Using Aliases in Expressions

Using Aliases in Expressions

Aliases can make it easier to understand expressions in reports. If you have a variable called “VariableA” and you have set an alias for it to “VA,” the variable can be referenced by Name OR Alias.

By Name:

{VariableA}

By Alias:

{[VA]}

Syntax – Variables

Square brackets are optional unless you are using characters that are not permitted under VB.Net or C#, in which case, square brackets are mandatory.

Examples of VALID aliases:

  1. {VariableA}
  2. {VariableAndVariableB}
  3. {[Variable and VariableB]}
  4. {[Variable&Values]}
  5. {[Variable-First]}

Examples of INVALID aliases:

  1. {Variable and Value} – Spaces are illegal characters.
  2. {Variable&Value} – The ampersand is an illegal character. 

Syntax – Data

The same rule is used when creating the names of data sources and columns. When referring to the data column, only a part with incorrect characters for identifiers should be bracketed. Examples:

  1. {DataSource.[Data Column]}
  2. {[Data-Source].DataColumn}
  3. {[Data=Source].[Data=Column]}

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