datatool: separate data by class

Question

I'm trying to classify laws by level (federal, state and local) and by theme (waste, sanitary sewage) and show it on a table. I wrote the follow MWE:

\documentclass{article}

\usepackage{datatool}
\usepackage{filecontents}

\begin{filecontents}{legis.csv}
level;theme;norm;number;date;subject
federal;waste;"Federal Law";12305;8/2/2010;"Institutes the National Policy on Solid Waste."
state;waste;"State Law";11107;4/6/2005;"Provides general rules for management of solid waste."
local;waste;"Local Law";7797;7/10/2017;"Creates the Green Environment Fund and makes other arrangements."
\end{filecontents}

\begin{document}

\DTLsetseparator{;}
\DTLloaddb[keys={level,theme,norm,number,date,subject}]{legis}{legis.csv}

\begin{tabular}{@{\hspace{1cm}}l}

\multicolumn{1}{l}{\bfseries Federal law}\\

\DTLforeach*[\DTLiseq{\level}{federal}\and\DTLiseq{\theme}{waste}]{legis}
{\norm=norm,\number=number,\date=date,\subject=subject}
{%
\begin{tabular}{lll}
\norm & \number & \date
\end{tabular}\\
\begin{tabular}@{\hspace{1cm}}{p{10cm}}
\subject
\end{tabular}\\
}

\multicolumn{1}{l}{\bfseries State law}\\

\DTLforeach*[\DTLiseq{\level}{state}\and\DTLiseq{\theme}{waste}]{leg}
{\norm=norm,\number=number,\date=date,\subject=subject}
{
\begin{tabular}{lll}
\norm & \number & \date
\end{tabular}\\
\begin{tabular}@{\hspace{1cm}}{p{10cm}}
\subject
\end{tabular}\\
}
\multicolumn{1}{l}{\bfseries Local law}\\

\DTLforeach*[\DTLiseq{\level}{local}\and\DTLiseq{\theme}{waste}]{leg}
{\norm=norm,\number=number,\date=date,\subject=subject}
{
\begin{tabular}{lll}
\norm & \number & \date
\end{tabular}\\
\begin{tabular}@{\hspace{1cm}}{p{10cm}}
\subject
\end{tabular}\\
}
\end{tabular}

\end{document}

but the log file always show the error: "Undefined control sequence.}" what's wrong?

Answer 1

Here is an updated version of your database table construction:

\documentclass{article}

\usepackage{datatool}

\begin{filecontents}[overwrite]{legis.csv}
level;theme;norm;number;date;subject
federal;waste;"Federal Law";12305;8/2/2010;"Institutes the National Policy on Solid Waste."
state;waste;"State Law";11107;4/6/2005;"Provides general rules for management of solid waste."
local;waste;"Local Law";7797;7/10/2017;"Creates the Green Environment Fund and makes other arrangements."
\end{filecontents}

\begin{document}

\DTLsetseparator{;}
\DTLloaddb[keys={level,theme,norm,number,date,subject}]{legis}{legis.csv}

\begin{tabular}{ @{\hspace{1cm}} l }
  \multicolumn{1}{l}{\bfseries Federal law} \\
  \DTLforeach*[\DTLiseq{\Level}{federal}\and\DTLiseq{\Theme}{waste}]{legis}
    {\Level=level,\Theme=theme,\Norm=norm,\Number=number,\Date=date,\Subject=subject}
    {%
      \begin{tabular}{ l l l }
        \Norm & \Number & \Date
      \end{tabular} \\
      \begin{tabular}{ @{\hspace{1cm}} p{10cm} }
        \Subject
      \end{tabular} \\
    } \\[-\normalbaselineskip]
  \multicolumn{1}{l}{\bfseries State law} \\
  \DTLforeach*[\DTLiseq{\Level}{state}\and\DTLiseq{\Theme}{waste}]{legis}
    {\Level=level,\Theme=theme,\Norm=norm,\Number=number,\Date=date,\Subject=subject}
    {%
      \begin{tabular}{ l l l }
        \Norm & \Number & \Date
      \end{tabular} \\
      \begin{tabular}{ @{\hspace{1cm}} p{10cm} }
        \Subject
      \end{tabular} \\
    } \\[-\normalbaselineskip]
  \multicolumn{1}{l}{\bfseries Local law} \\
  \DTLforeach*[\DTLiseq{\Level}{local}\and\DTLiseq{\Theme}{waste}]{legis}
    {\Level=level,\Theme=theme,\Norm=norm,\Number=number,\Date=date,\Subject=subject}
    {%
      \begin{tabular}{ l l l }
        \Norm & \Number & \Date
      \end{tabular} \\
      \begin{tabular}{ @{\hspace{1cm}} p{10cm} }
        \Subject
      \end{tabular} \\
    }
\end{tabular}

\end{document}

Some things that were problematic:

• Using \number as a definition usage for the number field. Instead, use something like \Number (or otherwise), since \number is a TeX primitive. Similarly, \date is also a macro with a different use.

• Your internal (inside \DLTforeach) tabular doesn't have the correct usage:

  \begin{tabular}{<col spec>}
  

  You have

  \begin{tabular}@{\hspace{1cm}}{p{10cm}}
  

  but it should be

  \begin{tabular}{ @{\hspace{1cm}} p{10cm} }
  

• Added a closing \\ after each \DTLforeach and a vertical correction ([-\normalbaselineskip]).

• Since the conditioning within the \DTLforeach uses \Level and \Theme, define them as well.