Installation

To install EncodingSortForSQL and use it in your project, you just need to follow the steps below:

1. Install the component from the OutSystems Forge.
2. Add a dependency to the module called EncodingSortForSQL_Lib.
3. Check BuildSafe_SortClause to sanitize dynamic sort orders.
4. Additionally check TextToSortAttributes if you need to parse a string to SortAttributes to be sanitizes with BuildSafe_SortClause.
5. Click on “Apply”.

Both server actions use the structure SortAttribute which should be checked automatically, otherwise check it manually.

The sever action DEPRECATED_EncodingSortForSQL is only required if you are upgrading from a former version of this component for backward compatibility, but you should consider replacing it soon.

Usage

There are two options to use the library:

As function call in an expression

If no manipulation of the sort criteria is desired, the new server actions can be used directly as a function in an expression, as was possible with EncodingSortForSQL.

BuildSafe_SortClause(
  TextToSortAttributes(Text, Default)
)

• The first parameter Text (former name: SortForAggregate) is the dynamic sort string received from the UI table control.
• The second parameter Default allows passing a fallback sort in case the first parameter is an empty string. This suppresses SQL errors due to an invalid sort clause.
• Both parameters allow using multiple columns, separated by a comma (e.g. "LastName, FirstName").

As separate elements in a flow

Alternatively, both server actions can also be used as individual elements in a flow. This allows to access the list generated with TextToSortAttributes and manipulate the sort order before using BuildSafe_SortClause to generate the sanitized text to be used in the advanced SQL. This is useful to add or remove attributes or to force a special order, for example.

Demo App

This component also comes with a demo app that lets you try out both functions and shows how to use them.