Tech Tip: Methods for Alphabet Number Conversions for alphabetic numbering in documents

PRODUCT: 4D | VERSION: 17 | PLATFORM: Mac & Win

Published On: December 13, 2018

In creating documents, a very common order scheme for creating lists, outlines, table of contents as well as identifying a page is to use numbers. The following below can also be used which is the use of alphabet numbering:

Alphbetic numbering can also be useful for things like extending content of an item that contains multiple sub items in lists and table of contents such as the following:

Below are two methods that can convert a Alphabet number to a number and vice versa:

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Name: NUM_TO_ALPHABET_NUM
// Description: Method will generate a alphabet number with a given number.
// EX: 22 -> v, 45 -> ss, 68 -> ppp
//
// Parameters:
// $1 (LONGINT) - Number to conver to an alphabet number
// Output:
// $0 (TEXT) - Alphabet number in text
// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
C_LONGINT($1;$num;$i;$numMinusOne;$remainder;$quotient)
C_TEXT($0;$alphaNum;$letter)
ARRAY TEXT($alphaLetter;0)

$num:=$1

// Loading the Letters (a-z) to an Array
For ($i;97;122)
  APPEND TO ARRAY($alphaLetter;Char($i))
End for

$alphaNum:=""
$remainder:=Mod($num;26)
$quotient:=int($num/26)

Case of
  : ($quotient=0)
   $alphaNum:=$alphaLetter{$remainder}

  : ($quotient=1)
   If ($remainder=0)
    $alphaNum:=$alphaLetter{26}
   else
    $alphaNum:=$alphaLetter{$remainder}*2
   End if

  Else
   If ($remainder=0)
    For ($i;0;$quotient-1)
     $alphaNum:=$alphaNum+$alphaLetter{26}
    End for
   Else
    For ($i;0;$quotient)
     $alphaNum:=$alphaNum+$alphaLetter{$remainder}
    End for
  End if
End case

$0:=$alphaNum

Here are some examples of using the command:

C_TEXT($alphaNum1;$alphaNum2;$alphaNum3)

$alphaNum1:=NUM_TO_ALPHABET_NUM(22) // v
$alphaNum2:=NUM_TO_ALPHABET_NUM(45) // ss
$alphaNum3:=NUM_TO_ALPHABET_NUM(68) // ppp

ALPHABET_NUM_TO_NUM takes a Alphabet number in text and converts to a number:

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Name: ALPHABET_NUM_TO_NUM
// Description: Method will covert a given number to an alphabet number.
// EX: v -> 22, ss -> 45, ppp -> 68
//
// Parameters:
// $1 (LONGINT) - Number to conver to an alphabet number
// Output:
// $0 (TEXT) - Alphabet number in text
// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
C_TEXT($1;$alphaText)
C_LONGINT($0;$num;$i;$pos)
ARRAY TEXT($alphaLetter;0)

// Loading the Letters (a-z) to an Array
For ($i;97;122)
   APPEND TO ARRAY($alphaLetter;Char($i))
End for

$alphaText:=lowercase($1)
$num:=0

For ($i;1;Length($alphaText))
  $pos:=Find in array($alphaLetter;$alphaText[[$i]])
  If ($i=1)
   $num:=$num+$pos
  Else
   $num:=$num+26
  End if
End for

$0:=$num

Here are some examples of using the command:

C_LONGINT($num1;$num2;$num3)

$num1:=ALPHABET_NUM_TO_NUM("v") // 22
$num2:=ALPHABET_NUM_TO_NUM("ss") // 45
$num3:=ALPHABET_NUM_TO_NUM("ppp") // 68