Row number detection

[David_Clegg]

I cannot find a way to detect the row number in a table. I understand I can have a Row ID, but I would like to be able to detect the actual row number in a table.
In my specific case, I am trying to recreate the age old Excel odd/even row styling, but I am sure there are many other uses for detecting the row number.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Jean_Pierre_Traets]

Dear @David_Clegg

This post might help you forward

Visual Position of the row in table

Hi, here’s a tip to calculate visual position of the row in table -(if rowid, rank does not work for your case AND if you dont have ‘SORT’ applied) as you can see in image, visual position always updates based on position of the record. [VisualPosition] Formula here is Schedule.FormulaMap(if(CurrentValue = thisRow, 1, 0)).Find(1, 0) - it enumerates through each record in table, assigns 1 for the thisRow and then tries to find position of 1 in list. EDIT: - some of my colleagues pointed…

When searching for RowId in the community, you will find many more posts that might of your interest.

Kind regards,
//JP

[Johg_Ananda]

To find the visual position of the row:

thisTable.Find(thisRow)

[Fran_Vidicek]

I am new to coding and formulas…

What’s a difference between:
thisTable.find(thisRow)
and
find(thisRow,thisTable)

How does a computer approach each formula?

Also, I don’t understand how is an output a row number, and not row title or whatever other column is set as display column. In other words: How does it know to look for exactly that value and not some other value inside thisRow. Is it set as default?

[Jean_Pierre_Traets]

Dear @Fran_Vidicek

The display column in a table, is where the core (unique) information is stored, others are the related attributes

In Coda is “The concept of chaining:”, the preferred way to go

For your kind reference, more details you will be able to find in the article below:

The basics of Coda formulas

[Pch]

@Fran_Vidicek

What’s a difference between:
thisTable.find(thisRow)
and
find(thisRow,thisTable)

None (AFAIK) … At least, it will give you the same result …

The chaining method used here thisTable.find(thisRow) is just another way of writing this : find(thisRow,thisTable) .

The big advantage for me of chaining is readability (especially later, when you get back to a doc you didn’t open for a while). Plus, it simply feels more logical and natural

@Fran_Vidicek

I don’t understand how is an output a row number, and not row title or whatever other column is set as display column

In this case, this is simply because that’s what Find() outputs/returns : a position as a number …

So, in other words, with this formula:

thisTable.find(thisRow)

You actually get as a result the position of thisRow in the table (which different than the RowID set on Coda’s side)

@Fran_Vidicek

In other words: How does it know to look for exactly that value and not some other value inside thisRow. Is it set as default?

Well, a table is just a list of rows and each row in a table has a Reference which is always the value from your Display column. (The display column always exist in a table, it can’t be avoided… Even if you have only one field (as by default, this would be the Display column))

The Reference of a row is that specific value allowing you to access all the other values stored in the various fields of your table for that specific row …

When you use thisRow alone (as in thisTable.find(thisRow)), you get the reference of this row in a table.

Now, if you chain it with something else :

E.g.: thisRow.Name

You’re actually accessing the value stored in the field Name for this specific row (which is here a text value)

The explanations here might not cover everything about the subject though

Add-on: This video from the Great Wizard @Paul_Danyliuk might interest you (generally speaking )

Sequence of instructions in a formula (beginner)

Oh, I just remembered I had an unlisted live stream that could help you — my yet another attempt at recording my fundamentals course some 1.5 years ago: [Formula Fundamentals live] Here I’m talking about the whole anatomy of formulas.