Custom Function Optional Properties
At the top right corner of the Formula Extractor dialog box is the Enter More Info button. Clicking on it opens the Custom Function Properties dialog box shown in Figure 6-2. This lets you set additional properties for the custom function.
Figure 6-2. The Custom Function Properties dialog box.
This dialog box lets you set various properties about the custom function. The Summary area is the same summary that you typed in the Formula Extractor dialog box. But now it’s bigger so that you can type in more information.
The second input box is the Category option. It lets you group custom functions together in a more logical fashion. By default, all the custom functions are listed in the Report Custom Functions category. But if the report uses numerous custom functions, then it is helpful to create function categories and group each function within the appropriate category. That makes it easier to find a function when you want to use it. If you need to create sub-categories, use the forward slash between each category name. For example, entering a category name of Financial/Accounts Receivable creates the category Accounts Receivable under the Financial category.
The other properties only effect how the custom function works with the Formula Expert. The Formula Expert is discussed in detail in the next section, but it basically makes it easy to create a new formula that calls a custom function.
The property Display in Experts determines whether the function is listed as an available function when the user runs the Formula Expert. If you uncheck this property, then the custom function is not available in the Formula Expert dialog box. Note that the custom function will always be listed in the Report Functions window so that you can reference it when writing formulas manually.
The Help Text button lets you write help information about the function. This help information is only displayed when using the Formula Expert dialog box.
The Arguments window at the bottom of the Formula Extractor dialog box is similar to what you’ve already seen. It shows each argument name, the data type and the description (which you can change). The difference is that there is a new column for entering default values. These default values are listed in the Formula Expert dialog box. They can be selected as one of the arguments that get passed to the function. By clicking on the Default Values box, it opens a dialog box which lets you build a list of default values.
When you are finished changing the additional function properties, click the OK button to save them and return to the Formula Extractor dialog box.
