VDATranslator Class

Properties   Methods   Events   Config Settings   Errors  

The VDATranslator class is optimized for VDA translation, providing a simple way to convert VDA documents to and from XML or JSON.

Syntax

ipworkseditranslator.Vdatranslator

Remarks

The class provides a way to convert VDA to XML or JSON and vice versa.

Getting Started

The class will convert a document from the format specified by InputFormat to the format specified by OutputFormat. In practice this allows for converting to XML or JSON from EDI and vice versa.

Before translating from EDI to XML or JSON it is recommended to load a schema using the LoadSchema method. This ensures additional information can be included in the XML or JSON document. If a schema is specified the XML or JSON will include types and descriptions as element attributes which are useful for interpreting the data.

EDI elements may optionally be renamed when creating XML. To define how an element is renamed add a renaming rule by calling AddRenamingRule.

After calling Translate the resulting output will contain the EDI, XML or JSON data as defined by OutputFormat. If the output data is XML the ExportXMLSchema method may be called to export a schema (.xsd) defining the structure of a valid XML document. XML documents which adhere to this document may be translated from XML to EDI.

Input and Output Properties

The class will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

Property List


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

InputDataThe data to translate.
InputFileThe file to translate.
InputFormatThe format of the input data.
OutputDataThe translated data.
OutputFileThe file to which the translated data will be written.
OutputFormatThe format of the output data.
OverwriteWhether to overwrite the file.
RenamingRuleThe rule defining how EDI elements are renamed when translating to XML or JSON.
RenamingRuleCountThe number of renaming rules.
RenamingRuleIndexThe index of the current renaming rule.
SchemaFormatThe format of the schema file.
SuffixWhat to append after each segment delimiter.
UseSchemaNameWhether the output XML uses element names based on name defined in the schema.

Method List


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

AddRenamingRuleThis method adds a renaming rule to define how an EDI element is renamed when translating to XML.
ConfigSets or retrieves a configuration setting.
DisplaySchemaInfoReturns a string showing the structure of the schema defining the document.
ExportXMLSchemaExports a XML schema.
GenerateAckGenerates an EDI acknowledgement.
LoadRenamingRulesLoads a set of renaming rules from file.
LoadSchemaLoads a schema file describing a Transaction Set.
LoadSchemaStreamLoads a schema stream describing a Transaction Set.
ResetResets the state of the control.
SaveRenamingRulesSaves the current renaming rule set to a file.
SetInputStreamThe stream to which the class will read the data to translate.
SetOutputStreamThe stream to which the class will write the translated data.
TranslateTranslates the specified data.

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.

EndFunctionalGroupFires whenever a control segment is read that marks the end of an interchange.
EndInterchangeFires whenever a control segment is read that marks the end of an interchange.
EndLoopFires when the end of a loop is detected in a transaction set.
EndTransactionFires whenever a control segment is read that marks the end of a transaction.
ErrorInformation about errors during data delivery.
ResolveSchemaFires whenever a new transaction set is encountered and no schema is found for it.
SegmentFires whenever a data segment in a transaction set is read.
StartFunctionalGroupFires whenever a control segment is read that marks the start of a functional group.
StartInterchangeFires whenever a control segment is read that marks the start of an interchange.
StartLoopFires when the starting of a loop is detected in a transaction set.
StartTransactionFires whenever a control segment is read that marks the start of a transaction.
WarningFires whenever a validation warning is encountered.

Config Settings


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

CloseStreamAfterTranslateIf true, the class will close the output stream after translation.
ComponentDelimiterThe delimiter character to use to separate classes.
CrossFieldValidationEnabledEnables cross-field validation rules.
EDIStandardThe document format.
ElementDelimiterThe delimiter character to use to separate data elements.
EncodingThe character encoding to be applied when reading and writing data.
IncludeEmptyElementsWhether to include empty data elements in a composite element.
IncludeFootersWhether to include footer information in the XML.
IncludeUNAWhether to include the UNA segment in the output.
JSONElementPrefixAn optional prefix for reserved names when translating to JSON.
LastIXControlNumberThe control number of the most recently parsed interchange.
LastTransactionControlNumberThe control number of the most recently parsed transaction.
ReleaseCharThe character to use to escape delimiters within values.
RenamingRulesDataThe renaming rules data.
RepetitionCharThe repetition character.
SegmentDelimiterThe delimiter character to use to separate segments.
StrictSchemaValidationSpecifies the behavior during schema validation.
UseXMLCommentsWhether the human readable description is stored as an attribute or XML comments.
BuildInfoInformation about the product's build.
GUIAvailableTells the class whether or not a message loop is available for processing events.
LicenseInfoInformation about the current license.
MaskSensitiveWhether sensitive data is masked in log messages.
UseDaemonThreadsWhether threads created by the class are daemon threads.
UseFIPSCompliantAPITells the class whether or not to use FIPS certified APIs.
UseInternalSecurityAPITells the class whether or not to use the system security libraries or an internal implementation.

InputData Property (VDATranslator Class)

The data to translate.

Syntax


public String getInputData();


public void setInputData(String inputData);

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property specifies the data to be translated. This may be set to EDI data or XML/JSON data. To specify the type of data held by the property set InputFormat.

Input and Output Properties

The class will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

This property is not available at design time.

InputFile Property (VDATranslator Class)

The file to translate.

Syntax


public String getInputFile();


public void setInputFile(String inputFile);

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property specifies the file to be processed. Set this property to the full or relative path to the file which will be processed. To specify the type of data in the input file set InputFormat.

Input and Output Properties

The class will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

This property is not available at design time.

InputFormat Property (VDATranslator Class)

The format of the input data.

Syntax


public int getInputFormat();


public void setInputFormat(int inputFormat);


Enumerated values:
  public final static int vifXML = 0;
  public final static int vifJSON = 1;
  public final static int vifVDA = 5;

Default Value

5

Remarks

This property specifies the format of the input data. The value set here, along with OutputFormat, determines how the data is converted when Translate is called.

Possible values are:

  • 0 (ifXML)
  • 1 (ifJSON)
  • 5 (ifVDA)
Before calling Translate, both InputFormat and OutputFormat must be specified. Translation from XML or JSON to EDI and vice versa are supported. If InputFormat is ifXML or ifJSON, OutputFormat must be an EDI format. Similarly, if InputFormat is an EDI format, OutputFormat must be ofXML or ofJSON.

This property is not available at design time.

OutputData Property (VDATranslator Class)

The translated data.

Syntax


public String getOutputData();


public void setOutputData(String outputData);

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property will be populated with the translated data after calling Translate if OutputFile and SetOutputStream are not set.

Input and Output Properties

The class will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

This property is not available at design time.

OutputFile Property (VDATranslator Class)

The file to which the translated data will be written.

Syntax


public String getOutputFile();


public void setOutputFile(String outputFile);

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property specifies the file to which the translated data will be written. This may be set to an absolute or relative path. This should be set before calling Translate.

Input and Output Properties

The class will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

This property is not available at design time.

OutputFormat Property (VDATranslator Class)

The format of the output data.

Syntax


public int getOutputFormat();


public void setOutputFormat(int outputFormat);


Enumerated values:
  public final static int vofXML = 0;
  public final static int vofJSON = 1;
  public final static int vofVDA = 5;

Default Value

0

Remarks

This property specifies the format of the output data. The value set here, along with InputFormat, determines how the data is converted when Translate is called.

Possible values are:

  • 0 (ofXML)
  • 1 (ofJSON)
  • 5 (ofVDA)
Before calling Translate, both InputFormat and OutputFormat must be specified. Translation from XML or JSON to EDI and vice versa are supported. If InputFormat is ifXML or ifJSON, OutputFormat must be an EDI format. Similarly, if InputFormat is an EDI format, OutputFormat must be ofXML or ofJSON.

This property is not available at design time.

Overwrite Property (VDATranslator Class)

Whether to overwrite the file.

Syntax


public boolean isOverwrite();


public void setOverwrite(boolean overwrite);

Default Value

False

Remarks

This property specifies whether the file is overwritten. If set to False (default) the class throws an exception when attempting to write to a file which already exists. If set to True the class will overwrite the existing file. This property is applicable to the following methods:

RenamingRule Property (VDATranslator Class)

The rule defining how EDI elements are renamed when translating to XML or JSON.

Syntax


public String getRenamingRule();


public void setRenamingRule(String renamingRule);

Default Value

""

Remarks

The renaming rule specified by RenamingRuleIndex. Renaming rules are optional.

The renaming rule defines how EDI elements are renamed when translating to XML or JSON. The format is:

ediname:xmlanme
For instance: "UNH1:MsgRefNumber".

Note: Renaming rules are not required when converting from XML or JSON to EDI.

This property is not available at design time.

RenamingRuleCount Property (VDATranslator Class)

The number of renaming rules.

Syntax


public int getRenamingRuleCount();


Default Value

0

Remarks

This property returns the current number of renaming rules.

This property is read-only and not available at design time.

RenamingRuleIndex Property (VDATranslator Class)

The index of the current renaming rule.

Syntax


public int getRenamingRuleIndex();


public void setRenamingRuleIndex(int renamingRuleIndex);

Default Value

-1

Remarks

This property specifies the current renaming rule. Valid values are from 0 to RenamingRuleCount - 1.

When set RenamingRule is populated with the renaming rule identified by the index.

This property is not available at design time.

SchemaFormat Property (VDATranslator 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:

0 (schemaAutomatic - default) The schema type is automatically determined based on file extension.
1 (schemaBinary) A binary schema that was previously compiled by calling CompileSchema.
2 (schemaBizTalk) BizTalk (XSD): http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa559426(v=BTS.70).aspx
3 (schemaSEF) TIBCO Standard Exchange Format (SEF): https://docs.tibco.com/products/tibco-foresight-edisim-6-18-0
5 (schemaAltova) Altova: http://www.altova.com/
6 (schemaJSON - recommended) ArcESB JSON: https://arc.cdata.com/

Suffix Property (VDATranslator 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

3

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.

UseSchemaName Property (VDATranslator Class)

Whether the output XML uses element names based on name defined in the schema.

Syntax


public boolean isUseSchemaName();


public void setUseSchemaName(boolean useSchemaName);

Default Value

False

Remarks

This setting specifies whether the XML element name written to output is taken from the Id of the element defined in the schema. It is only applicable to ArcESB JSON schemas. For instance, given an EDIFACT document with the segment:

BGM+380:::TAX INVOICE

When this setting is True the XML generated may look like:

<BGM type="Segment">
<C002 type="Composite" desc="DOCUMENT/MESSAGE NAME">
<_1001 desc="Document/message name, coded">380</_1001>
<_1131 desc="Code list qualifier"></_1131>
<_3055 desc="Code list responsible agency, coded"></_3055>
<_1000 desc="Document/message name">TAX INVOICE</_1000>
</C002>

Where the elements "_1001", "C002", etc. are taken from the Id values of the EDI elements in the schema files.

Note: In order to produce valid XML, elements that would begin with a digit are prefixed with the "_" character.

In contrast if False (default) the XML generated may look like:

<BGM type="Segment">
<BGM01 type="Composite" desc="DOCUMENT/MESSAGE NAME">
<BGM0101 desc="Document/message name, coded">380</BGM0101>
<BGM0102 desc="Code list qualifier"></BGM0102>
<BGM0103 desc="Code list responsible agency, coded"></BGM0103>
<BGM0104 desc="Document/message name">TAX INVOICE</BGM0104>
</BGM01>
The default value is False. This setting is only applicable when using ArcESB JSON schemas.

AddRenamingRule Method (Vdatranslator Class)

This method adds a renaming rule to define how an EDI element is renamed when translating to XML.

Syntax

public void addRenamingRule(String rule);

Remarks

This method adds a renaming rule. The rule defining how EDI elements are renamed when translating to XML. Renaming rules are optional.

The renaming rule defines how EDI elements are renamed when translating to XML or JSON. The format is:

ediname:xmlanme
For instance: "UNH1:MsgRefNumber".

Note: Renaming rules are not required when converting from XML or JSON to EDI.

Config Method (Vdatranslator 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.

DisplaySchemaInfo Method (Vdatranslator 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:

UNH[0,1]
  BGM[0,1]
  DTM[0,35]
  PAI[0,1]
  ALI[0,5]
  IMD[0,1]
  FTX[0,10]
  LOC[0,10]
  GIS[0,10]
  DGS[0,1]
  RFFLoop1[0,99]
    RFF[0,1]
    DTM_2[0,5]
    GIR[0,5]
    LOC_2[0,2]
    MEA[0,5]
    QTY[0,2]
    FTX_2[0,5]
    MOA[0,2]
  NADLoop1[0,99]
    NAD[0,1]
    LOC_3[0,25]
    FII[0,5]
    RFFLoop2[0,9999]
      RFF_2[0,1]
      DTM_3[0,5]
    DOCLoop1[0,5]
      DOC[0,1]
      DTM_4[0,5]
    CTALoop1[0,5]
      CTA[0,1]
      COM[0,5]
  TAXLoop1[0,5]
    TAX[0,1]
    MOA_2[0,1]
    LOC_4[0,5]
  CUXLoop1[0,5]
    CUX[0,1]
    DTM_5[0,5]
  PATLoop1[0,10]
    PAT[0,1]
    DTM_6[0,5]
    PCD[0,1]
    MOA_3[0,1]
    PAI_2[0,1]
    FII_2[0,1]
  TDTLoop1[0,10]
    TDT[0,1]
    TSR[0,1]
    LOCLoop1[0,10]
      LOC_5[0,1]
      DTM_7[0,5]
    RFFLoop3[0,9999]
      RFF_3[0,1]
      DTM_8[0,5]
  TODLoop1[0,5]
    TOD[0,1]
    LOC_6[0,2]
  PACLoop1[0,1000]
    PAC[0,1]
    MEA_2[0,5]
    EQD[0,1]
    PCILoop1[0,5]
      PCI[0,1]
      RFF_4[0,1]
      DTM_9[0,5]
      GIN[0,5]
  ALCLoop1[0,9999]
    ALC[0,1]
    ALI_2[0,5]
    FTX_3[0,1]
    RFFLoop4[0,5]
      RFF_5[0,1]
      DTM_10[0,5]
    QTYLoop1[0,1]
      QTY_2[0,1]
      RNG[0,1]
    PCDLoop1[0,1]
      PCD_2[0,1]
      RNG_2[0,1]
    MOALoop1[0,2]
      MOA_4[0,1]
      RNG_3[0,1]
      CUX_2[0,1]
      DTM_11[0,1]
    RTELoop1[0,1]
      RTE[0,1]
      RNG_4[0,1]
    TAXLoop2[0,5]
      TAX_2[0,1]
      MOA_5[0,1]
  RCSLoop1[0,100]
    RCS[0,1]
    RFF_6[0,5]
    DTM_12[0,5]
    FTX_4[0,5]
  AJTLoop1[0,1]
    AJT[0,1]
    FTX_5[0,5]
  INPLoop1[0,1]
    INP[0,1]
    FTX_6[0,5]
  LINLoop1[0,9999999]
    LIN[0,1]
    PIA[0,25]
    IMD_2[0,10]
    MEA_3[0,5]
    QTY_3[0,5]
    PCD_3[0,1]
    ALI_3[0,5]
    DTM_13[0,35]
    GIN_2[0,1000]
    GIR_2[0,1000]
    QVR[0,1]
    EQD_2[0,1]
    FTX_7[0,5]
    DGS_2[0,1]
    MOALoop2[0,10]
      MOA_6[0,1]
      CUX_3[0,1]
    PATLoop2[0,10]
      PAT_2[0,1]
      DTM_14[0,5]
      PCD_4[0,1]
      MOA_7[0,1]
    PRILoop1[0,25]
      PRI[0,1]
      CUX_4[0,1]
      APR[0,1]
      RNG_5[0,1]
      DTM_15[0,5]
    RFFLoop5[0,10]
      RFF_7[0,1]
      DTM_16[0,5]
    PACLoop2[0,10]
      PAC_2[0,1]
      MEA_4[0,10]
      EQD_3[0,1]
      PCILoop2[0,10]
        PCI_2[0,1]
        RFF_8[0,1]
        DTM_17[0,5]
        GIN_3[0,10]
    LOCLoop2[0,9999]
      LOC_7[0,1]
      QTY_4[0,100]
      DTM_18[0,5]
    TAXLoop3[0,99]
      TAX_3[0,1]
      MOA_8[0,1]
      LOC_8[0,5]
    NADLoop2[0,99]
      NAD_2[0,1]
      LOC_9[0,5]
      RFFLoop6[0,5]
        RFF_9[0,1]
        DTM_19[0,5]
      DOCLoop2[0,5]
        DOC_2[0,1]
        DTM_20[0,5]
      CTALoop2[0,5]
        CTA_2[0,1]
        COM_2[0,5]
    ALCLoop2[0,30]
      ALC_2[0,1]
      ALI_4[0,5]
      DTM_21[0,5]
      FTX_8[0,1]
      QTYLoop2[0,1]
        QTY_5[0,1]
        RNG_6[0,1]
      PCDLoop2[0,1]
        PCD_5[0,1]
        RNG_7[0,1]
      MOALoop3[0,2]
        MOA_9[0,1]
        RNG_8[0,1]
        CUX_5[0,1]
        DTM_22[0,1]
      RTELoop2[0,1]
        RTE_2[0,1]
        RNG_9[0,1]
      TAXLoop4[0,5]
        TAX_4[0,1]
        MOA_10[0,1]
    TDTLoop2[0,10]
      TDT_2[0,1]
      LOCLoop3[0,10]
        LOC_10[0,1]
        DTM_23[0,5]
    TODLoop2[0,5]
      TOD_2[0,1]
      LOC_11[0,2]
    RCSLoop2[0,100]
      RCS_2[0,1]
      RFF_10[0,5]
      DTM_24[0,5]
      FTX_9[0,5]
    GISLoop1[0,10]
      GIS_2[0,1]
      RFF_11[0,1]
      DTM_25[0,5]
      GIR_3[0,5]
      LOC_12[0,2]
      MEA_5[0,5]
      QTY_6[0,2]
      FTX_10[0,5]
      MOA_11[0,2]
  UNS[0,1]
  CNT[0,10]
  MOALoop4[0,100]
    MOA_12[0,1]
    RFFLoop7[0,1]
      RFF_12[0,1]
      DTM_26[0,5]
  TAXLoop5[0,10]
    TAX_5[0,1]
    MOA_13[0,2]
  ALCLoop3[0,15]
    ALC_3[0,1]
    ALI_5[0,1]
    MOA_14[0,2]
    FTX_11[0,1]
  UNT[0,1]

ExportXMLSchema Method (Vdatranslator Class)

Exports a XML schema.

Syntax

public void exportXMLSchema(String schemaFile);

Remarks

This method exports a XML schema describing the valid format of the XML document.

After translating a document from EDI to XML, this method may be called to export a schema (.xsd) describing the structure of a valid XML documents. XML documents which adhere to this document may be translated from XML to EDI.

This method is helpful if XML will be generated outside of the class and later converted to EDI by the class.

The SchemaFile parameter specifies the absolute or relative path to the file on disk.

GenerateAck Method (Vdatranslator Class)

Generates an EDI acknowledgement.

Syntax

public String generateAck();

Remarks

This functionality is not yet implemented and is reserved for future use.

LoadRenamingRules Method (Vdatranslator Class)

Loads a set of renaming rules from file.

Syntax

public void loadRenamingRules(String ruleFile);

Remarks

This method loads a set of renaming rules from a file on disk. The RenamingRuleCount will reflect the number of rules that were loaded. When loading a rule file all previously loaded rules will be replaced.

The RuleFile parameter specifies the absolute or relative path to the file on disk.

LoadSchema Method (Vdatranslator 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 (Vdatranslator 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.

Reset Method (Vdatranslator Class)

Resets the state of the control.

Syntax

public void reset();

Remarks

Reset resets the state of the class. All properties will be set to their default values.

SaveRenamingRules Method (Vdatranslator Class)

Saves the current renaming rule set to a file.

Syntax

public void saveRenamingRules(String ruleFile);

Remarks

This method saves the current renaming rule set specified by RenamingRule, RenamingRuleIndex, and RenamingRuleCount to a file on disk. These rules may be reloaded at a later time by calling LoadRenamingRules.

The RuleFile parameter specifies the absolute or relative path to the file on disk.

SetInputStream Method (Vdatranslator Class)

The stream to which the class will read the data to translate.

Syntax

public void setInputStream(java.io.InputStream inputStream);

Remarks

This method sets the stream from which the class will read the data to translate.

Input and Output Properties

The class will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

By default a stream will be closed after the called method returns. To leave a stream open for further processing set CloseStreamAfterTranslate to false.

SetOutputStream Method (Vdatranslator Class)

The stream to which the class will write the translated data.

Syntax

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

Remarks

This method sets the stream to which the class will write the translated data.

Input and Output Properties

The class will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:
  • SetOutputStream
  • OutputFile
  • OutputData: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

By default a stream will be closed after the called method returns. To leave a stream open for further processing set CloseStreamAfterTranslate to false.

Translate Method (Vdatranslator Class)

Translates the specified data.

Syntax

public void translate();

Remarks

This method translates the specified data.

The class will convert a document from the format specified by InputFormat to the format specified by OutputFormat. In practice this allows for converting to XML or JSON from EDI and vice versa.

Before translating from EDI to XML or JSON it is recommended to load a schema using the LoadSchema method. This ensures additional information can be included in the XML or JSON document. If a schema is specified the XML or JSON will include types and descriptions as element attributes which are useful for interpreting the data.

EDI elements may optionally be renamed when creating XML. To define how an element is renamed add a renaming rule by calling AddRenamingRule.

After calling Translate the resulting output will contain the EDI, XML or JSON data as defined by OutputFormat. If the output data is XML the ExportXMLSchema method may be called to export a schema (.xsd) defining the structure of a valid XML document. XML documents which adhere to this document may be translated from XML to EDI.

Input and Output Properties

The class will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

EndFunctionalGroup Event (Vdatranslator Class)

Fires whenever a control segment is read that marks the end of an interchange.

Syntax

public class DefaultVdatranslatorEventListener implements VdatranslatorEventListener {
  ...
  public void endFunctionalGroup(VdatranslatorEndFunctionalGroupEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class VdatranslatorEndFunctionalGroupEvent {
  public String tag;
  public String controlNumber;
  public int count;
  public String fullSegment;
}

Remarks

The EndFunctionalGroup event will fire when a control segment marking the end of a functional group is read. The Tag parameter contains the tag of the segment, such as GE. ControlNumber contains the control number associated with the segment, and links this event with the corresponding StartFunctionalGroup event. Count contains the value of the count element included in the closing segment, which identifies the number of transactions in a functional group.

EndInterchange Event (Vdatranslator Class)

Fires whenever a control segment is read that marks the end of an interchange.

Syntax

public class DefaultVdatranslatorEventListener implements VdatranslatorEventListener {
  ...
  public void endInterchange(VdatranslatorEndInterchangeEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class VdatranslatorEndInterchangeEvent {
  public String tag;
  public String controlNumber;
  public String fullSegment;
}

Remarks

The EndInterchange event will fire when a control segment marking the end of an interchange is read. The Tag parameter contains the tag of the segment, such as IEA. ControlNumber contains the control number associated with the segment, and links this event with the corresponding StartInterchange event.

EndLoop Event (Vdatranslator Class)

Fires when the end of a loop is detected in a transaction set.

Syntax

public class DefaultVdatranslatorEventListener implements VdatranslatorEventListener {
  ...
  public void endLoop(VdatranslatorEndLoopEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class VdatranslatorEndLoopEvent {
}

Remarks

The EndLoop event will fire after the last segment in a loop is read. Each EndLoop event is paired with one StartLoop event.

EndTransaction Event (Vdatranslator Class)

Fires whenever a control segment is read that marks the end of a transaction.

Syntax

public class DefaultVdatranslatorEventListener implements VdatranslatorEventListener {
  ...
  public void endTransaction(VdatranslatorEndTransactionEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class VdatranslatorEndTransactionEvent {
  public String tag;
  public String controlNumber;
  public int count;
  public String fullSegment;
}

Remarks

The EndTransaction event will fire when a control segment marking the end of a transaction is read. The Tag parameter contains the tag of the segment, such as SE. ControlNumber contains the control number associated with the segment, and links this event with the corresponding StartTransaction event. Count contains the value of the count element included in the closing segment, which identifies the number of segments in a transaction set.

Error Event (Vdatranslator Class)

Information about errors during data delivery.

Syntax

public class DefaultVdatranslatorEventListener implements VdatranslatorEventListener {
  ...
  public void error(VdatranslatorErrorEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class VdatranslatorErrorEvent {
  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.

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

ResolveSchema Event (Vdatranslator Class)

Fires whenever a new transaction set is encountered and no schema is found for it.

Syntax

public class DefaultVdatranslatorEventListener implements VdatranslatorEventListener {
  ...
  public void resolveSchema(VdatranslatorResolveSchemaEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class VdatranslatorResolveSchemaEvent {
  public String transactionCode;
  public String standardVersion;
}

Remarks

The ResolveSchema event will fire when a the class encounters the header segment of a new transaction set, but it finds no schema corresponding to it already loaded.

TransactionCode contains the code of the transaction, such as "810" or "APERAK".

StandardVersion contains the version of the transaction, such as "004010" or "D95A".

When processing this event, the caller can use LoadSchema() to load a new schema into the class that can be used to parse the transaction.

After the event fires, if the class still doesn't have a matching schema, then it will attempt schema-less parsing of the transaction set.

Segment Event (Vdatranslator Class)

Fires whenever a data segment in a transaction set is read.

Syntax

public class DefaultVdatranslatorEventListener implements VdatranslatorEventListener {
  ...
  public void segment(VdatranslatorSegmentEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class VdatranslatorSegmentEvent {
  public String tag;
  public String name;
  public String loopName;
  public String fullSegment;
}

Remarks

The Segment event will fire when a data segment is read. The Tag parameter contains the tag of the segment. Name contains the name of the segment as defined in the associated transaction set schema. LoopName contains the name of the loop or group this segment is present in (such as N1Loop1).

StartFunctionalGroup Event (Vdatranslator Class)

Fires whenever a control segment is read that marks the start of a functional group.

Syntax

public class DefaultVdatranslatorEventListener implements VdatranslatorEventListener {
  ...
  public void startFunctionalGroup(VdatranslatorStartFunctionalGroupEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class VdatranslatorStartFunctionalGroupEvent {
  public String tag;
  public String controlNumber;
  public String fullSegment;
}

Remarks

The StartFunctionalGroup event will fire when a control segment marking the start of a functional group structure is read. The Tag parameter contains the tag of the segment, such as GS. ControlNumber contains the control number associated with the segment.

StartInterchange Event (Vdatranslator Class)

Fires whenever a control segment is read that marks the start of an interchange.

Syntax

public class DefaultVdatranslatorEventListener implements VdatranslatorEventListener {
  ...
  public void startInterchange(VdatranslatorStartInterchangeEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class VdatranslatorStartInterchangeEvent {
  public String tag;
  public String controlNumber;
  public String fullSegment;
}

Remarks

The StartInterchange event will fire when a control segment marking the start of an interchange structure is read. The Tag parameter contains the tag of the segment, such as ISA. ControlNumber contains the control number associated with the segment.

StartLoop Event (Vdatranslator Class)

Fires when the starting of a loop is detected in a transaction set.

Syntax

public class DefaultVdatranslatorEventListener implements VdatranslatorEventListener {
  ...
  public void startLoop(VdatranslatorStartLoopEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class VdatranslatorStartLoopEvent {
  public String name;
}

Remarks

The StartLoop event will fire when the tag of a loop trigger segment is read. The Name parameter contains the schema-provided name of the loop, such as "N1Loop1".

StartTransaction Event (Vdatranslator Class)

Fires whenever a control segment is read that marks the start of a transaction.

Syntax

public class DefaultVdatranslatorEventListener implements VdatranslatorEventListener {
  ...
  public void startTransaction(VdatranslatorStartTransactionEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class VdatranslatorStartTransactionEvent {
  public String tag;
  public String controlNumber;
  public String code;
  public String fullSegment;
}

Remarks

The StartTransaction event will fire when a control segment marking the start of a transaction is read. The Tag parameter contains the tag of the segment, such as ST. ControlNumber contains the control number associated with the segment. Code contains the transaction code (such as 810).

Warning Event (Vdatranslator Class)

Fires whenever a validation warning is encountered.

Syntax

public class DefaultVdatranslatorEventListener implements VdatranslatorEventListener {
  ...
  public void warning(VdatranslatorWarningEvent e) {}
  ...
}

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

Remarks

The Warning event will fire during parsing of a segment of an EDI 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.

SegmentTag holds the tag name of the segment. SegmentErrorCode holds the error code that may be used in the IK304 field of a 999. ElementErrorCode holds the error code that may be used in the IK403 field of a 999. ElementPosition is the position of the element where the error occurred.

It's very important to note that segment validation happens right in the middle of the parsing process. Because of this, the Warning event will usually fire long before the validated segment becomes the current segment for the parser state. This means you cannot access the parser properties to examine the current segment in relation with the Warning event when the event fires.

Possible WarnCode values are:

0 The component is not required but is present.
1 Invalid segment count.
2 Invalid transaction count.
3 Invalid group count.
4 Invalid interchange control number.
5 Invalid group control number.
6 Invalid transaction control number.
10 A required data element is missing.
11 Invalid field length.
12 Invalid field value.
13 A required component is missing.
14 The data element is not defined but is present.
30 Required segment is missing.
31 Required loop is missing.
32 Occurrences exceeds the schema defined limit.
33 Occurrences is less than the schema defined minimum.
40 Paired rule validation failed, the pair of elements must be present.
41 At least one of element is required, see message for list of elements.
42 Exclusion validation failed, only one of the elements can be present.
43 Conditional rule validation failed.
44 List conditional rule validation failed.
45 First then none validation failed. The presence of an element requires that other specific elements must not be present.
46 Only one or none of the elements can be present.

TechnicalErrorCode holds a technical error code that helps identify structural issues with the document. For instance when parsing an X12 document this will hold values that may be used for TA1 error codes. When parsing X12 documents the following codes are applicable:

001The Interchange Control Numbers in the header ISA 13 and trailer IEA02 do not match.
014Invalid interchange date value (non-numeric characters or wrong length).
015Invalid interchange time value (non-numeric characters or wrong length).
022The ISA segment is missing elements (invalid control structure).
024Invalid interchange content (e.g., Invalid GS segment).

Config Settings (Vdatranslator 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.

VDATranslator Config Settings

CloseStreamAfterTranslate:   If true, the class will close the output stream after translation.

When set to True (default), the class will close the output stream specified by SetOutputStream after Translate returns. If set to False the output stream will remain open. The default value is True.

ComponentDelimiter:   The delimiter character to use to separate components.

When set, this changes the default delimiter to use to separate components within a data element. The default value depends on the EDI specification being used.

CrossFieldValidationEnabled:   Enables cross-field validation rules.

If true, cross-field validation rules present in the document schema will be checked. The default value is false. Note, Bots Schema Files do not support syntax rules, therefore CrossFieldValidation rules will never execute for these schemas.

EDIStandard:   The document format.

This property specifies standard that the document follows. Possible values are:

  • 1 (EDIFACT - default)
  • 3 (TRADACOMS)

ElementDelimiter:   The delimiter character to use to separate data elements.

When set, this changes the default delimiter to use to separate data elements within a segment. The default value depends on the EDI specification being used.

Encoding:   The character encoding to be applied when reading and writing data.

If the data contains non-ASCII characters this setting should be specified so characters are properly preserved. This value should be set to a valid character set such as "UTF-8" or "ISO-8859-1".

IncludeEmptyElements:   Whether to include empty data elements in a composite element.

When translating to EDIFACT or X12 this setting specifies whether empty data elements of a composite element will be included. For instance when set to True (default) a segment may look like:

PYT+8+COLLECT:::+25'
When set to False empty data elements are not include and a segment may look like:
PYT+8+COLLECT+25'
IncludeFooters:   Whether to include footer information in the XML.

This setting specifies whether footer information is included in the translated XML. For EDIFACT this includes UNT, UNE, and UNZ. For X12 this include GE, SE, and IEA. The default value is True.

IncludeUNA:   Whether to include the UNA segment in the output.

This setting controls whether the output EDIFACT document contains the UNA segment. The default value is True. This may be set to False if there is a specific reason to not include the UNA segment.

JSONElementPrefix:   An optional prefix for reserved names when translating to JSON.

This setting optionally specifies a prefix to prepend to the meta, type, desc, and value JSON elements when translating to JSON. This may be set to any ASCII character if desired. For instance:

//use the '@' character translator.Config("JSONElementPrefix=@"); Will result in JSON like:

{
	"@meta": {
		"@type": "Interchange",
		"ISA01": {
			"@desc": "Authorization Information Qualifier",
			"@value": "00"
		},

The default value is empty string and no prefix is used.

LastIXControlNumber:   The control number of the most recently parsed interchange.

This setting may be queried from within events. For instance from within the Warning event it may be desirable to know which interchange control number the warning applies to; in that case querying this setting from within Warning will return the expected value.

LastTransactionControlNumber:   The control number of the most recently parsed transaction.

This setting may be queried from within events. For instance from within the Warning event it may be desirable to know which transaction control number the warning applies to; in that case querying this setting from within Warning will return the expected value.

ReleaseChar:   The character to use to escape delimiters within values.

When set, this changes the default escape character. The default value depends on the EDI specification being used.

RenamingRulesData:   The renaming rules data.

This setting may be used to get or set renaming rules without using a file on disk. When calling SaveRenamingRules or LoadRenamingRules set the RuleFile parameter of the method to empty string to use the value in this setting instead of a file on disk. For instance: //Save Renaming Rules editranslator.SaveRenamingRules(""); string ruleData = editranslator.Config("RenamingRulesData");

//Load Renaming Rules editranslator.Config("RenamingRulesData=" + ruleData); editranslator.LoadRenamingRules("");

RepetitionChar:   The repetition character.

When set, this changes the default repetition character. The default value depends on the EDI specification being used.

SegmentDelimiter:   The delimiter character to use to separate segments.

When set, this changes the default delimiter to use to separate segments within an EDI document. The default value depends on the EDI specification being used.

StrictSchemaValidation:   Specifies the behavior during schema validation.

This setting specifies what happens when performing schema validation and a validation warning occurs. By default this value is set to 1 (Warn) and the Warning event will fire, but processing will not stop. See the WarnCode parameter list in the Warning event for details about possible validation warnings. Possible values for this setting are:

0 (Ignore) All validation warnings will be ignored. Warning will not fire with warnings.
1 (Warn - default) The Warning event will fire with all validation warnings.
2 (Error) All validation warnings are treated as errors and will cause an exception. Processing will stop immediately.
UseXMLComments:   Whether the human readable description is stored as an attribute or XML comments.

When translating to XML the human readable description of the element will be included in the output. This setting specifies whether the description is present as an attribute of the XML element, or preceding the XML element as a XML comment. For instance:

UseXMLComments is True or 1:

<!--Entity Identifier Code-->
<N101><!--Ship To-->ST</N101>

UseXMLComments is False or 0 (default):

<N101 desc="Entity Identifier Code">ST</N101>

The special value 2 tells the class to omit all comments. For instance:

UseXMLComments is 2:

<N101>ST</N101>
This setting is False (0) by default.

Base Config Settings

BuildInfo:   Information about the product's build.

When queried, this setting will return a string containing information about the product's build.

GUIAvailable:   Tells the class whether or not a message loop is available for processing events.

In a GUI-based application, long-running blocking operations may cause the application to stop responding to input until the operation returns. The class will attempt to discover whether or not the application has a message loop and, if one is discovered, it will process events in that message loop during any such blocking operation.

In some non-GUI applications, an invalid message loop may be discovered that will result in errant behavior. In these cases, setting GUIAvailable to false will ensure that the class does not attempt to process external events.

LicenseInfo:   Information about the current license.

When queried, this setting will return a string containing information about the license this instance of a class is using. It will return the following information:

  • Product: The product the license is for.
  • Product Key: The key the license was generated from.
  • License Source: Where the license was found (e.g., RuntimeLicense, License File).
  • License Type: The type of license installed (e.g., Royalty Free, Single Server).
  • Last Valid Build: The last valid build number for which the license will work.
MaskSensitive:   Whether sensitive data is masked in log messages.

In certain circumstances it may be beneficial to mask sensitive data, like passwords, in log messages. Set this to true to mask sensitive data. The default is true.

This setting only works on these classes: AS3Receiver, AS3Sender, Atom, Client(3DS), FTP, FTPServer, IMAP, OFTPClient, SSHClient, SCP, Server(3DS), Sexec, SFTP, SFTPServer, SSHServer, TCPClient, TCPServer.

UseDaemonThreads:   Whether threads created by the class are daemon threads.

If set to True (default), when the class creates a thread, the thread's Daemon property will be explicitly set to True. When set to False, the class will not set the Daemon property on the created thread. The default value is True.

UseFIPSCompliantAPI:   Tells the class whether or not to use FIPS certified APIs.

When set to true, the class will utilize the underlying operating system's certified APIs. Java editions, regardless of OS, utilize Bouncy Castle FIPS, while all the other Windows editions make use of Microsoft security libraries.

The Java edition requires installation of the FIPS certified Bouncy Castle library regardless of the target operating system. This can be downloaded from https://www.bouncycastle.org/fips-java/. Only the "Provider" library is needed. The jar file should then be installed in a JRE search path.

In the application where the component will be used the following classes must be imported:

import java.security.Security; import org.bouncycastle.jcajce.provider.BouncyCastleFipsProvider;

The Bouncy Castle provider must be added as a valid provider and must also be configured to operate in FIPS mode:

System.setProperty("org.bouncycastle.fips.approved_only","true"); Security.addProvider(new BouncyCastleFipsProvider());

When UseFIPSCompliantAPI is true, SSL enabled classes can optionally be configured to use the TLS Bouncy Castle library. When SSLProvider is set to sslpAutomatic (default) or sslpInternal an internal TLS implementation is used, but all cryptographic operations are offloaded to the BCFIPS provider in order to achieve FIPS compliant operation. If SSLProvider is set to sslpPlatform the Bouncy Castle JSSE will be used in place of the internal TLS implementation.

To enable the use of the Bouncy Castle JSSE take the following steps in addition to the steps above. Both the Bouncy Castle FIPS provider and the Bouncy Castle JSSE must be configured to use the Bouncy Castle TLS library in FIPS mode. Obtain the Bouncy Castle TLS library from https://www.bouncycastle.org/fips-java/. The jar file should then be installed in a JRE search path.

In the application where the component will be used the following classes must be imported:

import java.security.Security; import org.bouncycastle.jcajce.provider.BouncyCastleFipsProvider; //required to use BCJSSE when SSLProvider is set to sslpPlatform import org.bouncycastle.jsse.provider.BouncyCastleJsseProvider;

The Bouncy Castle provider must be added as a valid provider and must also be configured to operate in FIPS mode:

System.setProperty("org.bouncycastle.fips.approved_only","true"); Security.addProvider(new BouncyCastleFipsProvider()); //required to use BCJSSE when SSLProvider is set to sslpPlatform Security.addProvider(new BouncyCastleJsseProvider("fips:BCFIPS")); //optional - configure logging level of BCJSSE Logger.getLogger("org.bouncycastle.jsse").setLevel(java.util.logging.Level.OFF); //configure the class to use BCJSSE component.setSSLProvider(1); //platform component.config("UseFIPSCompliantAPI=true"); Note: TLS 1.3 support requires the Bouncy Castle TLS library version 1.0.14 or later.

FIPS mode can be enabled by setting the UseFIPSCompliantAPI configuration setting to true. This is a static setting which applies to all instances of all classes of the toolkit within the process. It is recommended to enable or disable this setting once before the component has been used to establish a connection. Enabling FIPS while an instance of the component is active and connected may result in unexpected behavior.

For more details please see the FIPS 140-2 Compliance article.

Note: Enabling FIPS-compliance requires a special license; please contact sales@nsoftware.com for details.

UseInternalSecurityAPI:   Tells the class whether or not to use the system security libraries or an internal implementation.

When set to false, the class will use the system security libraries by default to perform cryptographic functions where applicable.

Setting this setting to true tells the class to use the internal implementation instead of using the system security libraries.

This setting is set to false by default on all platforms.

Trappable Errors (Vdatranslator Class)

VDATranslator Errors

304   The file exists and Overwrite is set to False.
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.
1012   Invalid XPath.
1013   DOM tree unavailable (set BuildDOM and reparse).
1014   Document contains incomplete segments.
1015   Document contains an open EDI structure (interchange, functional group or transaction) with no matching footer segment.
1044   Error while reading schema file.
1100   Component is busy.
1099   Unexpected error.
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.