Indentation

Rule

Use tabs for indentation, with tabs set to four spaces. All nested code blocks must be indented one level.

Method Order.calculateTotal(pOrderId)
    Rem 'Load order items
        [New] subtotal     =   0
        LoadItems              pOrderId
        [New] itemCount        [WQRecCount]
    EndRem

    Rem 'Calculate totals
        WithAll                "subtotal", "Sum", "Amount"
        [New] tax          =   subtotal * cTaxRate
        [New] total        =   subtotal + tax
    EndRem
End Method

Spacing Between Elements

Two blank lines between Methods, Functions, and Macros

End Method


Method Person.create(pFirstName, pLastName)
    ' Method code here
End Method


Method Person.update(pPersonId, pEmail)
    ' Method code here
End Method

One blank line between Rem/EndRem blocks

Rem 'Validate input
    Rem 'Check required fields
        If Not pFirstName
            'error handling...
            Exit
        End If
    EndRem

    Rem 'Check email format
        If Not (ValidEmail$ pEmail)
            'error handling...
            Exit
        End If
    EndRem
EndRem

Statement Alignment

Rule

Tab-align first parameters of statements within a block as much as practical.

' Good alignment
LoadRecord                "Person", personId
CopyQuery                 "Input", "Output"
Reset                     "Output"

' Parameters aligned at appropriate tab stops
WorkWith                  "Person"
    KeepFields            "FirstName LastName Email"
    Set                   "FirstName", `pFirstName
    Set                   "LastName", `pLastName
    Set                   "Email", `pEmail
End WorkWith

Built-in Query Suffixes

Rule

Query names ending in .Output and .Input should have the suffix in Capitalized while the prefix matches the method/function name.

' Correct - method name is camelCase, .Output suffix is Capitalized
Method Person.getActive(pDepartment)
    ' Query results go to Person.getActive.Output
    AppendQuery          "Person.getActive.Output", "Me.Output"
End Method

Method Order.getRecent(pDays)
    ' Query results go to Order.getRecent.Output
End Method

Main Procedure Queries

Rule

The main procedure's default queries are reserved names and must be capitalized: Input, Output, and Request.

CopyQuery                "Output", "Request"
Reset                    "Output"
WorkQuery                "Order.getRecent.Output"
AppendQuery              "Output", "Me.Output"

Custom Query Names

Rule

Custom query names should follow camelCase conventions.

NewQuery                 "tempResults"
MoveQuery                "tempResults", "Person.search.Output"
WorkQuery                "filteredData"

Rem Block Comments

Rule

Use Rem / EndRem blocks to organize and document major sections of code. Include a descriptive comment after the opening Rem.

Rem 'Validate input parameters
    ' Code here
EndRem

Rem 'Calculate order totals
    ' Code here
EndRem

Rem 'Send confirmation email
    ' Code here
EndRem

Inline Comments

Rule

Use single-line comments (') for inline explanations. Place them on the same line when brief, or on a separate line when more detail is needed.

[New] maxRetries = 3    'Allow up to 3 connection attempts

' Check if order was placed within the last 24 hours
If orderDate >= ($Date - 1)
    ProcessOrder    orderId
End If

Method Documentation

Rule

Document method purpose and parameters at the method definition if the purpose is not immediately clear from the name.

' Calculates the total amount for an order including tax and shipping
' Returns the formatted total in the totalAmount field
Method Order.calculateTotal(pOrderId, pTaxRate)
    ' Method implementation
End Method

Field Declaration

Rule

Always use [New] when declaring new fields in the Top Query.

[New] counter recordCount
counter       =    0
recordCount        [WQRecCount]

[New] message =    "Hello, world!"
[New] Email   |    "Input" | Person.Email

Consistent Naming Patterns

Rule

Use consistent prefixes for related fields to improve code readability.

' Email-related fields
[New] emailTo       =    Person.Email
[New] emailSubject  =    "Welcome"
[New] emailBody     =    "Thank you for registering"

' Date-related fields
[New] startDate     =    $Today
[New] endDate       =    Greg$ (%Greg + 30)
[New] dueDate       =    Greg$ (%Greg + 7)

Error Handling and Logging

Rule

Use descriptive error messages that include context about what failed.

' Good - includes context
If Not pEmail
    api.end.err         ("Error: Email address is required for person: " & pPersonId)
    Exit
End If

' Good - includes relevant details
If responseCode <<>> 200
    api.end.err         ("Error: API returned status " & responseCode & ": " & responseMsg)
    Exit
End If

Complete Method Examples

Method Person.create(pFirstName, pLastName, pEmail)
    Rem 'Validate input
        If Not pEmail
            Exit
        End If
    EndRem

    Rem 'Create new person record
        NewRecord               "Person"
        Set                     "FirstName", `pFirstName
        Set                     "LastName", `pLastName
        Set                     "Email", `pEmail
        Set                     "Created", $Now
        Save
    EndRem
End Method


Method Order.calculateTotal(pOrderId)
    Rem 'Load order items
        LoadRecord              "Finance.Order", pOrderId
        Children                "Finance.LineItem"
        [New] recordCount        [CountIf] Finance.LineItem.Alias
        If Not recordCount
            'error handling...
            Exit
        End If
    EndRem

    Rem 'Calculate totals
        WithAll              "", "Finance.Order.Subtotal", "Sum", "Finance.LineItem.Amount"
        [New] Subtotal       |   Finance.Order.Subtotal
        [New] tax            =   Subtotal * cTaxRate
        [New] Total          =   Subtotal + tax
    EndRem

    Rem 'Update order
        WorkWith                 "Finance.Order"
            SetNew               "Alias", `pOrderId
            SetNew               "Total", `Total
            Backfill
                Update
            End Backfill
            FailIfRecError
        End WorkWith
    EndRem
End Method

Naming Convention Examples

' Database table and field references
MemTab.Person
MemTab.Person.FirstName
Content.Post
Content.Post.Title

' Top Query fields (local variables)
[New] counter       =   0
[New] htmlOutput    =   ""
[New] recordCount       [WQRecCount]

' Top Query Fields holding DB field values
[New] Email         |   MemTab.Person.Email
[New] Status        |   Finance.Order.Status

' Method calls
Person.create           pFirstName, pLastName, pEmail
Order.calculateTotal    orderId
Invoice.send            invoiceId
util.validName          "Me.Output", "FirstName", "LastName"

' Query references
WorkQuery               "Person.getActive.Output"
AppendQuery             "Output", "Order.getRecent.Output"

' Constants
Const    cMaxRetries    = 3
Const    cPageSize      = 50