VDAWriter Class

Properties   Methods   Events   Config Settings   Errors  

The VDAWriter class is optimized for VDA documents, providing a simple way to create VDA documents.

Syntax

ipworksedi.Vdawriter

Remarks

The class allows you to create a document from scratch. The class 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

---

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

Method List

---

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

Event List

---

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

Config Settings

---

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

FileWriteMode Property (VDAWriter Class)

Controls how the output file is opened.

Syntax

public int getFileWriteMode();


public void setFileWriteMode(int fileWriteMode);


Enumerated values:
  public final static int fwmCreate = 0;
  public final static int fwmOverwrite = 1;
  public final static int fwmAppend = 2;

Default Value

0

Remarks

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

OutputData Property (VDAWriter Class)

Contains the output data.

Syntax

public byte[] getOutputData();

Default Value

""

Remarks

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

This property is read-only.

OutputFile Property (VDAWriter Class)

Specifies the name of the EDI file to write to.

Syntax

public String getOutputFile();


public void setOutputFile(String outputFile);

Default Value

""

Remarks

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

SchemaFormat Property (VDAWriter Class)

The format of the schema file.

Syntax

public int getSchemaFormat();


public void setSchemaFormat(int schemaFormat);


Enumerated values:
  public final static int schemaAutomatic = 0;
  public final static int schemaBinary = 1;
  public final static int schemaBizTalk = 2;
  public final static int schemaSEF = 3;
  public final static int schemaBOTS = 4;
  public final static int schemaAltova = 5;
  public final static int 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:

Suffix Property (VDAWriter Class)

What to append after each segment delimiter.

Syntax

public int getSuffix();


public void setSuffix(int suffix);


Enumerated values:
  public final static int suffixNone = 0;
  public final static int suffixCR = 1;
  public final static int suffixLF = 2;
  public final static int 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.

CompileSchema Method (Vdawriter Class)

Compiles an existing XSD schema into an optimized binary representation.

Syntax

public void compileSchema(String xsdSchema, String 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 (Vdawriter Class)

Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.

Syntax

public String config(String configurationString);

Remarks

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

These settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the class, 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 (Vdawriter Class)

Closes the current functional group by writing its footer segment.

Syntax

public void 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 (Vdawriter Class)

Closes the current interchange by writing its footer segment.

Syntax

public void 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 (Vdawriter Class)

Closes the current transaction set by writing its footer segment.

Syntax

public void 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 (Vdawriter Class)

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

Syntax

public String 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 (Vdawriter Class)

Finishes the current composite data element.

Syntax

public void 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 (Vdawriter Class)

Ends writing the current segment.

Syntax

public void 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 (Vdawriter Class)

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

Syntax

public void 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 (Vdawriter Class)

Loads a schema file describing a Transaction Set.

Syntax

public void loadSchema(String fileName);

Remarks

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

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

LoadSchemaStream Method (Vdawriter Class)

Loads a schema stream describing a Transaction Set.

Syntax

public void loadSchemaStream(java.io.InputStream schemaStream);

Remarks

Parses Stream and loads it into an internal schema list. The SchemaFormat property must be set before calling this method.

The following SchemaFormat values are supported when calling this method:

• schemaBinary
• schemaBizTalk
• schemaSEF

All other schema formats are unsupported when using this method. LoadSchema may be used if an unsupported schema format is required.

RepeatElement Method (Vdawriter Class)

Adds a new repetition to the current element.

Syntax

public void 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 (Vdawriter Class)

Resets the state of the control.

Syntax

public void 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.

SetOutputStream Method (Vdawriter Class)

An output stream to write the EDI data to.

Syntax

public void setOutputStream(java.io.OutputStream outputStream);

Remarks

Call SetOutputStream with a valid output stream before calling the StartInterchangeHeader method to write an EDI interchange directly to a stream.

SkipComponent Method (Vdawriter Class)

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

Syntax

public void 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 class), said value will not be overwritten.

SkipElement Method (Vdawriter Class)

Moves to the next data element in the current segment.

Syntax

public void 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 class), said value will not be overwritten.

StartElement Method (Vdawriter Class)

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

Syntax

public void 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 (Vdawriter Class)

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

Syntax

public void 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 (Vdawriter Class)

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

Syntax

public void startInterchangeHeader(String 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 (Vdawriter Class)

Creates a new EDI data segment on the current document.

Syntax

public void startSegment(String 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 (Vdawriter Class)

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

Syntax

public void startTransactionHeader(String 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 (Vdawriter Class)

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

Syntax

public void writeComponentString(String 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 (Vdawriter Class)

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

Syntax

public void writeElementString(String 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 (Vdawriter Class)

Writes an entire transaction to the output.

Syntax

public void writeTransaction(String value);

Remarks

Use the WriteTransaction method when you have generated a complete transaction outside of the class 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 (Vdawriter Class)

Fired when information is available about errors during data delivery.

Syntax

public class DefaultVdawriterEventListener implements VdawriterEventListener {
  ...
  public void error(VdawriterErrorEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class VdawriterErrorEvent {
  public int errorCode;
  public String description;
}

Remarks

The Error event is fired in case of exceptional conditions during message processing. Normally the class throws an exception.

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 (Vdawriter Class)

Fires whenever a segment is complete.

Syntax

public class DefaultVdawriterEventListener implements VdawriterEventListener {
  ...
  public void output(VdawriterOutputEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class VdawriterOutputEvent {
  public byte[] outputData;
}

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 (Vdawriter Class)

Fires whenever a validation warning is encountered.

Syntax

public class DefaultVdawriterEventListener implements VdawriterEventListener {
  ...
  public void warning(VdawriterWarningEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class VdawriterWarningEvent {
  public int warnCode;
  public String message;
  public int segmentNumber;
  public String segmentTag;
  public String segmentErrorCode;
  public String elementErrorCode;
  public int elementPosition;
}

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 (Vdawriter Class)

The class 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 class, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.

VDAWriter Config Settings

Base Config Settings

Trappable Errors (Vdawriter Class)

VDAWriter Errors

	1000   Input/Output error
	1001   No stream or file name were specified for the component
	1002   Unexpected end of file (EOF).
	1003   Segment not found.
	1004   Segment not found in schema.
	1005   Schema not found.
	1010   Invalid Writer state.
	1011   Segment does not have the specified element or component.
	1044   Error while reading schema file.
	1099   Unexpected error.