and returns them as a sorted list. The first sentence reports its count; the second, with the b option, builds the same sorted list silently. The > prompt indicates an active select list is pending.

:SSELECT MD = 'S]'
[404] 274 items selected out of 1723 items.
>SSELECT MD = 'S]' (B
>