Interface - Text Box tool help

[clwchm]

Hello! I have a workflow/Analytics App that uses a simple Text Box interface tool. It worked last week. However, I cannot get it to work now. Suddenly stopped passing the values. Any assistance would be appreciated.

[Qiu]

@clwchm 
If your workflow remains the same, that cause might the the input file.
Is there any chance that the value you input in the Text Box tool is not presented in the input file?
Can you share part of the flow with problem, so we can take a close look?

[clwchm]

Hello Qiu! Thank you for taking the time to help with my issue. I attached a few examples of things I have tried. Option #1 worked last week when I was asking for Year. ??  The other options were my attempt at getting it to work again. I am trying to get a response from a user (Select Quarter) to append into a downstream workflow. Again, #1 worked before when I was capturing Year. 

[DataNath]

Hey @clwchm, I’m not at my laptop at the moment so can’t check your flow. However, you mention that you recently switched from asking for Year to asking for Quarter. Could it be that your data types are different? I.e. your Quarter field may be string vs Year being numeric? If so (or the other way round), you may need to just wrap [#1] in the correct function to match - either ToNumber([#1]) or ToString([#1]) depending.

[clwchm]

Hi DataNath! Thank you. Yes. They are the same data types. I made them both String. BUT I will just wrap the function in my formula like you mentioned.  Worth a shot!

[DataNath]

Ah I see! As you’ll be inputting an (I assume) numeric quarter I’m the text box then yeah I would imagine you’d need to wrap it in ToString()

[clwchm]

Hello. No. I was using Q1, Q2, etc as a String. I made everything a String. Even Year was a String when it worked. Head scratching issue suddenly.

[DataNath]

So all of the values in your ‘Quarter’ field are ‘Qx’ and string types? And you’re typing ‘Qx’ into the text box interface tool as well? Or are either of these a slightly different format/syntax?

[clwchm]

"So all of the values in your ‘Quarter’ field are ‘Qx’ and string types? And you’re typing ‘Qx’ into the text box interface tool as well? " - Yes. 

[DataNath]

Hmm, it may not be ideal but for now I can think of (perhaps a quick fix):

• Make the filter formula [Quarter] = ‘X’

• Add an ‘Action’ tool between the text box and formula

• Select the expression

• Tick ‘replace specific string’

• Reduce the text to just the X (even delete the quote marks)

This will then make sure that whatever the user enters into the text box will replace the X, I.e. if they type in Q2 when running the flow, that expression will become [Quarter] = ‘Q2’