Use two different front matter variables for one column in the table?

[ReaderGuy42]

I have a setup for keeping track of my reading progress, and one folder and a dataview table is for "Currently Reading", which includes a progress bar (see below for code block). I have two variables that are essentially the same thing, one called "TotalLength" which is for audiobooks, and one "TotalPages" for regular books. The reason I have these separately, and not something just like "Total" is that I'm also using the Tracker plugin for which I haven't been able to find a better solution to filter certain entries, depending on the medium, so I'm using this variable to output depending on if it's a book or audiobook.

However, this means that I either have two different dataview tables, one for each of these media, or one table with two columns for time and pages respectively. The reason I don't like this is a) that for any one book it will only need one of those two columns so the other will be empty, and b) since there's really only one required, I'd like to find a way to sort of combine these two columns. Is this possible somehow?

Thanks :)

# Books
```dataview
TABLE without id ("![coverimg|95](" + Cover + ")") as Cover, Author, link(file.link, Title) as Title, DateStarted as "Started on", ("![progress + " + (round((Current/TotalPages)*100)) + " %](https://progress-bar.dev/" +(round((Current/TotalPages)*100)) + "/)") AS Progress
FROM "Currently Reading"
SORT DateStarted desc

/```

# Audiobooks
```dataview
TABLE without id ("![coverimg|95](" + Cover + ")") as Cover, Author, link(file.link, Title) as Title, DateStarted as "Started on", ("![progress + " + (round((Current/TotalLength)*100)) + " %](https://progress-bar.dev/" +(round((Current/TotalLength)*100)) + "/)") AS Progress
FROM "Currently Reading"
SORT DateStarted desc

[DryIce1]

hi @ReaderGuy42, would the `choice() function work for you? if I understand your problem correctly, you could use it to do the equivalent of "if there is TotalLength, then show TotalLength, otherwise show TotalPages". If I was you I would check that up in the dataview docs and see if it works as a workaround.

[ReaderGuy42]

Awesome, thank you, this looks great. Unfortunately I can't find much on "choice" in the docs, only this:
https://blacksmithgu.github.io/obsidian-dataview/query/functions/#choicebool-left-right
And I don't understand how to implement this into my code block. Any ideas?
Thanks :)

[blacksmithgu]

Is only one field set or the other? If so, you can use default to default to the first one which is non-null: default(TotalPages, TotalLength). Alternatively, you can use choice: choice(TotalPages = null, TotalPages + " pages", TotalLength + " minutes").

[ReaderGuy42]

Is only one field set or the other? If so, you can use default to default to the first one which is non-null: default(TotalPages, TotalLength). Alternatively, you can use choice: choice(TotalPages = null, TotalPages + " pages", TotalLength + " minutes").

I'm not sure I understand this. I have one table for books with the variable TotalPages, and one for audiobooks with TotalLength. I can put them all into one table, but then there's always going to be one cell empty (for books that would be the field of TotalLength, and vice versa). So how do I put the default or choice thing into the code block copied above?

[blacksmithgu]

TABLE name, choice(Total Pages = null, TotalPages + " pages", TotalLength + " minutes") AS "Length"
FROM #books or #audiobooks

As an example... adjust column names or the FROM block as you desire.

[ReaderGuy42]

Thanks! However, there's some sort of error that I don't understand (see screenshot). It's expecting something, but even if I add a comma or anything it still doesn't work.

[DryIce1]

It may be a problem with the first part of the choice. Try correcting Total Pages to TotalPages. Le jeu. 3 févr. 2022, 09:47, ReaderGuy42 ***@***.***> a écrit :

…

Thanks! However, there's some sort of error that I don't understand (see screenshot). It's expecting something, but even if I add a comma or anything it still doesn't work. [image: image] <https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/71895400/152309511-9cef147d-d770-4175-8f3b-2cbcf904cb3b.png> — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#826 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AOF6WQDWASZDYLTJV7NM25DUZI6J5ANCNFSM5NGQ3BDQ> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: <blacksmithgu/obsidian-dataview/repo-discussions/826/comments/2102138@ github.com>

[ReaderGuy42]

Ok, yes, now it outputs the table again! But now the value for each book for Length is "null pages" for audiobooks, and "null minutes" for books. Any ideas on that? Thanks :)

[DryIce1]

```dataview TABLE name, choice(TotalPages != null, TotalPages + " pages", TotalLength + " minutes") AS "Length" FROM #books or #audiobooks ``` Le jeu. 3 févr. 2022, 13:05, ReaderGuy42 ***@***.***> a écrit :

…

Ok, yes, now it outputs the table again! But now the value for each book for Length is "null pages". Any ideas on that? Thanks :) — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#826 (reply in thread)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AOF6WQCXR57MSZ7EHJUY6LDUZJVOXANCNFSM5NGQ3BDQ> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: <blacksmithgu/obsidian-dataview/repo-discussions/826/comments/2103269@ github.com>

[ReaderGuy42]

Hey, fantastic thank you! That works :) Just one last thing, is it possible to somehow format the numbers? So I put TotalLength: 7.25h and I get out 07:15:00.000 minutes. I don't need the seconds or all the digits after the period. Is it possible to remove this?
Thanks :)

[DryIce1]

Yes it is possible using something like... dateformat(field, hh:mm) But I don't know exactly off the top of my head. Check the dataview docs and the date program that it uses Luxom I think it is called. Le jeu. 3 févr. 2022, 14:02, ReaderGuy42 ***@***.***> a écrit :

…

Hey, fantastic thank you! That works :) Just one last thing, is it possible to somehow format the numbers? So I put TotalLength: 7.25h and I get out 07:15:00.000 minutes. I don't need the seconds or all the digits after the period. Is it possible to remove this? Thanks :) — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#826 (reply in thread)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AOF6WQF4RXJLGKEYWLSZWMDUZJ4FPANCNFSM5NGQ3BDQ> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: <blacksmithgu/obsidian-dataview/repo-discussions/826/comments/2103582@ github.com>

[ReaderGuy42]

Does anyone else happen to know about this, as I can't find anything beyond dv.time and I can't get that to work. Thanks :)

[DryIce1]

Perhaps you could search the discord or forum for tips on how others have used it. Sorry I am not very good at it so can't help. Le jeu. 3 févr. 2022, 17:03, ReaderGuy42 ***@***.***> a écrit :

…

Does anyone else happen to know about this, as I can't find anything beyond dv.time and I can't get that to work. Thanks :) — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#826 (reply in thread)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AOF6WQB7DCO3VXI6KDBZKN3UZKRORANCNFSM5NGQ3BDQ> . You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: <blacksmithgu/obsidian-dataview/repo-discussions/826/comments/2104884@ github.com>