entitySelection.toCollection( )

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4D v19.8


entitySelection.toCollection ( {filter ;}{ options {; begin {; howMany}}} ) -> Result

Parameter	Type	Description
filter	String, Collection	Specifies which entity properties to extract
options	Longint	dk with primary key: adds the primary key dk with stamp: adds the stamp
begin	Longint	Designates the starting index
howMany	Longint	Number of entities to extract
Result	Collection	Collection of objects containing attributes and values of entity selection

Description

The entitySelection.toCollection( ) method creates and returns a collection where each element is an object containing a set of properties and values corresponding to the attribute names and values for the entity selection.

If the filter parameter is omitted or contains an empty string or "*", all the attributes are extracted. Attributes with "kind" property as "relatedEntity" are extracted with the simple form: an object with property __KEY (primary key). Attributes with "kind" property as "relatedEntities" are not extracted.

In the filter parameter, you can pass the entity attributes to extract. Two syntaxes are allowed:

a string with property paths separated with commas: "propertyPath1, propertyPath2, ...".
a collection of strings: ["propertyPath1","propertyPath2",...]

If filter is specified for attributes of the relatedEntity kind:

propertyPath = "relatedEntity" -> it is extracted with simple form
propertyPath = "relatedEntity.*" -> all the properties are extracted
propertyPath = "relatedEntity.propertyName1, relatedEntity.propertyName2, ..." -> only those properties are extracted

If filter is specified for attributes of the relatedEntities kind:

propertyPath = "relatedEntities.*" -> all the properties are extracted
propertyPath = "relatedEntities.propertyName1, relatedEntities.propertyName2, ..." -> only those properties are extracted

In the options parameter, you can pass the dk with primary key and/or dk with stamp selector(s) to add the entity's primary keys and/or stamps in extracted objects.

The begin parameter allows you to indicate the starting index of the entities to extract. You can pass any value between 0 and entity selection length-1.

The howMany parameter lets you specify the number of entities to extract, starting with the one specified in begin. Dropped entities are not returned but are taken into account according to howMany. For example, if howMany= 3 and there is 1 dropped entity, only 2 entities are extracted.

If howMany > length of the entity selection, the method returns (length - begin) objects.

An empty collection is returned if:

the entity selection is empty, or
begin is greater than the length of the entity selection.

Example 1

The following structure will be used throughout all examples of this section:

Example without filter or options parameter:

 C_COLLECTION($employeesCollection)

 C_OBJECT($employees)

 

 $employeesCollection:=New collection

 $employees:=ds.Employee.all()

 $employeesCollection:=$employees.toCollection()

Returns:

[
    {
        "ID": 416,
        "firstName": "Gregg",
        "lastName": "Wahl",
        "salary": 79100,
        "birthDate": "1963-02-01T00:00:00.000Z",
        "woman": false,
        "managerID": 412,
        "employerID": 20,
        "photo": "[object Picture]",
        "extra": null,
        "employer": {
            "__KEY": 20
        },
        "manager": {
            "__KEY": 412
        }
    },
    {
        "ID": 417,
        "firstName": "Irma",
        "lastName": "Durham",
        "salary": 47000,
        "birthDate": "1992-06-16T00:00:00.000Z",
        "woman": true,
        "managerID": 412,
        "employerID": 20,
        "photo": "[object Picture]",
        "extra": null,
        "employer": {
            "__KEY": 20
        },
        "manager": {
            "__KEY": 412
        }
    }
]

Example 2

Example with options:

 $employeesCollection:=New collection

 $employees:=ds.Employee.all()

 $employeesCollection:=$employees.toCollection("";dk with primary key+dk with stamp)

Returns:

[
    {
        "__KEY": 416,
        "__STAMP": 1,
        "ID": 416,
        "firstName": "Gregg",
        "lastName": "Wahl",
        "salary": 79100,
        "birthDate": "1963-02-01T00:00:00.000Z",
        "woman": false,
        "managerID": 412,
        "employerID": 20,
        "photo": "[object Picture]",
        "extra": null,
        "employer": {
            "__KEY": 20
        },
        "manager": {
            "__KEY": 412
        }
    },
    {
        "__KEY": 417,
        "__STAMP": 1,
        "ID": 417,
        "firstName": "Irma",
        "lastName": "Durham",
        "salary": 47000,
        "birthDate": "1992-06-16T00:00:00.000Z",
        "woman": true,
        "managerID": 412,
        "employerID": 20,
        "photo": "[object Picture]",
        "extra": null,
        "employer": {
            "__KEY": 20
        },
        "manager": {
            "__KEY": 412
        }
    }]

Example 3

Example with slicing and filtering on properties:

 $employeesCollection:=New collection

 $filter:=New collection

 $filter.push("firstName")

 $filter.push("lastName")

 

 $employees:=ds.Employee.all()

 $employeesCollection:=$employees.toCollection($filter;0;0;2)

Returns:

[
    {
        "firstName": "Gregg",
        "lastName": "Wahl"
    },
    {
        "firstName": "Irma",
        "lastName": "Durham"
    }
]

Example 4

Example with relatedEntity type with simple form:

 $employeesCollection:=New collection

 $employeesCollection:=$employees.toCollection("firstName,lastName,employer")

returns:

[
    {
        "firstName": "Gregg",
        "lastName": "Wahl",
        "employer": {
            "__KEY": 20
        }
    },
    {
        "firstName": "Irma",
        "lastName": "Durham",
        "employer": {
            "__KEY": 20
        }
    },
    {
        "firstName": "Lorena",
        "lastName": "Boothe",
        "employer": {
            "__KEY": 20
        }
    }
   ]

Example 5

Example with filter as a collection:

 $employeesCollection:=New collection

 $coll:=New collection("firstName";"lastName")

 $employeesCollection:=$employees.toCollection($coll)

Returns:

[
    {
        "firstName": "Joanna",
        "lastName": "Cabrera"
    },
    {
        "firstName": "Alexandra",
        "lastName": "Coleman"
    }
]

Example 6

Example with extraction of all properties of a relatedEntity:

 $employeesCollection:=New collection

 $coll:=New collection

 $coll.push("firstName")

 $coll.push("lastName")

 $coll.push("employer.*")

 $employeesCollection:=$employees.toCollection($coll)

Returns:

[
    {
        "firstName": "Gregg",
        "lastName": "Wahl",
        "employer": {
            "ID": 20,
            "name": "India Astral Secretary",
            "creationDate": "1984-08-25T00:00:00.000Z",
            "revenues": 12000000,
            "extra": null
        }
    },
    {
        "firstName": "Irma",
        "lastName": "Durham",
        "employer": {
            "ID": 20,
            "name": "India Astral Secretary",
            "creationDate": "1984-08-25T00:00:00.000Z",
            "revenues": 12000000,
            "extra": null
        }
    },
    {
        "firstName": "Lorena",
        "lastName": "Boothe",
        "employer": {
            "ID": 20,
            "name": "India Astral Secretary",
            "creationDate": "1984-08-25T00:00:00.000Z",
            "revenues": 12000000,
            "extra": null
        }
    }
  ]

Example 7

Example with extraction of some properties of a relatedEntity:

 $employeesCollection:=New collection

 $employeesCollection:=$employees.toCollection("firstName, lastName, employer.name")

[
    {
        "firstName": "Gregg",
        "lastName": "Wahl",
        "employer": {
            "name": "India Astral Secretary"
        }
    },
    {
        "firstName": "Irma",
        "lastName": "Durham",
        "employer": {
            "name": "India Astral Secretary"
        }
    },
    {
        "firstName": "Lorena",
        "lastName": "Boothe",
        "employer": {
            "name": "India Astral Secretary"
        }
    }]

Example 8

Example with extraction of some properties of relatedEntities:

 $employeesCollection:=New collection

 $employeesCollection:=$employees.toCollection("firstName, lastName, directReports.firstName")

Returns:

[
    {
        "firstName": "Gregg",
        "lastName": "Wahl",
        "directReports": []
    },
    {
        "firstName": "Mike",
        "lastName": "Phan",
        "directReports": [
            {
                "firstName": "Gary"
            },
            {
                "firstName": "Sadie"
            },
            {
                "firstName": "Christie"
            }
        ]
    },
    {
        "firstName": "Gary",
        "lastName": "Reichert",
        "directReports": [
            {
                "firstName": "Rex"
            },
            {
                "firstName": "Jenny"
            },
            {
                "firstName": "Lowell"
            }
        ]
    }]

Example 9

Example with extraction of all properties of relatedEntities:

 $employeesCollection:=New collection

 $employeesCollection:=$employees.toCollection("firstName, lastName, directReports.*")

[
    {
        "firstName": "Gregg",
        "lastName": "Wahl",
        "directReports": []
    },    
    {
        "firstName": "Mike",
        "lastName": "Phan",
        "directReports": [
            {
                "ID": 425,
                "firstName": "Gary",
                "lastName": "Reichert",
                "salary": 65800,
                "birthDate": "1957-12-23T00:00:00.000Z",
                "woman": false,
                "managerID": 424,
                "employerID": 21,
                "photo": "[object Picture]",
                "extra": null,
                "employer": {
                    "__KEY": 21
                },
                "manager": {
                    "__KEY": 424
                }
            },
            {
                "ID": 426,
                "firstName": "Sadie",
                "lastName": "Gallant",
                "salary": 35200,
                "birthDate": "2022-01-03T00:00:00.000Z",
                "woman": true,
                "managerID": 424,
                "employerID": 21,
                "photo": "[object Picture]",
                "extra": null,
                "employer": {
                    "__KEY": 21
                },
                "manager": {
                    "__KEY": 424
                }
            }
                   ]
    },
    {
        "firstName": "Gary",
        "lastName": "Reichert",
        "directReports": [
            {
                "ID": 428,
                "firstName": "Rex",
                "lastName": "Chance",
                "salary": 71600,
                "birthDate": "1968-08-09T00:00:00.000Z",
                "woman": false,
                "managerID": 425,
                "employerID": 21,
                "photo": "[object Picture]",
                "extra": null,
                "employer": {
                    "__KEY": 21
                },
                "manager": {
                    "__KEY": 425
                }
            },
            {
                "ID": 429,
                "firstName": "Jenny",
                "lastName": "Parks",
                "salary": 51300,
                "birthDate": "1984-05-25T00:00:00.000Z",
                "woman": true,
                "managerID": 425,
                "employerID": 21,
                "photo": "[object Picture]",
                "extra": null,
                "employer": {
                    "__KEY": 21
                },
                "manager": {
                    "__KEY": 425
                }
            }
           ]
 }
]