Criteria Language Syntax

Jan 11, 2024
20 minutes to read

The DevExpress Data Library features criteria language that you can use in various DevExpress products for building expressions. An expression is a string that, when parsed using the CriteriaOperator.Parse method to a CriteriaOperator object, evaluates a value. The table below contains constants, operators, and functions you can use in expressions.

Tip

You can use the LINQ-Like Criteria Syntax to create type-safe criteria expressions from lambda expressions.

The following DevExpress products extend and override this syntax. The table below lists the articles that explain how to use expressions in these products.

Product	Article
Reporting	Expression Constants, Operators, and Functions
Dashboard	Expression Constants, Operators, and Functions
Pivot Grid	Pivot Grid Expression Syntax
eXpressApp Framework	Function Criteria Operators
eXpress Persistent Objects	Upcasting, Free Joins, How to: Filter Persistent Objects by Type

Constants

Constant	Description	Example	XLS(x) Format Export-Friendly^[1]
String constants	Wrap string constants in apostrophes. If a string contains an apostrophe, double the apostrophe.	`[Country] == 'France'` `[Name] == 'O''Neil'`	Yes
Char constants	Wrap char constants in apostrophes and add the suffix c.	`[Code] == 'a'c`	Yes
Date-time constants	Wrap date-time constants in ‘#’.	`[OrderDate] >= #2018-03-22 13:18:51.94944#`	Yes
True	The Boolean `True` value.	`[InStock] == True`	Yes
False	The Boolean `False` value.	`[InStock] == False`	Yes
Enumeration	Specify an enumeration value using its underlying integer value.	`[Status] == 1` Note that you cannot specify an enumeration value using its qualified name. The following criteria is incorrect: `[Status] = Status.InProgress` You can register custom enumerations using static methods of the EnumProcessingHelper class and then refer to enumeration values as follows: `Status = ##Enum#MyNamespace.Status,InProgress#`	Yes
Guid	Wrap a Guid constant in curly braces. Use Guid constants in a relational operation with equality or inequality operators only.	`[OrderID] == {513724e5-17b7-4ec6-abc4-0eae12c72c1f}`	Yes
Numeric	Specify different numeric constant types in a string form using suffixes: Int32 (int) - 1 Int16 (short) - 1s Byte (byte) - 1b Double (double) - 1.0 Single (float) - 1.0f Decimal (decimal) - 1.0m	`[Price] == 25.0m`	Yes
null	Represents a null reference that does not refer to any object. To compare an operand with `null`, use the IsNull unary operator (for example, `[Region] is null`) or the IsNull logical function (for example, `IsNull([Region])`).	`Iif([Price] > 25.0m, [Price], null)`	Yes

You can build parameterized criteria using any number of positional parameters. To do this, add parameter placeholders (question mark characters) to a criteria expression to identify parameter positions and provide a list of parameter values. When building criteria, parameter placeholders are substituted with parameter values in values in the order they are listed.

CriteriaOperator.Parse("[Name] == ? and [Age] == ?", "John", 33)

The following two examples are identical, but the second one reduces chances of formatting errors.

CriteriaOperator.Parse("[OrderDate] >= #1/1/2009#")

CriteriaOperator.Parse("[OrderDate] >= ?", new DateTime(2009, 1, 1))

When parameters are not specified, a parameter placeholder is substituted with null.

CriteriaOperator.Parse("[Region] != ?")

Important

For security reasons, do not use values entered by a user in criteria expressions without additional formatting. Refer to the FormatConstantValue(Object) static method description for details.

Operators

Operator	Description	Example	XLS(x) Format Export-Friendly^[1]
`+`	Adds the value of one numeric expression to another (to concatenate string values, use the Concat function).	`[UnitPrice] + 4`	Yes
`-`	Finds the difference between two numbers.	`[Price1] - [Price2]`	Yes
`*`	Multiplies the value of two expressions.	`[Quantity] * [UnitPrice] * (1 - [BonusAmount])`	Yes
`/`	Divides the first operand by the second.	`[Quantity] / 2`	Yes
`%`	Returns the remainder (modulus) obtained by dividing one numeric expression by another.	`[Quantity] % 3`	Yes
`\|`	Performs a bitwise inclusive OR on two numeric expressions. Compares each bit of its first operand to the corresponding bit of its second operand. If either bit is 1, the corresponding resulting bit is set to 1. Otherwise, the corresponding resulting bit is set to 0.	`[Number] \| [Number]`	Yes
`&`	The bitwise AND operator. Compares each bit of its first operand to the corresponding bit of its second operand. If both bits are 1, the corresponding resulting bit is set to 1. Otherwise, the corresponding resulting bit is set to 0.	`[Number] & 10`	Yes
`^`	Performs a bitwise exclusive OR on two numeric expressions.	`[Number] ^ [Number]`	Yes
`==` `=`	Returns `true` if both operands have the same value; otherwise, it returns `false`.	`[Quantity] == 10`	Yes
!=	Returns `true` if the operands do not have the same value; otherwise, it returns `false`.	`[Country] != 'France'`	Yes
`<`	Less than operator. Used to compare expressions.	`[UnitPrice] < 20`	Yes
`<=`	Less than or equal to operator. Used to compare expressions.	`[UnitPrice] <= 20`	Yes
`>=`	Greater than or equal to operator. Used to compare expressions.	`[UnitPrice] >= 30`	Yes
`>`	Greater than operator. Used to compare expressions.	`[UnitPrice] > 30`	Yes
`In (,,,)`	Tests for the existence of a property in an object.	`[Country] In ('USA', 'UK', 'Italy')`	-
`Between (,)`	Specifies a range to test. Returns `true` if a value is greater than or equal to the first operand and less than or equal to the second operand.	`[Quantity] Between (10, 20)`	Yes
`And` `&&`	Performs a logical conjunction on two Boolean expressions.	`[InStock] And ([ExtendedPrice]> 100)` `[InStock] && ([ExtendedPrice]> 100)`	Yes
`Or` `\|\|`	Performs a logical disjunction on two Boolean expressions.	`[Country]=='USA' Or [Country]=='UK'`	Yes
`~`	Performs a bitwise negation on a numeric expression.	`~[Roles] = 251`	-
`Not` `!`	Performs a logical negation on a Boolean expression.	`Not [InStock]` `![InStock]`	Yes
`+`	Returns a numeric expression’s value (a unary operator).	`+[Value] = 10`	Yes
`-`	Returns the negative of a numeric expression’s value (a unary operator).	`-[Value] = 20`	Yes
`Is Null`	Returns `true` if an expression is a `null` reference, the one that does not refer to any object.	`[Region] is null`	Yes
`Is Not Null`	Returns `true` if an expression is not a `null` reference, the one that does not refer to any object.	`[Region] is not null`	Yes
`Like`	Returns `true` if a specific character string matches a specified pattern.	`[Name] like 'Jo%'`	No
`Not Like`	Returns `true` if a specific character string does not match a specified pattern.	`[Name] not like 'Jo%'`	No

Functions

Aggregate Functions

Function	Description	Example	XLS(x) Format Export-Friendly^[1]
`Avg(Value)`	Evaluates the average of the values in the collection.	`[Products].Avg([UnitPrice])`	-
`Count()`	Returns the number of objects in a collection.	`[Products].Count()`	-
`Exists()`	Determines whether the object exists in the collection.	`[Categories][[CategoryID] == 7].Exists()`	-
`Max(Value)`	Returns the maximum expression value in a collection.	`[Products].Max([UnitPrice])`	-
`Min(Value)`	Returns the minimum expression value in a collection.	`[Products].Min([UnitPrice])`	-
`Single()`	Returns a single object from a collection that contains no more than one object. If the collection contains more objects, use the Condition property to specify a condition. The collection must contain only one object that satisfies the condition; otherwise, the function’s behavior is undefined (the function may return an unexpected value or throw an exception). You can pass an expression as a parameter: `[Collection][Condition].Single(Expression)`. The function returns the `Expression` value evaluated on an object that meets the specified `Condition` (optional).	`[Accounts].Single() is not null` `[Collection].Single([Property1])` - returns the found object’s property value.	-
`Sum(Value)`	Returns the sum of all the expression values in the collection.	`[Products].Sum([UnitsInStock])`	-
`InRange(Value, FromValue, ToValue)`	Returns True if `Value` is more than or equal to `FromValue`, and less than `ToValue`. The `InRange(value, from, to)` filter is equivalent to the `from <= value && value < to` expression.	`InRange([ProductPrice], 10.00, 50.00)`	-
A custom aggregate function	Returns a custom expression value for a collection, according to a custom aggregate function. You can call the function directly or pass it as a parameter.	Call a Custom Aggregate Function	-

Date-time Functions

Function	Description	Example	XLS(x) Format Export-Friendly^[1]
AddDays(DateTime, DaysCount)	Returns a date-time value that is the specified number of days from the specified DateTime.	`AddDays([OrderDate], 30)`	Yes
AddHours(DateTime, HoursCount)	Returns a date-time value that is the specified number of hours from the specified DateTime.	`AddHours([StartTime], 2)`	Yes
AddMilliSeconds(DateTime, MilliSecondsCount)	Returns a date-time value that is the specified number of milliseconds from the specified DateTime.	`AddMilliSeconds(([StartTime], 5000))`	-
AddMinutes(DateTime, MinutesCount)	Returns a date-time value that is the specified number of minutes from the specified DateTime.	`AddMinutes([StartTime], 30)`	Yes
AddMonths(DateTime, MonthsCount)	Returns a date-time value that is the specified number of months from the specified DateTime.	`AddMonths([OrderDate], 1)`	Yes
AddSeconds(DateTime, SecondsCount)	Returns a date-time value that is the specified number of seconds from the specified DateTime.	`AddSeconds([StartTime], 60)`	Yes
AddTicks(DateTime, TicksCount)	Returns a date-time value that is the specified number of ticks from the specified DateTime.	`AddTicks([StartTime], 5000)`	-
AddTimeSpan(DateTime, TimeSpan)	Returns a date-time value that is from the specified DateTime for the given TimeSpan.	`AddTimeSpan([StartTime], [Duration])`	-
AddYears(DateTime, YearsCount)	Returns a date-time value that is the specified number of years from the specified DateTime.	`AddYears([EndDate], -1)`	Yes
DateDiffDay(startDate, endDate)	The differences in days between the two specified dates (time portion is not taken into account).	`DateDiffDay([StartTime], Now())`	Yes
DateDiffHour(startDate, endDate)	The difference in hours between the two specified dates (minutes are not taken into account).	`DateDiffHour([StartTime], Now())`	Yes
DateDiffMilliSecond(startDate, endDate)	Returns the number of millisecond boundaries between two non-nullable dates.	`DateDiffMilliSecond([StartTime], Now())`	-
DateDiffMinute(startDate, endDate)	Returns the number of minute boundaries between two non-nullable dates.	`DateDiffMinute([StartTime], Now())`	Yes
DateDiffMonth(startDate, endDate)	Returns the number of month boundaries between two non-nullable dates.	`DateDiffMonth([StartTime], Now())`	Yes
DateDiffSecond(startDate, endDate)	Returns the number of second boundaries between two non-nullable dates.	`DateDiffSecond([StartTime], Now())`	Yes
DateDiffTick(startDate, endDate)	Returns the number of tick boundaries between two non-nullable dates.	`DateDiffTick([StartTime], Now())`	-
DateDiffYear(startDate, endDate)	Returns the number of year boundaries between two non-nullable dates.	`DateDiffYear([StartTime], Now())`	Yes
GetDate(DateTime)	Extracts a date from the defined DateTime. The return value represents a `DateTime` object with the same date part, and the time part set to `00:00:00`.	`GetDate([OrderDateTime])`	Yes
GetDay(DateTime)	Extracts a day from the defined DateTime.	`GetDay([OrderDate])`	Yes
GetDayOfWeek(DateTime)	Extracts a day of the week from the defined DateTime.	`GetDayOfWeek([OrderDate])`	Yes
GetDayOfYear(DateTime)	Extracts a day of the year from the defined DateTime.	`GetDayOfYear([OrderDate])`	Yes
GetHour(DateTime)	Extracts an hour from the defined DateTime.	`GetHour([StartTime])`	Yes
GetMilliSecond(DateTime)	Extracts milliseconds from the defined DateTime.	`GetMilliSecond([StartTime])`	-
GetMinute(DateTime)	Extracts minutes from the defined DateTime.	`GetMinute([StartTime])`	Yes
GetMonth(DateTime)	Extracts a month from the defined DateTime.	`GetMonth([StartTime])`	Yes
GetSecond(DateTime)	Extracts seconds from the defined DateTime.	Get`Second([StartTime])`	Yes
GetTimeOfDay(DateTime)	Extracts the time of the day from the defined DateTime in ticks.	`GetTimeOfDay([StartTime])`	-
GetYear(DateTime)	Extracts a year from the defined DateTime.	`GetYear([StartTime])`	Yes
IsApril(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within April.	`IsApril([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsAugust(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within August.	`IsAugust([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsDecember(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within December.	`IsDecember([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsFebruary(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within February.	`IsFebruary([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsJanuary(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within January.	`IsJanuary([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsJuly(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within July.	`IsJuly([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsJune(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within June.	`IsJune([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsLastMonth(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within the previous month.	`IsLastMonth([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsLastYear(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within the previous year.	`IsLastYear([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsMarch(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within March.	`IsMarch([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsMay(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within May.	`IsMay([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsNextMonth(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within the next month.	`IsNextMonth([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsNextYear(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within the next year.	`IsNextYear([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsNovember(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within November.	`IsNovember([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsOctober(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within October.	`IsOctober([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsSameDay(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date/time values fall within the same day.	`IsSameDay([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsSeptember(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within September.	`IsSeptember([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsThisMonth(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within the current month.	`IsThisMonth([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsThisWeek(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within the current week.	`IsThisWeek([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsYearToDate(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within the year-to-date period. This period starts from the first day of the current year and continues to the current date (including the current date).	`IsYearToDate([OrderDate])`	Yes
IsThisYear(DateTime)	Returns True if the specified date falls within the current year.	`IsThisYear([OrderDate])`	Yes
InDateRange(Date, FromDate, ToDate)	Returns True if `Date` is more than or equal to `FromDate`, and less than the day that follows `ToDate`. The `InDateRange(dateValue, from, to)` filter is equivalent to the `GetDate(from) <= dateValue && dateValue < AddDays(GetDate(to), 1)` expression	`InDateRange([OrderDate], #2022-01-01#, #2022-12-31#)`	Yes
LocalDateTimeDayAfterTomorrow()	Returns a date-time value corresponding to the day after Tomorrow.	`AddDays(LocalDateTimeDayAfterTomorrow(), 5)`	Yes
LocalDateTimeLastMonth()	Returns the DateTime value corresponding to the first day of the previous month.	`AddMonths(LocalDateTimeLastMonth(), 5)`	Yes
LocalDateTimeLastWeek()	Returns a date-time value corresponding to the first day of the previous week.	`AddDays(LocalDateTimeLastWeek(), 5)`	Yes
LocalDateTimeLastYear()	Returns the DateTime value corresponding to the first day of the previous year.	`AddYears(LocalDateTimeLastYear(), 5)`	Yes
LocalDateTimeNextMonth()	Returns a date-time value corresponding to the first day of the next month.	`AddMonths(LocalDateTimeNextMonth(), 5)`	Yes
LocalDateTimeNextWeek()	Returns a date-time value corresponding to the first day of the following week.	`AddDays(LocalDateTimeNextWeek(), 5)`	Yes
LocalDateTimeNextYear()	Returns a date-time value corresponding to the first day of the following year.	`AddYears(LocalDateTimeNextYear(), 5)`	Yes
LocalDateTimeNow()	Returns a date-time value corresponding to the current moment in time.	`AddDays(LocalDateTimeNow(), 5)`	Yes
LocalDateTimeThisMonth()	Returns a date-time value corresponding to the first day of the current month.	`AddMonths(LocalDateTimeThisMonth(), 5)`	Yes
LocalDateTimeThisWeek()	Returns a date-time value corresponding to the first day of the current week.	`AddDays(LocalDateTimeThisWeek(), 5)`	Yes
LocalDateTimeThisYear()	Returns a date-time value corresponding to the first day of the current year.	`AddYears(LocalDateTimeThisYear(), 5)`	Yes
LocalDateTimeToday()	Returns a date-time value corresponding to Today.	`AddDays(LocalDateTimeToday(), 5)`	Yes
LocalDateTimeTomorrow()	Returns a date-time value corresponding to Tomorrow.	`AddDays(LocalDateTimeTomorrow(), 5)`	Yes
LocalDateTimeTwoMonthsAway()	Returns the DateTime value corresponding to the first day of the following month.	`AddMonths(LocalDateTimeTwoMonthAway(), 5)`	Yes
LocalDateTimeTwoWeeksAway()	Returns the DateTime value corresponding to the first day of the following week.	`AddDays(LocalDateTimeTwoWeeksAway(), 5)`	Yes
LocalDateTimeTwoYearsAway()	Returns the DateTime value corresponding to the first day of the following year.	`AddYears(LocalDateTimeTwoYearsAway(), 5)`	Yes
LocalDateTimeYearBeforeToday()	Returns the DateTime value corresponding to the day one year ago.	`AddYears(LocalDateTimeYearBeforeToday(), 5)`	Yes
LocalDateTimeYesterday()	Returns a date-time value corresponding to Yesterday.	`AddDays(LocalDateTimeYesterday(), 5)`	Yes
Now()	Returns the current system date and time.	`AddDays(Now(), 5)`	Yes
Today()	Returns the current date. Regardless of the actual time, this function returns midnight of the current date.	`AddMonths(Today(), 1)`	Yes
UtcNow()	Returns the current system date and time, expressed as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).	`AddDays(UtcNow(), 7)`	-

Logical Functions

Function	Description	Example	XLS(x) Format Export-Friendly
`Iif(Expression1, True_Value1, ..., ExpressionN, True_ValueN, False_Value)`	Returns one of several specified values depending upon the values of logical expressions. The function can take 2N+1 arguments (N – the number of specified logical expressions): Each odd argument specifies a logical expression; Each even argument specifies the value that is returned if the previous expression evaluates to true; …	`Iif(Name = 'Bob', 1, 0)` `Iif(Name = 'Bob', 1, Name = 'Dan', 2, Name = 'Sam', 3, 0)`	Yes
`IsNull(Value)`	Returns True if the specified Value is NULL.	`IsNull([OrderDate])`	Yes
`IsNull(Value1, Value2)`	Returns Value1 if it is not set to NULL; otherwise, Value2 is returned.	`IsNull([ShipDate], [RequiredDate])`	-
`IsNullOrEmpty(String)`	Returns True if the specified String object is NULL or an empty string; otherwise, False is returned.	`IsNullOrEmpty([ProductName])`	Yes

Math Functions

Function	Description	Example	XLS(x) Format Export-Friendly^[1]
Abs(Value)	Returns the given numeric expression’s absolute, positive value.	`Abs(1 - [Discount])`	Yes
Acos(Value)	Returns a number’s arccosine (the angle in radians, whose cosine is the given float expression).	`Acos([Value])`	Yes
Asin(Value)	Returns a number’s arcsine (the angle in radians, whose sine is the given float expression).	`Asin([Value])`	Yes
Atn(Value)	Returns a number’s arctangent (the angle in radians, whose tangent is the given float expression).	`Atn([Value])`	Yes
Atn2(Value1, Value2)	Returns the angle whose tangent is the quotient of two specified numbers in radians.	`Atn2([Value1], [Value2])`	Yes
BigMul(Value1, Value2)	Returns an Int64 containing the full product of two specified 32-bit numbers.	`BigMul([Amount], [Quantity])`	-
Ceiling(Value)	Returns the smallest integer that is greater than or equal to the numeric expression.	`Ceiling([Value])`	Yes
Cos(Value)	Returns the angle’s cosine, in radians.	`Cos([Value])`	Yes
Cosh(Value)	Returns the angle’s hyperbolic cosine, in radians.	`Cosh([Value])`	Yes
Exp(Value)	Returns the float expression’s exponential value.	`Exp([Value])`	Yes
Floor(Value)	Returns the largest integer less than or equal to the numeric expression.	`Floor([Value])`	Yes
Log(Value)	Returns a specified number’s natural logarithm.	`Log([Value])`	Yes
Log(Value, Base)	Returns the logarithm of a specified number in a specified Base.	`Log([Value], 2)`	Yes
Log10(Value)	Returns a specified number’s base 10 logarithm.	`Log10([Value])`	Yes
Max(Value1, Value2)	Returns the maximum value from the specified values.	`Max([Value1], [Value2])`	Yes
Min(Value1, Value2)	Returns the minimum value from the specified values.	`Min([Value1], [Value2])`	Yes
Power(Value, Power)	Returns a specified number raised to a specified power.	`Power([Value], 3)`	Yes
Rnd()	Returns a random number that is less than 1, but greater than or equal to zero.	`Rnd()*100`	Yes
Round(Value)	Rounds the given value to the nearest integer.	`Round([Value])`	Yes
Round(Value, Precision)	Rounds the given value to the nearest integer, or to a specified number of decimal places.	`Round([Value], 2)`	Yes
Sign(Value)	Returns the positive (+1), zero (0), or negative (-1) sign of the given expression.	`Sign([Value])`	Yes
Sin(Value)	Returns the sine of the angle defined in radians.	`Sin([Value])`	Yes
Sinh(Value)	Returns the hyperbolic sine of the angle defined in radians.	`Sinh([Value])`	Yes
Sqr(Value)	Returns the square root of a given number.	`Sqr([Value])`	-
Tan(Value)	Returns the tangent of the angle defined in radians.	`Tan([Value])`	Yes
Tanh(Value)	Returns the hyperbolic tangent of the angle defined in radians.	`Tanh([Value])`	Yes
ToDecimal(Value)	Converts Value to an equivalent decimal number.	`ToDecimal([Value])`	-
ToDouble(Value)	Converts Value to an equivalent 64-bit double-precision floating-point number.	`ToDouble([Value])`	-
ToFloat(Value)	Converts Value to an equivalent 32-bit single-precision floating-point number.	`ToFloat([Value])`	-
ToInt(Value)	Converts Value to an equivalent 32-bit signed integer.	`ToInt([Value])`	-
ToLong(Value)	Converts Value to an equivalent 64-bit signed integer.	`ToLong([Value])`	-

String Functions

Function	Description	Example	XLS(x) Format Export-Friendly^[1]
Ascii(String)	Returns the ASCII code value of the leftmost character in a character expression.	`Ascii('a')`	-
Char(Number)	Converts an integerASCIICode to a character.	`Char(65) + Char(51)`	Yes
CharIndex(String1, String2)	Returns the starting position of String1 within String2, beginning from the zero character position to the end of a string.	`CharIndex('e', 'devexpress')`	-
CharIndex(String1, String2, StartLocation)	Returns the starting position of String1 within String2, beginning from the StartLocation character position to the end of a string.	`CharIndex('e', 'devexpress', 2)`	-
Concat(String1, … , StringN)	Returns a string value containing the concatenation of the current string with any additional strings.	`Concat('A', ')', [ProductName])`	Yes
Contains(String1, SubString1)	Returns True if SubString1 occurs within String1; otherwise, False is returned.	`Contains([ProductName], 'dairy')`	Yes
EndsWith(String1, SubString1)	Returns True if the end of String1 matches SubString1; otherwise, False is returned.	`EndsWith([Description], 'The end.')`	Yes
Insert(String1, StartPosition, String2)	Inserts String2 into String1 at the position specified by StartPositon	`Insert([Name], 0, 'ABC-')`	-
Len(Value)	Returns an integer containing either the number of characters in a string or the nominal number of bytes required to store a variable.	`Len([Description])`	Yes
Lower(String)	Returns String in lowercase.	`Lower([ProductName])`	Yes
PadLeft(String, Length)	Left-aligns the defined string’s characters, padding its left side with white space characters up to a specified total length.	`PadLeft([Name], 30)`	-
PadLeft(String, Length, Char)	Left-aligns the defined string’s characters, padding its left side with the specified Char up to a specified total length.	`PadLeft([Name], 30, '<')`	-
PadRight(String, Length)	Right-aligns the defined string’s characters, padding its left side with empty space characters up to a specified total length.	`PadRight([Name], 30)`	-
PadRight(String, Length, Char)	Right-aligns the defined string’s characters, padding its left side with the specified Char up to a specified total length.	`PadRight([Name], 30, '>')`	-
Remove(String, StartPosition)	Deletes all the characters from this instance, beginning at a specified position.	`Remove([Name], 3)`	-
Remove(String, StartPosition, Length)	Deletes a specified number of characters from this instance, beginning at a specified position.	`Remove([Name], 0, 3)`	-
Replace(String1, SubString2, String3)	Returns a copy of String1, in which SubString2 has been replaced with String3.	`Replace([Name], 'The ', '')`	-
Reverse(String)	Reverses the order of elements within String.	`Reverse([Name])`	-
StartsWith(String1, SubString1)	Returns True if the beginning of String1 matches SubString1; otherwise, False.	`StartsWith([Title], 'The best')`	Yes
Substring(String, StartPosition, Length)	Retrieves a substring from String. The substring starts at StartPosition and has a specified Length.	`Substring([Description], 2, 3)`	-
Substring(String, StartPosition)	Retrieves a substring from String. The substring starts at StartPosition.	`Substring([Description], 2)`	-
ToStr(Value)	Returns a string representation of a specified value or property.	`ToStr([ID])`	-
Trim(String)	Removes all leading and trailing SPACE characters from String.	`Trim([ProductName])`	Yes
Upper(String)	Returns String in uppercase.	`Upper([ProductName])`	Yes

Note

You can find a complete set of available function operators in the FunctionOperatorType enumeration description.

Collection Elements Verification

Use brackets [] to check if a collection contains an element that satisfies a condition. The following expression returns true if the Accounts collection contains at least one element that satisfies the [Amount] == 100 condition:

[Accounts][[Amount] == 100]

The following expression returns false if the Accounts collection is empty:

[Accounts][]

Parent Relating Operator

Use the parent relating operator (^ character) to refer to a parent in expressions written in the context of a child. You can apply this operator successively to navigate multiple parent relationships. In the expression below, the “RegistrationDate” field refers to a Customer (Orders’ parent) and the “Date” field refers to Orders. This expression returns true if there is at least one Order that is made on the day the parent Customer is registered:

"[Orders][[^.RegistrationDate] == Date]"

Grouping Clauses with Brackets

It is important to use brackets to ensure that your expression returns the intended results.

For instance, the following expression for objects of the Customer type returns all the Customers where an Account exists with a Date of “8/25/2006” and where an account exists with an Amount of 100:

[Accounts][[Date] == #8/25/2006#] && [Accounts][[Amount] == 100]

Construct the expression as in the following example to search for all Customers that have an Account with both a Date of “8/25/2006” and an Amount of 100:

[Accounts][[Date] == #8/25/2006# && [Amount] == 100]

Operator Precedence

When an expression contains multiple operators, their precedence controls the order in which expression elements are evaluated.

Literal values
Parameters
Identifiers
OR (left-associative)
AND (left-associative)
. relationship qualifier (left-associative)
==, !=
<, >, <=, >=
-, + (left-associative)
*, /, % (left-associative)
NOT
unary -
In
Iif
Trim(), Len(), Substring(), IsNull()
[] (for set-restriction)
()

The default precedence can be changed by grouping elements with parentheses. For instance, the operators are performed in a default order in the first of the following two code samples. In the second code sample, the addition operation is performed first, because its associated elements are grouped with parentheses, and the multiplication operation is performed last.

Accounts[Amount == 2 + 48 * 2]

Accounts[Amount == (2 + 48) * 2]

Case Sensitivity

Operators are case insensitive. Although field values’ case sensitivity depends on the data source.

Note

A data source affects certain operators’ behavior. For instance, by default, the SQL Server Express 2005 is configured as case insensitive. In this case, the following expression always evaluates to true:

Lower(Name) == Upper(Name)

Field Names

You can mark a keyword-like field name with an escape character (@ sign). In the expression below, the CriteriaOperator.Parse method interprets @Or as the field named “Or”, not the logical operator OR.

@Or = 'value'

Tip

Use the FormatPropertyName(String) static method to format field names.

The following restriction applies to DevExpress Data Grid and Tree List controls (WinForms and WPF) exported to XLS(X) in Data-Aware Export Mode:

Only expressions that contain export-friendly functions are exported to XLS(X) format. Refer to the XLS(x) Format Export-Friendly column in the tables above to find out if a function can be exported to XLS(X).

Ensure that the XlsExportOptionsEx.UnboundExpressionExportMode or XlsxExportOptionsEx.UnboundExpressionExportMode setting is set to AsFormula to export expressions for unbound columns.

See the following links to learn more:

Controls

Tools

Controls and Extensions

Tools

Maintenance Mode

Controls

Tools

Controls and Extensions

Tools

Maintenance Mode

Constants

Operators

Functions

Aggregate Functions

Date-time Functions

Logical Functions

Math Functions

String Functions

Collection Elements Verification

Parent Relating Operator

Grouping Clauses with Brackets

Operator Precedence

Case Sensitivity

Field Names