About Type Conversions
In certain contexts, values from one data type can be converted to another data type, either implicitly or explicitly.
Implicit Conversions
An implicit conversion occurs when the expected type of an expression does not match the actual type.
Conversion to Boolean Values
From Text Values to Boolean Values
The text values of true and false (case insensitive) can be used for setting the value of Boolean fields, when enclosed in single or double quotes.
The text values of n (where n represents an integer or decimal value, and can be positive or negative), can be used for setting the value of logical fields, when enclosed in single or double quotes. If n is 0, the corresponding Boolean value is false; otherwise, all other values of n correspond to a Boolean value of true.
From Currency Values to Boolean Values
The application drops the currency code. Any non-zero number is converted to true and zero is converted to false.
From Number Values to Boolean Values
Any non-zero number is converted to true and zero is converted to false.
Conversion to DateTime Values
Text values representing the date only or representing date and time values, can be implicitly converted to the corresponding DateTime value.
Conversion to Number Values
From Integer Values to Float Values, and from Float Values to Integer Values
Integer values can be implicitly converted to float values, but not vice versa. (If you convert a float value to an integer value, you lose the part after the decimal, which is not a proper conversion.)
From Boolean Values to Number Values
The Boolean values of true and false (case insensitive) can be used for setting the value of number fields. Upon evaluation, the true and false values are converted to 1 and 0, respectively.
Boolean values, however, cannot be implicitly converted to number values, when used in arithmetic contexts (for example, adding a number value to true), or in relational contexts (for example, comparing a number value to true).
From Text Values to Number Values
There is no implicit conversion of text values to number values.
For arithmetic operations, if one operand is a text value, and the other operand is a number value, the number value is converted to a text value, but the text value is not converted to a number value. At this point, only the plus (+) operator (in this context, for text concatenation) works properly; evaluation fails for all other available arithmetic operators (such as multiply [*] and divide [%]).
Example 1: In this example, $("20" + "30") is interpreted as a text value of 2030 when you concatenate the two fields.
Similarly, for relational comparisons, if one operand is a text value, and the other operand is a number value, the number value is converted to a text value, but the text value is not converted to a number value. At this point, the values are compared in dictionary order instead of numerically.
Example 2: In this example, $(30 < "200"), the application converts 30 to text (in dictionary order ) and returns false because 200 comes before 30 (in dictionary order ).
Conversion to Text Values
Boolean, DateTime, number, and currency values can be implicitly converted to text values.
From Boolean Values to Text Values
For Boolean values, true and false are converted to the text values "true" and "false", respectively (case insensitive).
Here are examples where the Boolean value is used, in the context of text concatenation (here, TestText1 is a text field, whereas TestBool1 is a Boolean field):
$("Did the user answer all the questions: " + false)
$("Did the user answer all the questions: " + TestBool1)
$(TestText1 + TestBool1)
From DateTime Values to Text Values
DateTime values are converted to a text value in the DateTime format of the current locale.
From Number Values to Text Values
If you need a text value and you pass a number value, the application converts it to a text value.
Here are examples where the number value is used in the context of text concatenation. Here, TestText1 and TestText2 are text fields, whereas TestNumber is a number field.
$("There are >" + 3 + " blind mice")
$("There are " + 3.28 + TestText1 )
$(TestText1 + TestNumber + TestText2)
From Currency Values to Text Values
If you need a text value and you pass a currency value, the application converts it to a text value.
Here is an example where the currency value is used in the context of text concatenation.
$("Julie won" + 200 USD + " in the lottery.")
Conversion to Currency Values
You can convert a number to a currency value when it is used with a currency value in a binary operator or in another context where a currency value is required. For example, in $(currency_field + number_field), the number_field parameter is treated as a currency value with the same currency as the currency_field parameter. In the example $(100USD + 46) , the application treats 46 as a USD value and the result is 146USD.
When a number field is used when a currency is needed, for example to pass to a currency function, the application treats it as a currency with the default currency value of the tenant. For example, $(Currency(20)) means 20 of the default currency for the tenant.