## Formula components and syntax

Formulas contain two critical parts: the components and the syntax. The components are the pieces that you add to create a formula while the syntax is the rules that you follow to organize the components.

### Formula components

Creating a formula in Seagate Crystal Reports is like creating one in any spreadsheet application. You can use any of the following components in your formula:

##### Fields

Example: {customer.CUSTOMER LAST NAME}, {customer.LAST YEAR'S SALES}

##### Numbers

Example: 1, 2, 3.1416

##### Text

Example: "Quantity", ":", "your text"

##### Operators

Example: + (add), / (divide), -x (negate)

Operators are actions you can use in your formulas.

##### Functions

Example: Round (x), Trim (x)

Functions perform calculations such as average, sum, and count. All functions available are listed with their arguments and are arranged by their use.

##### Control Structures

Example: "If" and "Select", "For" loops

##### Group field values

Example: Average (fld, condFld), Sum (fld, condFld, "condition")

Group field values summarize a group. For example, you could use group field values to find the percentage of the grand total contributed by each group.

##### Other formulas

Example: {@GrossProfit}, {@QUOTA}

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