uCalc API Version: 2.1.3-preview.2 Released: 6/17/2026

Warning

uCalc API Preview Release Notice:The documentation describes the intended behavior of the API. The current preview build contains incomplete features, unoptimized performance, and is subject to breaking changes.

ValueBool()

Method

Product: 

Fast Math Parser

Class: 

Item

Retrieves the boolean value of a uCalc Item, with automatic type coercion from other data types.

Syntax

ValueBool()

Parameters

[None]

Return

bool

Returns true or false representing the item's value. Performs type coercion if the item is not a boolean.

Remarks

The ValueBool() method is the accessor for retrieving the value of a uCalc Item as a boolean. It is the getter counterpart to the ValueBool(bool) setter.

This method is typically used on variables that have been explicitly defined as boolean using DefineVariable:

var myFlag = uc.DefineVariable("myFlag As Bool = true");Console.WriteLine(myFlag.ValueBool()); // Outputs True

Automatic Type Coercion

A key feature of ValueBool() is its ability to perform type coercion at runtime. If the Item is not a boolean, uCalc will attempt to convert its value according to these rules:

  • Numeric Types (Int, Double, etc.): A value of 0 is converted to false. Any non-zero value is converted to true.
  • String Types: An empty string ("") is converted to false. Any non-empty string is converted to true.

This behavior makes it easy to write flexible conditional logic without needing to manually check and convert types.

Comparative Analysis

  • vs. Native Properties (C#/C++): In a statically-typed language, you would access a boolean property directly (e.g., myObject.IsEnabled). A uCalc Item is a generic, type-aware container. The ValueBool() method is a specialized accessor that queries the Item for its value and returns it as a specific type. This is closer to working with a Dictionary<string, object> or a variant type, where you must cast or convert the value after retrieving it. uCalc simplifies this by providing direct, type-safe accessor methods.

  • Why uCalc?: The power lies in runtime introspection. You can retrieve an Item by its string name and then dynamically query its value as a boolean, all without compile-time knowledge of the variable. This is fundamental for building dynamic scripting and configuration engines.

Examples

Checking if a uCalc object is the default with IsDefault
				
					using uCalcSoftware;

var uc = new uCalc();
var Status = uc.DefineVariable("Status As Bool");
Console.WriteLine(Status.ValueBool());

var MyuCalc = new uCalc();

Status.ValueBool(MyuCalc.IsDefault);
Console.WriteLine(uc.EvalStr("$'MyuCalc is the current default? {Status}'"));

MyuCalc.IsDefault = true;
Status.ValueBool(MyuCalc.IsDefault);

Console.WriteLine(uc.EvalStr("$'MyuCalc is the current default? {Status}'"));
				
			
False
MyuCalc is the current default? false
MyuCalc is the current default? true
				
					#include <iostream>
#include "uCalc.h"

using namespace std;
using namespace uCalcSoftware;

#define tf(IsTrue) ((IsTrue) ? "True" : "False")

int main() {
   uCalc uc;
   auto Status = uc.DefineVariable("Status As Bool");
   cout << tf(Status.ValueBool()) << endl;

   uCalc MyuCalc;

   Status.ValueBool(MyuCalc.IsDefault());
   cout << uc.EvalStr("$'MyuCalc is the current default? {Status}'") << endl;

   MyuCalc.IsDefault(true);
   Status.ValueBool(MyuCalc.IsDefault());

   cout << uc.EvalStr("$'MyuCalc is the current default? {Status}'") << endl;
}
				
			
False
MyuCalc is the current default? false
MyuCalc is the current default? true
				
					Imports System
Imports uCalcSoftware
Public Module Program
   Public Sub Main()
      Dim uc As New uCalc()
      Dim Status = uc.DefineVariable("Status As Bool")
      Console.WriteLine(Status.ValueBool())
      
      Dim MyuCalc As New uCalc()
      
      Status.ValueBool(MyuCalc.IsDefault)
      Console.WriteLine(uc.EvalStr("$'MyuCalc is the current default? {Status}'"))
      
      MyuCalc.IsDefault = true
      Status.ValueBool(MyuCalc.IsDefault)
      
      Console.WriteLine(uc.EvalStr("$'MyuCalc is the current default? {Status}'"))
   End Sub
End Module
				
			
False
MyuCalc is the current default? false
MyuCalc is the current default? true
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