To create a text expression

Create a text expression with the Expression Editor. Text expressions operate only on text values. They use text functions and are useful for formatting the results of text-related queries.

For example, during import you can format the Description field for a Roads feature class using a text expression. The Description field can contain the street name, a space, and a suffix. That expression would look like: Concat (Name, ' ', Suffix).

1. Open the Expression Editor. See To create an expression for more information.

2. Type a text function directly into the Expression Area or select it from the Expression Elements Menu. See About the Expression Editor for more information.

3. Type a property name directly into the Expression Area or select the property from the Expression Elements Menu.

   Note: You can also Select valid property values from a list.

4. Specify any arguments required by the function, enclosed in single quotation marks.

   Note: For text expressions, the property is within parentheses, followed by any arguments within single quotation marks.
   • For example, if you are padding the right side of a text string with two asterisks, use the expression: Rpad (NAME,2,'*')
   • If you are translating a Product Name text string from mixed case to lowercase, use the expression: Lower (PRODUCT_NAME)

5. Specify any further conditions for the expression.

   Note: To create a complex property evaluation, insert an AND or OR operator, and then insert another operator, property, and value combination.

6. Click OK to apply the expression.

Additional tips

For help with any expression element, see Creating Expressions - Reference.