num_args()

NUM_ARGS( ) takes no arguments.  It returns an integer that corresponds to the number of command-line arguments that followed the name of your 4GL program when the user invoked it.

Usage

The built-in NUM_ARGS( ) function, and that of ARG_VAL( ), can pass data to a compiled 4GL program from the command line that invoked the program.

For example, suppose that the 4GL program called program_arguments can accept one or more account names as command-line arguments (such as, to process account reports). 

program_arguments St MegaSoft01 Querix02 Provia03

In either case, statements in the following program fragment use the ARG_VAL( ) function to store in an array of CHAR variables all the names that the user who invoked program_arguments entered as command-line arguments:

MAIN

  DEFINE

    args ARRAY[8] OF CHAR(10),

    i, line_disp SMALLINT,

    str_disp char(50)                         

  FOR i = 1 TO NUM_ARGS()

    LET args[i] = ARG_VAL(i)

  END FOR

LET str_disp = "Total Number of passed arguments: ", NUM_ARGS()

  DISPLAY str_disp at 2, 5

  FOR i = 1 TO NUM_ARGS()

    LET line_disp = i + 5

    LET str_disp = "Argument " , i,  " was ", args[i]

    DISPLAY str_disp at line_disp , 5

  END FOR

 call fgl_getkey()

END MAIN

After program_arguments is invoked by these command-line arguments, the NUM_ARGS( ) function returns the value 3. Executing the LET statements in the FOR loop assigns the following values to elements of the args array.

Reference:

ARG_VAL( )