IQL Syntax
Let’s take a look at the syntax of IQL queries and filters. We are going to start from the top, and gradually break down what each expression means until we reach the "atoms" that make up IQL.
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Queries
The entry point of an IQL query is:
Query ::= <ResultColumn> FROM <Table> WHERE <Filter> GROUP BY <Expr> ORDER BY <Expr>Each keyword is used to indicate how to interpret the next expression. The keywords WHERE, GROUP BY and ORDER BY (and their corresponding expressions) are
all optional, but must appear in the order above.
Table above is simply the of the table. It consists of either an identifier (a text string consisting of the letters A-Z and digits 0-9), or any text string
within double quotation marks ".
Similar identifiers are used in many places within IQL. They are interpreted as table names, field names, list items, rule names, or functions depending on their surrounding context.
Filters
A Filter can be used as a part of a query, or as an entrypoint itself, and is defined by the following rule:
Filter ::= <Comparison> | <Filter> AND <Filter> | <Filter> OR <Filter>A filter is a boolean expression, that is, an expression that evaluates to true or false. It is either a comparison, a conjunction (AND) or a disjunction
(OR). Each comparison must be further broken down:
Comparison ::= <Expr> <BooleanOperator> <Expr>
| <Column> <LikeOperator> <Literal>
| <Expr> IS NOT NULL
| <Expr> IN ( Query )
| <Expr> NOT IN ( Query Relation from Table where Relation IS NOT NULL)*
| <Expr> IN ( ValueList )
| <Expr> NOT IN ( ValueList )▲
| <Expr> NOT IN ( ValueList ) OR ValueList IS NULL♦Here BooleanOperator is simply one of the operators =, !=, <, >, >=, <=, while LikeOperator are the keywords LIKE, STARTSWITH, ENDSWITH,
and CONTAINS. To read more about these operators, see the reference.
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Be aware that using NOT IN, as referred above, has some important remarks: *<Expr> NOT IN ( Query Relation from Table where Relation IS NOT NULL) The part that says where Relation IS NOT NULL must be always included if NOT IN is used for a related table. Otherwise, the comparison will not work. For example, the following query will result displaying which warehouses are not storing any material items. Without the where "Warehouse assigned" is not null, the result will be null. ▲<Expr> NOT IN ( ValueList ) For example, Would result in records where "Invoice approved" drop-down is "No", but it would not show records with the drop-down blank. ♦<Expr> NOT IN ( ValueList ) OR ValueList IS NULL Would result in records where "Invoice approved" drop-down is "No" or blank. |
Filters can be grouped using parentheses.
Statements
IQL statements is a further generalization of IQL. While filters and queries are declarative, statements are procedures that may cause side effects. Statements are the entrypoint for Run IQL rules, Behavior in forms, and Run on x actions in forms.
Statements ::= <empty> | <Statement> <Statements>
Statement ::= SET <AssignOperations>
| LET <Parameter> = <Expr>
| AWAIT <Parameter> = <Expr>
| IF <Expr> THEN <Statements> END
| IF <Expr> THEN <Statements> ELSE <Statements> END
| FOR <LoopQuery> DO <Statements> END
| INSERT <Table> VALUES <AssignOperations>
| CALL <Function>
| TRIGGER <Rule>
AssignOperations ::= <AssignOperation> | <AssignOperation> , <AssignOperations>
AssignOperation ::= <Field> = <Expr> | <PseudoField> = <Expr>
TRIGGER, FOR and INSERT statements are only valid in Run IQL rules. CALL and AWAIT are only valid in Run on x configurations.
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Expressions
Expr above is a generic expression. It can be a field name path, a pseudo field, a literal value, a parameter, a function, or any mathematical expression.
Expr ::= <FieldPath>
| <Literal>
| <Expr> <MathOperator> <Expr>
| <Expr> || <Expr>
| <FunctionCall>
| ( <Query> )
FieldPath ::= <PseudoField>
| <Field>
| <Field> . <FieldPath>Here MathOperator is the arithmetic operators +, -, * and /. Double pipe || signifies text concatenation. Expressions can also be grouped using
parentheses.
'my text', @param, (Salary + 1000) / 2, recordname || '_2' and substring(Department.Name, 1, 5) are all examples of expressions.
Literals
A literal is a constant value hard-coded into the IQL. E.g., the expression Salary + 10 has one literal, the number 10.
| Literal Type | Examples |
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Text |
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Number |
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Date (or datetime) |
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Boolean (checkbox) |
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| Date literals are expressed in ISO 8601 format without a timezone designator. The time part is optional and defaults to midnight if omitted. |
Parameters
A parameter is a special type of literal which can change value during runtime. A parameter is indicated by an identifier that starts with a @.
| Parameter names are not case-sensitive, but using consistent naming usually aids readibility. |
Functions
There are a number of functions available to perform calculations or other transformations of the data. A function call is dictated by the grammar rules:
Function ::= <IDENTIFIER> ( <ArgList>? )
ArgList ::= <Expr> | <Expr> , <ArgList>In other words, today(), length(Text) and substring(Text, 1, 3) are all function calls.
| Aggregate functions are syntactically just functions, but they are only valid to be used in the "ResultColumn" part of a query. |
Reserved words
The following words have special meanings in IQL. Although written in uppercase here, they are not case-sensitive.
Keywords |
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Operators |
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Special values |
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Other |
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