direction
Returns the change direction for a series of numbers. Specifically, the function checks if the last value in a list or table region (e.g. a column) represents an increase or decrease relative to the first value.
The function returns one of these string values:
'up' — when the last value is greater than the first;
'down' — when the last value is less than the first; or
'stable' — when the first and last values are equal.
This function is often used with time-series data (e.g. a series of stock prices) to determine the general trend.
Parameters
X (list or table region)
A list or table region of numbers.
Examples
The function can take a list of numbers.
ATL in Script | Result |
|---|---|
| up |
| down |
| stable |
Using direction with table data
Assume a "Describe the Table" project with this data:
Month | Sales | Profit | |
|---|---|---|---|
Row 1 | January | 1,252,781.57 | 50,111.26 |
Row 2 | February | 1,046,028.91 | 48,263.78 |
Row 3 | March | 1,231,745.34 | 51,258.92 |
The function can take a column variable.
ATL in Script | Result |
|---|---|
| down |
| up |
Note
In a "Describe Row in Context" project, the column variables are SalesColumn and ProfitColumn.
