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OpenRPT Product Guide |
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OpenRPT Product Guide |
| 1.2. MetaSQL Syntax | ||
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 | 1. MetaSQL |  |
MetaSQL syntax is comprised of control statements and functions. Control statements contain standard SQL which will be used if certain conditions are met. Functions are generally used to evaluate parameters. Collectively, control statements and functions are referred to as statements. When these statements are embedded within standard SQL, they create MetaSQL.
As we have mentioned previously, MetaSQL statements are bracketed between an opening angle bracket and question mark pair ("<?") and a closing question mark and angle bracket pair ("?>"). All content within (and including) the opening and closing character pairs is referred to as a tag. Each tag is comprised of a single statement and also any additional arguments, parameters, or modifiers which apply to the statement. The first word following the tag opening (i.e., "<?") is the statement. Any additional text after the statement up to the closing angle bracket ("?>") is broken into tokens and processed accordingly.
You don't need to worry about inserting excess blank spaces when writing MetaSQL statements. The MetaSQL parser ignores excess blank spaces.
Next we will look at the range of available control statements and functions, offering descriptions for how each may be used.
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| 1.1. MetaSQL in Practice |  | 1.2.1. Control Statements |