The syntax of the VALIDATE function is as follows:

Record.VALIDATE (Field [, Value])

VALIDATE will fire the OnValidate trigger of Record.Field. If we have specified a Value, it is assigned to the field and the field validations are invoked.

If we don't specify a Value, then the field validations are invoked using the field value that already exists in the field. This function allows us to easily centralize our code design around the table--one of NAV's strengths.

For example, if we were to code changing Item."BaseUnitofMeasure" from one unit of measure to another, the code should make sure the change is valid. We should get an error if the new unit of measure has any quantity other than 1, because quantity equal 1 is a requirement of the Base Unit of Measurement field. Making the unit of measure change with a simple assignment statement would not catch a quantity value error.

The following are two forms of using VALIDATE that give the same end result:

Item.VALIDATE("Base Unit of Measure",'Box'),

Item."Base Unit of Measure" := 'Box';
Item.VALIDATE("Base Unit of Measure");