Adopting a common, shared, standard layout style for all the scripts that are written expressions, scripts and macros makes it easier to "read" the scripts them and quickly understand what they are doing.

In general, PhixFlow ignores all spacing around the functional elements however . However spacing and layout makes the meaning much clearer for human readers!

This page provides recommended styles for key functional elementswriting expressions.

General

• Add comments (// and /* ... */) to scripts
• Include blank lines between statements
• Use spaces within expressions
• Indent sub-clauses by 4 spaces
• Ensure that attributes which represent the same thing in different Streams, have the same name - this is necessary when doing a Union in a calculate stream but is also important in other types of merge
• Add descriptions to all models
• Add descriptions to all model elements. Item properties
  • All items in PhixFlow have a description property. We recommend you add a description to any item you create.
    Anybody looking at a model or application will first look at the descriptions of the
  elements. They
  • items within it.  For example, in an analysis model, they should be able to discern the flow and the high-level logic of the model just from the descriptions.
  Any
  • In analysis models, the stream description should explain the use of
  Input or Output Multipliers should be noted in the stream description (as this
  • input or output multipliers. This it typically a significant part of any model
  )
  • .

Naming conventions

Attribute names should be in camel case starting with an Upper Case Letter i.e. upper case letter for every "sub-word". E.g. MainCompanyName

...

• • Ensure that attributes that represent the same thing in different streams have the same name. PhixFlow needs this when processing merges and for a union in a calculate stream.
• Formatting expressions
  • Add comments to document your expression using:
    
    • // for a single line comment
    • /* ... */ to enclose multiline comments
  • Include blank lines between statements
  • Use spaces within expressions
  • Indent sub-clauses by 4 spaces

Naming Conventions

Multi-word stream attribute and pipe names should be in camel case i.e. lower case 1st letter and then an upper case letter for every "sub-word". E.g. $companyOldAddress, inPipe

The names for "global" variables (variables start with a $ character) i.e. variables which have a scope beyond the current expression and are used in subsequent expressions. Global variables should have an upper case first letter e.g. $CompanyLocationCounter.

Layout for if()

if( condition, Statement 1 , // else Statement 2 )

Note that when a statement in an if() clause is more than 1 line, wrap them in a do() e.g.:

if( condition, do ( Statement 1, Statement 2, .... Statement n ) , // else Statement A )

Note that closing brackets should always line up with the start of the statement (see the do() and if() statements above)

Layout for switch()

switch( [ condition expression 1, Statement 1 ], [ condition expression 2, Statement 2 ], // default _NULL )

Note that the _NULL statement is currently required

...

.

Adding Comments

It is always a good idea to add comments to your scripts to explain its steps. Comments help anyone who needs to modify the script in future.

There are two ways to tell PhixFlow that a line is a comment, and can be ignored.

Comments are not evaluated when the code is run.

/* Get the discount rate that should apply to 
the calls that match the filter conditions */

$discountRate = discount.rate,

// Now apply the discount

$value = $value * ( 1 - $discountRate)

if(_out.AppleHarvestDate < _toDate('20210101'), 1,
    /* Evaluates to 1 if AppleHarvest Date is Before 1st January 2021*/

0
    /* and to 0 if it is not */

)

Layout for if() 

if( condition, Statement 1 , // else Statement 2 )

if( condition, Statement 1, 
// else 
    Statement 2 
)

When there is more than one statement in an if() clause, wrap the statements in a do().

// Example code layout 
if( condition,
    do(
        Statement 1,

        Statement 2,

        .... Statement n
    ),

// else
    Statement A
)

To make it easier to see that statements are correctly bracketed, the closing bracket should always line up with the start of the statement.

Layout for switch()

switch( 
    [ condition expression 1, Statement 1 ], 
    [ condition expression 2, Statement 2 ], 

// default _NULL 
)

The _NULL statement is required.