My intent is to scan a bar code from an external source into a Crystal Report as a parameter. The barcode has 36 digits as its value. I want to determine what the first three are so i can use that info in an if/then/else formula. I have tried using the LEFT Command to no avail.

LEFT({?barcode},3)

giving this result
{?b

Does anyone have any direction as to how to accomplish this.

{?barcode} is set up as a string.

I think the issue is that you are not actually getting a scanned value into the report parameter result. I am not sure how to connect a scanned item to an input of the param.

I realize that all of this is probably not necessary but i ended up getting the desired outcome by having variable be equal to the value of {?barcode}. Then the LEFT command worked. I use this formula without the left command when i want to display all the values assigned to a multiple value parameter.

left(

(numbervar max := count({?barcode});

numbervar k := 1;

stringvar output := "";

for k := 1 to max do

(

output := output +{?barcode}[k]+", "

);

numbervar m := len(output);

left(output,m-2))

,3)