How to return data without a plot

[dborger23]

I'm just getting started with ThinkScript although I have a fair amount of experience programming with general purpose languages (e.g., Python, C, etc.) I have noticed in going through the ThinkScript tutorials that most of the scripts that appear as examples display their results with the plot command. What if I'm not interested in the plot but just in the result of a calculation. What I'm thinking of here is a calculation that I want to include in a scan. Say I create MyIndicator and I want to scan for all stocks where the current value of MyIndicator is greater than 90. I don't need (or want) to plot it, just have a value returned to the scanner. How do I do that? Is there a return keyword in ThinkScript?

 

[MerryDay]

Welcome @dborger23. Thinkscript at its heart is a plotting script. Everything else we get to do is a bastardization of that.
Scans can only work on fields defined by plots. But as you said, we don't really want to plot so we have a workaround.

plot filter = reference RSI()."RSI"crosses above 20 ;
     filter.hide();

I create the field: filter that plots RSI crosses above 20 and then I hide the plot.
It is inelegant but it works.

The posters in this forum are ingenious. They come up with new and amazing ways to get a simple scripting language to do incredible things. If it can be done you will find a code snippet on this forum.

Sounds like you will be bringing a new perspective to our community. Look forward to reading your posts.