EDIFACTWriter Control

Properties   Methods   Events   Config Settings   Errors  

The EDIFACTWriter control is optimized for EDIFACT documents, providing a simple way to create EDIFACT documents.

Syntax

EDIFACTWriter

Remarks

The control allows you to create a document from scratch. The control allows you to create an EDI document one segment at a time. Here's how a document would normally be created:

1. Call LoadSchema to load the necessary schemas for the transactions that will be used.
2. Specify where to write the output document by setting the OutputFile property or SetOutputStream method, or set neither and check the OutputData property.
3. Create a new interchange start segment using the StartInterchangeHeader method and set its properties using WriteElementString and WriteComponentString.
4. To write a basic element value to the current location, call the WriteElementString method. For complex element values, there are two possibilities, elements which are split into components, and elements which repeat. To write these complex element values, use the StartElement and EndElement methods, with WriteComponentString and RepeatElement methods for writing the values. (Examples available below).
5. Create a new functional group using StartFunctionalGroupHeader and set its properties using WriteElementString and WriteComponentString.
6. Create a new transaction using StartTransactionHeader and set the properties for the header segment.
7. Write all the data for the transaction by creating new data segments using StartSegment and providing the path of the segment to create using the schema names of the loops and segments, like /N1Loop1/N1.
8. Once you are done with the segment, call EndSegment.
9. Once you are done with the transaction, call CreateTransactionFooter.
10. Once you are done with the functional group, call CreateFunctionalGroupFooter.
11. Once the interchange is complete, call CreateInterchangeFooter.

Example EDIFACTWriter Code:

EDIWriter1.StartInterchangeHeader("D98B"); //Complex Element, two components EDIWriter1.StartElement(); EDIWriter1.WriteComponentString("UNOB"); EDIWriter1.WriteComponentString("1"); EDIWriter1.EndElement(); //Skip a value for this element EDIWriter1.SkipElement(); //Basic element EDIWriter1.WriteElementString("7654323"); ... EDIWriter1.StartFunctionalGroupHeader(); ... EDIWriter1.StartTransactionHeader("APERAK"); //Complex Element, repeated element EDIWriter1.StartElement(); EDIWriter1.WriteComponentString("UNH1"); EDIWriter1.RepeatElement(); EDIWriter1.WriteComponentString("UNH2"); EDIWriter1.EndElement(); ... //Segment and its data EDIWriter1.StartSegment("BGM"); EDIWriter1.StartElement(); EDIWriter1.WriteComponentString("C00"); EDIWriter1.EndElement(); EDIWriter1.StartElement(); EDIWriter1.WriteComponentString("C10601"); EDIWriter1.EndElement(); EDIWriter1.EndSegment(); ... CreateTransactionFooter(); CreateFunctionalGroupFooter(); CreateInterchangeFooter();

Property List

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The following is the full list of the properties of the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Method List

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The following is the full list of the methods of the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Event List

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The following is the full list of the events fired by the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Config Settings

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The following is a list of config settings for the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

FileWriteMode Property (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Controls how the output file is opened.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.FileWriteMode[=integer]

Possible Values

fwmCreate(0), 
fwmOverwrite(1), 
fwmAppend(2)

Default Value

0

Remarks

This property controls how the component will open the output file specified in OutputFile. Possible values are:

Data Type

Integer

OutputData Property (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Contains the output data.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.OutputData

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property will be populated with the contents of the EDI data as output by the control when no OutputFile has been specified and SetOutputStream has not been called with a valid output stream.

To read or write binary data to the property, a Variant (Byte Array) version is provided in .OutputDataB.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

Binary String

OutputFile Property (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Specifies the name of the EDI file to write to.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.OutputFile[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

Set OutputFile before calling the StartInterchangeHeader method to write an EDI interchange to a file on disk.

Data Type

String

SchemaFormat Property (EDIFACTWriter Control)

The format of the schema file.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.SchemaFormat[=integer]

Possible Values

schemaAutomatic(0), 
schemaBinary(1), 
schemaBizTalk(2), 
schemaSEF(3), 
schemaBOTS(4), 
schemaAltova(5), 
schemaJSON(6)

Default Value

0

Remarks

Set SchemaFormat before calling the LoadSchema method to specify the loading schema format.

The following schema formats are supported:

Data Type

Integer

Suffix Property (EDIFACTWriter Control)

What to append after each segment delimiter.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.Suffix[=integer]

Possible Values

suffixNone(0), 
suffixCR(1), 
suffixLF(2), 
suffixCRLF(3)

Default Value

0

Remarks

If Suffix is different from suffixNone, trailing (suffix) characters are appended after each segment delimiter. This is useful if you want to have a carriage return/line feed after each segment to make the document more readable.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Integer

CompileSchema Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Compiles an existing XSD schema into an optimized binary representation.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.CompileSchema XsdSchema, BinSchema

Remarks

This method parses XsdSchema and generates an optimized binary representation that is saved into the path referenced by BinSchema. Binary schemas are smaller and require less resources when loading later using LoadSchema

If the schema file does not exists or cannot be parsed as an EDI schema, the component throws an exception.

Config Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.Config ConfigurationString

Remarks

Config is a generic method available in every control. It is used to set and retrieve configuration settings for the control.

These settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the control, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.

To set a configuration setting named PROPERTY, you must call Config("PROPERTY=VALUE"), where VALUE is the value of the setting expressed as a string. For boolean values, use the strings "True", "False", "0", "1", "Yes", or "No" (case does not matter).

To read (query) the value of a configuration setting, you must call Config("PROPERTY"). The value will be returned as a string.

CreateFunctionalGroupFooter Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Closes the current functional group by writing its footer segment.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.CreateFunctionalGroupFooter 

Remarks

The CreateFunctionalGroupFooter method will write any existing segments to the output stream and then generate and write the functional group closing segment (GE or UNE). If there is an open transaction set, CreateFunctionalGroupFooter will first call CreateTransactionFooter to close it. If there is no functional group open, an exception will be thrown.

CreateInterchangeFooter Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Closes the current interchange by writing its footer segment.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.CreateInterchangeFooter 

Remarks

The CreateInterchangeFooter method will write any existing segments to the output stream and then generate and write the interchange closing segment (IEA or UNZ). If there is an open transaction set, CreateInterchangeFooter will first call CreateTransactionFooter to close it. If there is an open functional group, CreateInterchangeFooter will first call CreateFunctionalGroupFooter to close it. If there is no interchange open, an exception will be thrown.

CreateTransactionFooter Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Closes the current transaction set by writing its footer segment.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.CreateTransactionFooter 

Remarks

The CreateTransactionFooter method will write any existing segments to the output stream and then generate and write the transaction set closing segment (SE or UNT). If there are no open transaction sets, an exception will be thrown.

DisplaySchemaInfo Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Returns a string showing the structure of the schema defining the document.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.DisplaySchemaInfo 

Remarks

After calling LoadSchema this may be called to obtain information about the structure of the schema defining the document. If the desired XPath is not known this helps determine the structure so that the correct XPath can be built.

Note: A valid schema must be loaded via LoadSchema.

For instance: Console.WriteLine(component.DisplaySchemaInfo()); Will output text like:

  ST[0,1]
  BIG[0,1]
  NTE[0,100]
  CUR[0,1]
  REF[0,12]
  YNQ[0,10]
  PER[0,3]
  N1Loop1[0,200]
    N1[0,1]
    N2[0,2]
    N3[0,2]
    N4[0,1]
    REF_2[0,12]
    PER_2[0,3]
    DMG[0,1]
  ITD[0,999999]
  DTM[0,10]
  FOB[0,1]
  PID[0,200]
  MEA[0,40]
  PWK[0,25]
  PKG[0,25]
  L7[0,1]
  BAL[0,999999]
  INC[0,1]
  PAM[0,999999]
  LMLoop1[0,10]
    LM[0,1]
    LQ[0,100]
  N9Loop1[0,1]
    N9[0,1]
    MSG[0,10]
  V1Loop1[0,999999]
    V1[0,1]
    R4[0,999999]
    DTM_2[0,999999]
  FA1Loop1[0,999999]
    FA1[0,1]
    FA2[0,999999]
  IT1Loop1[0,200000]
    IT1[0,1]
    CRC[0,1]
    QTY[0,5]
    CUR_2[0,1]
    IT3[0,5]
    TXI[0,10]
    CTP[0,25]
    PAM_2[0,10]
    MEA_2[0,40]
    PIDLoop1[0,1000]
      PID_2[0,1]
      MEA_3[0,10]
    PWK_2[0,25]
    PKG_2[0,25]
    PO4[0,1]
    ITD_2[0,2]
    REF_3[0,999999]
    YNQ_2[0,10]
    PER_3[0,5]
    SDQ[0,500]
    DTM_3[0,10]
    CAD[0,999999]
    L7_2[0,999999]
    SR[0,1]
    SACLoop1[0,25]
      SAC[0,1]
      TXI_2[0,10]
    SLNLoop1[0,1000]
      SLN[0,1]
      DTM_4[0,1]
      REF_4[0,999999]
      PID_3[0,1000]
      SAC_2[0,25]
      TC2[0,2]
      TXI_3[0,10]
    N1Loop2[0,200]
      N1_2[0,1]
      N2_2[0,2]
      N3_2[0,2]
      N4_2[0,1]
      REF_5[0,12]
      PER_4[0,3]
      DMG_2[0,1]
    LMLoop2[0,10]
      LM_2[0,1]
      LQ_2[0,100]
    V1Loop2[0,999999]
      V1_2[0,1]
      R4_2[0,999999]
      DTM_5[0,999999]
    FA1Loop2[0,999999]
      FA1_2[0,1]
      FA2_2[0,999999]
  TDS[0,1]
  TXI_4[0,10]
  CAD_2[0,1]
  AMT[0,999999]
  SACLoop2[0,25]
    SAC_3[0,1]
    TXI_5[0,10]
  ISSLoop1[0,999999]
    ISS[0,1]
    PID_4[0,1]
  CTT[0,1]
  SE[0,1]

EndElement Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Finishes the current composite data element.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.EndElement 

Remarks

Call EndElement once you've written all components in an element started with StartElement. You should not call this if you wrote a simple element using WriteElementString

EndSegment Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Ends writing the current segment.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.EndSegment 

Remarks

EndSegment terminates writing the current segment and flushes it to the output stream/file.

You should call EndSegment to close a segment started with StartSegment, StartInterchangeHeader, StartFunctionalGroupHeader or StartTransactionHeader.

Flush Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Forces any pending segments to be written to the output stream without closing it.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.Flush 

Remarks

The Flush method forces the component to write the last created segment to the output stream and then flush the output stream.

LoadSchema Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Loads a schema file describing a Transaction Set.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.LoadSchema FileName

Remarks

This method parses the File and loads it into an internal schema list. The control will attempt to automatically detect the SchemaFormat.

If the schema file does not exist or cannot be parsed as an EDI schema, the control fails with an error.

RepeatElement Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Adds a new repetition to the current element.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.RepeatElement 

Remarks

RepeatElement is used to write repeated data elements in supporting version of X12 or EDIFACT. To use it, first write the first repetition of the simple or composite data element and then call RepeatElement to repeat it, then write again.

Example: Repeating a simple data element: EDIWriter writer = new EDIWriter(); ... writer.StartSegment("Tag"); ... writer.WriteElementString("R1_1"); writer.RepeatElement(); writer.WriteElementString("R1_2"); writer.RepeatElement(); writer.WriteElementString("R1_3"); ... writer.EndSegment();

Example: Repeating a composite data element: EDIWriter writer = new EDIWriter(); ... writer.StartSegment("Tag"); ... writer.StartElement(); writer.WriteComponentString("C1_1"); writer.WriteComponentString("C2_1"); writer.RepeatElement(); writer.WriteComponentString("C1_2"); writer.WriteComponentString("C2_2"); writer.RepeatElement(); writer.WriteComponentString("C1_3"); writer.EndElement(); ... writer.EndSegment();

Reset Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Resets the state of the control.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.Reset 

Remarks

Resets the state of the writer. If a document has been partially written already, it will not be closed correctly and the write process will be aborted.

SkipComponent Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Moves to the next sub-element in the current composite element in the current segment.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.SkipComponent 

Remarks

SkipComponent can be used to avoid providing a value for the current sub-element in the opened composite element within the current segment.

If the sub-element already has a value (such as one provided by default by the control), said value will not be overwritten.

SkipElement Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Moves to the next data element in the current segment.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.SkipElement 

Remarks

SkipElement can be used to avoid providing a value for the current element in the current segment.

If the element already has a value (such as one provided by default by the control), said value will not be overwritten.

StartElement Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Starts a new EDI composite data element on the current segment.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.StartElement 

Remarks

When called, a new composite data element is created in the current segment. You can then call WriteComponentString one or more times to write the individual components or subelements that make up this composite.

Call EndElement once you've written all components in this element.

StartFunctionalGroupHeader Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Creates a new EDI functional group header segment on the current document.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.StartFunctionalGroupHeader 

Remarks

When called, a new functional group start (GS or UNG) segment is created and set as the current segment. You should then set the values on said segment before adding a new transaction set within the document.

StartInterchangeHeader Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Creates a new EDI Interchange header segment on the current document.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.StartInterchangeHeader Version

Remarks

When called, a new interchange start (ISA or UNB) segment is created and set as the current segment. You should then set the values on said segment before creating a functional group or a new transaction set within the document.

StartSegment Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Creates a new EDI data segment on the current document.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.StartSegment SegmentType

Remarks

When called, a new data segment is created in the current transaction and set as the current segment. You can then set the values on said segment. Creating a new data segment automatically writes the previous current segment to the output stream.

The SegmentType argument specifies the type of data segment to create, using an XPath-like syntax, based on the transaction set schema. For example, to create a new N1 segment on the first N1 loop, specify "/N1Loop1/N1".

It's important to realize that segments must be created in the same order they should appear on the target EDI document. The EDIWriter component doesn't automatically enforce ordering rules, nor does it force the document to reorder segments in loops automatically.

StartTransactionHeader Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Creates a new EDI transaction set header on the current document.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.StartTransactionHeader Code

Remarks

When called, a new transaction set start (ST or UNH) segment is created and set as the current segment. You should then set the values on said segment before adding creating transaction data segments.

The Code argument should specify the transaction code you want to create (for example, "850" or "INVOIC"). This value, together with the EDI specification and the version provided in the StartInterchangeHeader method are used to locate a matching transaction set schema on the components schema cache. You must make sure that a corresponding schema has been successfully loaded into the component by using the LoadSchema method before trying to call StartTransactionHeader.

WriteComponentString Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Sets the value of the next control within the current element in the current segment.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.WriteComponentString Value

Remarks

Use the WriteComponentString method to specify a value for an individual component within a composite data element.

To write an entire composite data element, first call the StartElement method, then do one or more calls to WriteComponentString. Finish the composite element by calling the EndElement method.

WriteElementString Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Sets a value of the next element in the current segment to a simple value.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.WriteElementString Value

Remarks

Use the WriteElementString method to specify a value for the next data element with simple content on the current segment.

To write a composite data element, even if it has a single sub-element, use the StartElement and WriteComponentString methods instead.

WriteTransaction Method (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Writes an entire transaction to the output.

Syntax

edifactwritercontrol.WriteTransaction Value

Remarks

Use the WriteTransaction method when you have generated a complete transaction outside of the control and want to include it in the document being created by this instance.

No validation is done on the contents of the Value parameter. You must ensure the transaction data is valid and matches the same conventions (delimiters, etc) being used in this document.

Error Event (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Fired when information is available about errors during data delivery.

Syntax

Sub edifactwritercontrol_Error(ErrorCode As Integer, Description As String)

Remarks

The Error event is fired in case of exceptional conditions during message processing. Normally the control fails with an error.

The ErrorCode parameter contains an error code, and the Description parameter contains a textual description of the error. For a list of valid error codes and their descriptions, please refer to the Error Codes section.

Output Event (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Fires whenever a segment is complete.

Syntax

Sub edifactwritercontrol_Output(OutputData As String)

Remarks

The Output event will fire when the writer completes a new segment and writes data to the output stream or buffer. The Data parameter contains the data bytes.

Warning Event (EDIFACTWriter Control)

Fires whenever a validation warning is encountered.

Syntax

Sub edifactwritercontrol_Warning(WarnCode As Integer, Message As String, SegmentNumber As Integer, SegmentTag As String, SegmentErrorCode As String, ElementErrorCode As String, ElementPosition As Integer)

Remarks

The Warning event will fire if a validation error is encountered when writing a new segment to the output document. The WarnCode parameter contains the type of warning encountered. Message is a textual description of the problem. SegmentNumber is the index of the segment where the problem was found.

Config Settings (EDIFACTWriter Control)

The control accepts one or more of the following configuration settings. Configuration settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the control, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.

EDIFACTWriter Config Settings

Base Config Settings

Trappable Errors (EDIFACTWriter Control)

EDIFACTWriter Errors

	21001    Input/Output error
	21002    No stream or file name were specified for the component
	21003    Unexpected end of file (EOF).
	21004    Segment not found.
	21005    Segment not found in schema.
	21006    Schema not found.
	21011    Invalid Writer state.
	21012    Segment does not have the specified element or component.
	21045    Error while reading schema file.
	21100    Unexpected error.