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ACF Library

FormatElectronicComponentValue

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Description: Sortable electronic component value conversion

FileMaker Prototype: 

Set Variable [$res; ACFU_FormatElectronicComponentValue( string_s)]

Category: UTILITY

Function source:

function FormatElectronicComponentValue ( string s )
    functionID 3540; 
    double n;
    double factor; 
    array string r; 
    s = substitute ( s, "µ", "u"); // µ Doesn't work in the regex
    string regex = "^([0-9,.]+)([RpnumkKM])?(\d*)([FfHhΩom])?";
    string ns, nf, nd, nu, f;
    if (regex_match ( regex, s) ) then
        r = regex_extract ( regex, s);
        ns = getvalue(r[1],2); // Start number
        nf = getvalue(r[1],3); // Factor letter
        nd = getvalue(r[1],4); // any decimals
        nu = getvalue(r[1],5); // any unit
        print r[1];
     
        // get the numeric factor based on the nf(factor) and nu(unit)
        case
        : (nf == "R" ) 
            factor = 1;
        : (nf == "p" ) 
            factor = 10^-12; 
        : (nf == "n" ) 
            factor = 10^-9; 
        : (nf == "u" || nf == "µ") 
            factor = 10^-6;
        : (nf == "m" && nu=="H") 
            factor = 10^-3; 
        : (nf == "m" || nf=="M" ) 
            factor = 10^6; 
        : (nf == "k" || nf == "K" ) 
            factor = 1000; 
        default
            factor = 1; 
        end case
        ns = ns + "." + nd; // put together number and decimals
        n = double ( ns ) * factor;     
    else
        n = double ( s ); 
    end if 
     
    return format ( "%30.15f", round(n,14));
end

The FormatElectronicComponentValue function converts typical electronic component value markings into a sortable string.

This function can be particularly useful in applications that include a bill of materials (BOM) for electronic devices, where sorting component values like resistors, capacitors, and inductors by their markings is necessary.

Markings for these components follow specific conventions:

  • Resistors marked as "4K7" represent 4700 ohms and may also be written as "4.7K ohms."
  • Capacitors marked as "4.7 uF" can also appear as "4u7," meaning 4.7 × 10⁻⁶ or 0.0000047 F.
  • Capacitors marked as "100pF" represent 100 × 10⁻¹² or 0.0000000001 F.

Sorting such component values in a logical order becomes possible with this formatting function. It outputs a 30-character fixed-width string with 15 decimal places, accommodating both very large and very small values.

To use this function, assign its result to a sorting field in your layout, such as in a calculated field. This allows you to sort based on this field for a more logical order.

Examples

Set Variable [BOM::CompSort; ACFU_FormatElectronicComponentValue("4K7")]
=> "          4700.000000000000000"
Set Variable [BOM::CompSort; ACFU_FormatElectronicComponentValue("100nF")]
=> "             0.000000100000000"
Set Variable [BOM::CompSort; ACFU_FormatElectronicComponentValue("200M")]
=> "     200000000.000000000000000"
Set Variable [BOM::CompSort; ACFU_FormatElectronicComponentValue("12pF")]
=> "             0.000000000012000"
Set Variable [BOM::CompSort; ACFU_FormatElectronicComponentValue("4700uF")]
=> "             0.004700000000000"
Set Variable [BOM::CompSort; ACFU_FormatElectronicComponentValue("100µH")]
=> "             0.000100000000000"

How it Works

A regular expression groups the input into four parts:

  • ns: the initial number
  • nf: the factor letter
  • nd: any decimals
  • nu: the unit (to determine if its inductor or capacitor)

An case-end case structure assigns a multiplication factor based on these components.

Finally, the function converts the value to a fixed-format string, with 30 characters, 15 decimals, and right-justified space padding.

Use Case

You can read more about it in the Dynamic Portal Sorting demo ( Also available for download in the download area ):

Dynamic Portal Sorting made easy

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