Syntax for conditionals

Each condition within a conditional statement returns a Boolean true or false, typically by comparing two values. The following operators determine the type of comparison:

In addition, you have logical operators, which combine or negate individual conditions:

The AND and OR operators are required to build complex conditionals. Our Key Concepts > Conditionals topic explains complex conditionals in greater detail and provides examples.

The NEGATION operator is often used with ATL functions that return a Boolean true or false. The NEGATION operator flips true to false, and vice versa. Here is an example using the contains function:

[[

myList = makeList('Peter', 'Paul', 'Mary')

nameToFind = 'John'

if(!contains(myList, nameToFind) == true){The list does not contain John.}

else{The list includes John.}

]]

The syntax for conditionals is:

[[

if(condition){result} 
elseif(condition){result} 
else{result}

]]

A full-syntax conditional always returns a string, and the result — defined between the curly brackets { } — can contain a mixture of fixed text and ATL blocks.

Assume a "Describe Each Row" project with this data:

Here's an example of a conditional written in full syntax.

[[ 

if(Sales > SalesTarget){[[Branch]]'s sales were above target.}
elseif(Sales < SalesTarget){[[Branch]]'s sales were below target.}
else{[[Branch]]'s sales exactly equalLed the target.} 

]]

The conditional starts with an if statement that asks if Sales is greater than SalesTarget. If true, the conditional returns a short sentence confirming this. The result goes between curly brackets and can include ATL.

When the if statement is false, the conditional moves to an elseif statement that asks if Sales is less than SalesTarget. If true, the conditional returns a short sentence confirming this.

If the elseif statement is false, the conditional moves to an else statement (the default). If the two previous conditions are false, Sales must exactly equal Sales Target, so the conditional returns a short sentence confirming this.

Use this syntax when the result for each condition is a single ATL-computed value. Here, each result is a single ATL block (defined by the square brackets), and there are no surrounding curly brackets { }.

[[

if(condition)[[result]]
elseif(condition)[[result]]
else[[result]]

]]

Assume a "Describe Each Row" project with this data:

Here is an example of a conditional using simple syntax:

[[

if(Branch == 'New York')[[currencyFormat(Sales,'USD','¤#,##0')]]
elseif(Branch == 'London')[[currencyFormat(Sales,'GBP','¤#,##0')]]
else[[currencyFormat(Sales,'EUR','¤#,##0')]]

]]

The conditional starts with an if statement that asks if the Branch value is equal to "New York". If true, it returns the Sales value with USD currency formatting. The result for Row 1 is $302,234.

When the if statement is false, the condition moves to an elseif statement that asks if the Branch value is equal to "London". If true, it returns the Sales value with GBP currency formatting. The result for Row 2 is £297,659.

When the elseif statement is false, the conditional moves to an else statement (the default). This returns the Sales value with EUR currency formatting. The result for Row 3 is €175,000.