Database Server (DBS) API

How Information Is Returned

Information is passed back to the client application in arrays. By default, the arrays are:

Figure 93: Database Server (DBS) API—How Information Is Returned: Arrays

    ^TMP("DIHELP",$J)        for help
    ^TMP("DIMSG",$J)         for other user messages
    ^TMP("DIERR",$J)         for error messages

NOTE: In traditional VA FileMan Classic calls, the first two of these types of messages are written directly to the screen; the last one did not exist or consisted solely of "<BEEP>??".

In addition, there is an output variable associated with each of these arrays. DIHELP and DIMSG equal the number of nodes of text associated with their respective arrays. DIERR has the following two pieces:

    number_of_errors^number_of_nodes_of_text

If the client application wants the data returned in another array (local or global), the array's closed root should be passed as a parameter in the DBS call. The major DBS calls have a parameter to accept this root as the last parameter. Thus, if the call looks like Figure 94:

Figure 94: Database Server (DBS) API—How Information Is Returned: Passing Parameters: Input

    >D CALL^FM("other_parameters","mymsgs")

Information is returned in (Figure 95):

Figure 95: Database Server (DBS) API—How Information Is Returned: Passing Parameters: Output

    MYMSGS("DIHELP")
    MYMSGS("DIMSG")
    MYMSGS("DIERR")

Also, the values stored in the corresponding local variables are put into the top-level nodes of these arrays. When the application specifies an array for output, nothing is returned in the ^TMP arrays.

Reviewed/Updated: May 2026