Group Functions

There are two general types of Group functions: FormatGroups and GetGroups.

The FormatGroups functions, FormatGroupsOfAssets and FormatGroupsOfNetworkZone, return a human-readable list of asset-category URIs unexclusively. This means that all matching and related categories are included. These variable functions mainly format and display asset category-groups. They are best used with the contents of fieldsets, reports, and data monitor fields. Avoid using the FormatGroups functions in conditions because result order cannot be assured for multiple-item groups; instead, use the GetGroups functions for ordering and consistency.

Group Functions	Description
FormatGroupsOfAsset	Formats the presentation of one or more matching asset category or asset group. The results are unordered. More Options on the Global Variable Editor’s Parameters tab: If Anchor Point is start or base, the Offset is the number of elements to move from the anchor point when formatting the matched category URI. If Anchor Point is end, the Offset is the number of elements to move to the left. For example, if Asset1 is classified as `All Assets/Location/USA/CA/Cupertino`, the corresponding offset formats would be: USA = offset from Anchor Point by 0 CA = offset from Anchor Point by 1 Cupertino = offset from Anchor Point by 2 For MaxCount, specify the maximum number of categories to return. If the specified number is less than the number of matching categories, the returned categories are chosen at random. A Max Count of 0 means you want all categories returned.
FormatGroupsOfNetwork Zone	Formats one or more matching network zone group or asset category group. The results are unordered. See FormatGroupsOfAssets description for More Options.
GetGroupOfAsset	Returns a single Asset Category or Asset Category Group, given a Base Field and Base Group. If there is more than one matching category or group, a single URI is chosen at random. Related categories are not included. Output is optimized for correlation operations. Note: The `GetGroups` (plural `Groups`) functions return lists of asset categories, therefore their results cannot be used in `inGroup` conditions. This `GetGroup` (singular `Group`) function makes it possible to select one result at random, provided the variable is defined to produce a single result.
GetGroupOfNetworkZone	Returns a single zone category. If multiple matches occur, a single URI is chosen at random. Related categories are not included. Note: The `GetGroups` (plural `Groups`) functions return lists of zones, therefore their results cannot be used in `inGroup` conditions. This `GetGroup` (singular `Group`) function makes it possible to select one result at random, provided the variable is defined to produce a single result.
GetGroupsOfAsset	Returns a list of Asset Categories or Asset Category Groups, given a Base Field and Base Group. In rule and data monitor aggregations this should produce multiple sets. In reports, this produces a coma-separated list of asset-category names. No related categories are excluded. Output is optimized for correlation operations. This function complements the `FormatGroups` functions. It simply shows XML representations of asset categories. Use this function in conditions and in `Group By` elements of rules or reports because its output is both well-ordered and consistent.
GetGroupsOfNetworkZone	Returns a list of Network Zone Groups or Asset Category Groups, given a Base Field and Base Group. This function complements the `FormatGro`ups functions. It simply shows XML representations of group resources. Use this function in conditions and in `Group By` elements of rules or reports because its output is both well-ordered and consistent.