Can I use the value returned from a Text Function in another Formula?

Question

I'm writing a report in Hyperion System 9 BI + Financial Reporting Studio version 9.2. I have 2 grids in my report.
Grid1 Column A is set up as a text function using the function type - <<GetCell("Grid2", 1, a, 1)>>. I would like to use the values returned from this text function in Column A (Grid 1) in a formula in Column B (Grid 1).
Is it possible to use the values returned in Column A of the text function in another formula? My report does not seem to recognize Column A as numerical values, even though the values to be returned are numerical.
If so, how do I recognize the values in Column A Grid 1 as numerical values and not text?
Thanks for any help you can offer!

Answer 1

Hi Edson,
Yes you need to use the CALC_ERROR macro function to be able to test whether the last macro function returned an error. CALC_ERROR will return an 'X' if there an error occured during the execution of the last macro function.
You can use a macro similar to the following:
IF
  CALC_ERROR( )
  = 'X'
      DO SOMETHING HERE
ENDIF
Let me explain how this works internally. The SAP system maintains a global variable g_flg_calc_error during the execution of macros in the planning book. The g_flg_calc_error variable will contain the value of f_calc_error that was set by the last macro function which executed. The ABAP coding of a planning book is something like this:
data: g_flg_calc_error type /SAPAPO/FLAG.
* SAP will pass g_flg_calc_error variable to all macro
* functions. When SAP calls a macro function, it does
* something like this.
call function '/SAPAPO/MACRO_FUNCTION_HERE'
        exporting
          plob_values      = i_s_adv_plob_values
          sdp_book         = g_c_advf_sdp_book
          sdp_view         = g_c_advf_sdp_view
        tables
          cols_index       = i_t_cols
          value_tab        = l_t_value_tab
        changing
          f_calc_error     = g_flg_calc_error
As you can see, the g_flg_calc_error variable
is passed in the "changing" part of the call. The macro  function being called can then use the f_calc_error
variable to change the value of the global
g_flg_calc_error variable. In fact, the macro function being called can also check (by looking at the f_calc_error variable) if the last macro function reported an error.  The CALC_ERROR macro function just checks the value of f_calc_error parameter (w/c in fact is the value of the g_flg_calc_error variable) and returns "true/X" if the f_calc_error was set to true by the last macro function.
Hope this helps in clearing things out