THRU or THROUGH Keywords and .* Notation

To list consecutive set members in the same order as in their declaration, you can use the .* notation to specify the entire set, or you can use the keyword THRU (or THROUGH, its synonym) to specify a subset of consecutive items:

first is the name of some member variable or field of the record.

last is a variable or field that was declared later than first.

line is an integer expression, within brackets, to specify a record in screen array. Here 1 <= line <= size, for size the declared array size.

record variable is the name of a structured variable of the RECORD data type.

same is the name of the same record or table that qualified first.

screen array is the 4GL identifier of a screen array.

screen record is the name of a screen record, or the name, alias, or synonym of a table or view. (as the name of a default screen record).

table is the name, synonym, or alias of a database table or view.

These notational devices in 4GL statements can simplify lists of structured sets of fields of a screen record, or member variables of a program record. (The columns of a database table can be referenced by the asterisk notation, but you cannot use THRU nor THROUGH to specify a partial list of columns.)

If the ALTER TABLE statement has changed the order, the names, the data types, or the number of the columns in table since you compiled your program, then you might need to modify your program and its screen forms that reference that table before you can use these notational devices.