matrix_beta

[forbade]

This is my first custom function that I thought would be worth while to share.

& I haven't taken the time to see if anyone else has done, something simular.

 

Alright we have a lovely feature called repeating fields, ( technically they are arrays P: ) but I wanted to know how to implement a matrix in file-maker. I sat down and figured out the math to take a linear array aka repeating field and have it function as a matrix for fun things that matrix doos. I am not a math guy btw, so if the terms that i use are technically wrong then thats why.

 

ok. This will work with any size matrix, NxN ...

 

I am not good at explaining things so, just check the example file.

 

 

--

cfNAME = Matrix //very exciting...name isn't it.

 

Parameters: ( row , column , base , field )

 

Code:

 

Let (

[

r = GetAsNumber ( row ) ; // [N,n]

c = GetAsNumber ( column) ; // [n,N]

b = GetAsNumber ( base ) // this is the number by which the matrix is defines... defines how deep the matrix goes

] ;

 

(

 

Case (

r = "1" ; Let ( rep = (( b - b ) +c ) ; GetRepetition ( field ; rep ) ) ; // (( b -b ) +c )

r > "1" ; Let ( rep = (( b * ( r - 1) ) + c ) ; GetRepetition ( field ; rep ) ) //

; "please check the base number for your matrix"

 

)))

[Ender]

Greetings forbade, and welcome to the world of CFs!

 

It looks like what you have is essentially a method to access a repeating field value, where the repeating field is broken up into multiple virtual rows.

 

I think where matricies really get useful is for passing arrays or for mathematical transformations. For these, I think it's more useful to have a dynamic structure, with spaces (or some other separator) to separate columns and returns to separate rows, all within a single text value.

 

Why this structure? There is already a good set of functions for assembling and parsing strings of data by word and by line. For example, if you want a "matrix" of values based on a field in a portal, you could use the List() function (FM8.5 or later) to grab the related rows and put them in a return separated list. Multiple values can be easily be appended into a single row with multiple columns by using the old amperstand:

 

row = field1 & " " & field2 & " " & field3

 

Similarly, rows can be extracted with GetValue(), and columns within a row can be identified with MiddleValues(). So if you want a particular cell (x,y) within a matrix, you could use something like:

 

middlewords(getvalue(matrix; x); y; 1)

 

Of course, if you're dealing with text values, you probably need a different column separator and adjust the calcs accordingly.

 

To add a little power on a higher level, you might have a set of CFs to insert values and access values in various "cells" within the grid, and if you're mathematically inclined, CFs to apply transformations to the matrix.

[forbade]

thanks for the advice ender, mucho apreciado.

 

when i got home last, night I actually came to the same conclusion about having a function to insert values too. I think ill play around with this for a while and come back when I have a more solid method for matrix manipulation and thanks again for the advice.

 

peace