19. Using 4GL : Referencing Fields, Variables, and Constants : Referencing Simple Fields
 
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Referencing Simple Fields
Reference simple fields by referring to the field's internal name as defined through the ABF FormEdit operation. Fields cannot be referenced using the field's title as displayed on the form.
Use the name of any simple field in expressions or assignment statements, as in this example:
total := valuea + valueb;
Here total, valuea and valueb are all (internal) field names on a form. If there is any chance of confusing the field name with literal strings, use a colon:
total := :valuea + :valueb;
Observe the following rules for using a colon for dereferencing a simple field:
Do not include a colon when assigning a value to a field; that is, the field appears on the left-hand side of the assignment.
(However, the colon is allowed when a simple field appears on the left-hand side of an assignment within the target list of a select into a form or a select into simple objects.)
The colon is optional if the field appears elsewhere; for example, on the right-hand side of the assignment.
(However, the colon is required if you are using the field as a dynamic 4GL name or to specify dynamically a value in a DBMS statement.)