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Version: 2.0

Record & Field Access

These commands allow you to extract data from the current record or look up information in other records.

Field Selectors​

See also: Field Selectors Guide

v - Field Content​

Extracts the value of a variable length field.

  • Syntax: vTag | vTag^Subfield
  • Modifiers:
    • *Offset: Starts extraction from a specific character position.
    • .Length: Extracts a limited number of characters.
  • Example: 
    v10          /* Content of Tag 10 */
    v20^a        /* Content of subfield 'a' of Tag 20 */
    v10*2.5      /* 5 characters starting from position 2 */

d - Dummy Field​

Checks if a field exists without displaying it. Often used to control repeatable groups.

  • Syntax: dTag
  • Example: (d10, v10/)

Record Information​

mfn - Master File Number​

Displays the unique identification number of the current record.

  • Syntax: mfn
  • Format: Returns a numeric value (e.g., 1, 1024). It can be formatted with f().
  • Example: f(mfn, 6, 0) -> 001024

mfnname - Master File Name​

Returns the name of the database file currently being accessed.

  • Syntax: mfnname
  • Example: "Database: " mfnname

occ - Occurrence Index​

Returns the number of the current occurrence being processed within a repeatable group.

  • Syntax: occ
  • Example: v10, " (Occ: " occ ")"

nocc - Number of Occurrences​

Returns the total number of occurrences of a repeatable field in the record.

  • Syntax: nocc(vTag)
  • Example: "Total authors: " f(nocc(v70), 2, 0)

Presence Checks​

p - Presence Check​

Returns True (non-zero) if the field or subfield is present.

  • Syntax: p(vTag)
  • Example: if p(v10) then "Title present" fi

a - Absence Check​

Returns True if the field or subfield is absent (not present).

  • Syntax: a(vTag)
  • Equivalent: NOT p(vTag)

np - Not Present​

Similar to a(), checks if a field is not present.

  • Syntax: np(vTag)

Relational & Lookups​

ref - Record Reference (Link)​

Executes a format or expression in the context of another record, identified by its MFN.

  • Syntax: ref(MFN, Format)
  • Usage: Essential for joining databases or looking up linked records.
  • Example: 
    /* Lookup MFN 10 in the current DB */
    ref(10, v20)

    /* Lookup MFN 5 in 'USERS' database */
    ref(['USERS']5, v30)

l - Key Lookup​

Searches the inverted file for a term and returns the MFN of the first record found.

  • Syntax: l('Term') | l('Prefix' vTag)
  • Returns: The MFN of the record containing the term, or 0 if not found.
  • Example: 
    /* Find record where title is 'Hamlet' */
    ref( l('Hamlet'), v70 )

key - Key Postings​

Returns the number of hits (postings) for a given term in the inverted file.

  • Syntax: npost('Term') (Note: command name depends on CISIS version, often key or npost)