EDIFACTWriter Class

Properties   Methods   Events   Config Settings   Errors  

The EDIFACTWriter class generates EDIFACT documents with a clear, straightforward API.

Syntax

edisdk.EDIFACTWriter

Remarks

The class allows you to create an EDI document from scratch, 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, or check the OutputData property after writing.
3. Create a new interchange start segment by setting the fields of the Interchange property and call the StartInterchange method. Once the interchange is complete, call EndInterchange to add the interchange footer.
4. If you want to create a functional group, set the fields of the FunctionalGroup property and then call the StartFunctionalGroup. Once all the messages in the group have been created, call EndFunctionalGroup to add a footer for the group.
5. To start a message, call the StartMessage method. Once all segments have been added, call EndMessage to add a footer to the message.
6. To begin a segment, call the StartSegment method and pass in the tag for the segment. Once all the elements in the segment have been added, call EndSegment to add the segment terminator.
7. To write a basic element to the current segment, call the WriteElement method.
8. To write a composite element, call the StartCompositeElement method, then call the WriteComponent method for each component, and finally call EndCompositeElement to end the element.

Property List

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

Delimiters Property (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Contains the delimiters for the EDI Document..

Syntax

public EDIFACTDelimiters getDelimiters();

Remarks

This property contains the delimiters that will be used when writing the EDIFACT document. If the document uses delimiters other than the default, change the properties of this object to write the document correctly.

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

Please refer to the EDIFACTDelimiters type for a complete list of fields.

FileWriteMode Property (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Determines how the output file is opened for writing.

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

When OutputFile is set, this property determines how the file will be opened.

This property is not available at design time.

FunctionalGroup Property (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Contains the current functional group information for the EDI Document.

Syntax

public EDIFACTFunctionalGroup getFunctionalGroup();

Remarks

The functional group information is used when writing the functional group header (GS) and trailer (GE) segments. The properties of this object must be changed before calling StartFunctionalGroup to write the functional group correctly. After calling StartFunctionalGroup changing the properties of this object will change the values for the next functional group only.

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

Please refer to the EDIFACTFunctionalGroup type for a complete list of fields.

Interchange Property (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Contains the current interchange information for the EDI Document.

Syntax

public EDIFACTInterchange getInterchange();

Remarks

The interchange information is used when writing the interchange header (ISA) and trailer (IEA) segments. The properties of this object must be changed before calling StartInterchange to write the interchange correctly. After calling StartInterchange changing the properties of this object will change the values for the next interchange only.

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

Please refer to the EDIFACTInterchange type for a complete list of fields.

Message Property (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Contains the current message information for the EDI Document.

Syntax

public EDIFACTMessage getMessage();

Remarks

This property holds the current message information for the EDI document. It is used by the StartMessage method to create a new transaction set header. The properties of this object must be changed before calling StartMessage to write the transaction set correctly. After calling StartMessage changing the properties of this object will change the values for the next transaction set only.

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

Please refer to the EDIFACTMessage type for a complete list of fields.

OutputData Property (EDIFACTWriter Class)

The output data that has been written so far.

Syntax

public String getOutputData();
public void setOutputData(String outputData);

Default Value

""

Remarks

OutputData contains the entire EDI document that has been written so far. If writing to a file or stream, this property will be empty.

This property is not available at design time.

OutputFile Property (EDIFACTWriter Class)

The name of the output file to which the EDI data will be written.

Syntax

public String getOutputFile();
public void setOutputFile(String outputFile);

Default Value

""

Remarks

FileWriteMode property determines how the file is opened for writing. If OutputFile is empty, no file will be written and the OutputData property will contain the EDI data instead.

This property is not available at design time.

SegmentSuffix Property (EDIFACTWriter Class)

The suffix that is appended to the end of a segment.

Syntax

public int getSegmentSuffix();
public void setSegmentSuffix(int segmentSuffix);

Enumerated values:
  public final static int ssNone = 0;
  public final static int ssCR = 1;
  public final static int ssLF = 2;
  public final static int ssCRLF = 3;

Default Value

3

Remarks

Possible values are:

This property is not available at design time.

Close Method (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Closes the writer.

Syntax

public void close();

Remarks

Calling Close will close the writer and release any resources associated with it. After calling Close, the writer cannot be used unless it is re-initialized.

Config Method (EDIFACTWriter 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.

EndCompositeElement Method (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Finish writing the composite element.

Syntax

public void endCompositeElement();

Remarks

This method is used to close a CompositeElement. This method may only be called after a successful call to StartCompositeElement

EndFunctionalGroup Method (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Write the UNE(FunctionalGroup) segment to the output file/data/stream.

Syntax

public void endFunctionalGroup();

Remarks

This method is used to close a FunctionalGroup. This method may only be called after a successful call to StartFunctionalGroup

EndInterchange Method (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Write the UNZ(Interchange) segment to the output file/data/stream.

Syntax

public void endInterchange();

Remarks

This method is used to close an Interchange. This method may only be called after a successful call to StartInterchange

EndMessage Method (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Closes the current message.

Syntax

public void endMessage();

Remarks

Calling this method will close the current message. If no message is open, an error will be raised. This method will also write the required Message Trailer (UNT) segment to the output.

EndSegment Method (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Finish writing the segment, add SegmentSuffix at the end of the segment.

Syntax

public void endSegment();

Remarks

This method is used to close a Segment. This method may only be called after a successful call to StartSegment

Reset Method (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Resets all properties to their default values.

Syntax

public void reset();

Remarks

This method resets all properties of the component to their default values as specified in the property definitions.

SetOutputStream Method (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Sets the output stream where the EDI data will be written.

Syntax

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

Remarks

This method sets the output stream for the component. The output stream must be writable. Calling Close will close the specified output stream. If OutputStream is set, no file will be written and the OutputData property will be null.

StartCompositeElement Method (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Starts a composite element within the current segment.

Syntax

public void startCompositeElement();

Remarks

This method starts a composite element within the current segment. The composite element can contain multiple component elements. The composite element is ended by calling the EndCompositeElement method. Component elements within the composite are added by calling the WriteComponent method.

StartFunctionalGroup Method (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Starts a new functional group in the EDI document.

Syntax

public void startFunctionalGroup();

Remarks

This method starts a new functional group in the EDI document. The functional group fields must be set using the appropriate properties before calling this method. The functional group is ended by calling the EndFunctionalGroup method. The functional group header segment (UNG) is written to the output when this method is called.

StartInterchange Method (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Starts a new interchange in the EDI document.

Syntax

public void startInterchange();

Remarks

This method starts a new interchange in the EDI document. The interchange fields must be set using the appropriate properties before calling this method. The interchange is ended by calling the EndInterchange method. The interchange header segment (UNB) is written to the output when this method is called. If opening a new interchange would result in an invalid structure (for example, starting a new interchange before ending the previous one), an error will be raised.

StartMessage Method (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Starts a new message in the EDI document.

Syntax

public void startMessage();

Remarks

This method starts a new message in the EDI document. The message fields must be set using the appropriate properties before calling this method. The message is ended by calling the EndMessage method. The message header segment (UNH) is written to the output when this method is called. If opening a new message would result in an invalid structure (for example, starting a new message before ending the previous one), an error will be raised.

StartSegment Method (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Starts a new segment with the specified tag.

Syntax

public void startSegment(String tag);

Remarks

This method starts a new segment with the specified tag. The segment is ended by calling the EndSegment method. Element values within the segment are added by calling the WriteElement method. Composite elements can be added to the segment by calling the StartCompositeElement method. If starting a new segment would result in an invalid structure (for example, starting a new segment before ending the previous one), an error will be raised.

WriteComponent Method (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Writes a class element value to the current composite element.

Syntax

public void writeComponent(String val);

Remarks

This method writes a component element value to the current composite element. The composite element must be started by calling the StartCompositeElement method before calling this method. The composite element is ended by calling the EndCompositeElement method. If this method is called when not within a composite element, an error will be raised.

WriteElement Method (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Writes an element value to the current segment.

Syntax

public void writeElement(String val);

Remarks

This method writes an element value to the current segment. The segment must be started by calling the StartSegment method before calling this method. The segment is ended by calling the EndSegment method. If this method is called when not within a segment, an error will be raised.

Error Event (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Fires when an error occurs during message processing. Normally, the class fails with an error.

Syntax

public class DefaultEDIFACTWriterEventListener implements EDIFACTWriterEventListener {
  ...
  public void error(EDIFACTWriterErrorEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class EDIFACTWriterErrorEvent {
  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.

ConnectionId is the associated client Id, 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.

Output Event (EDIFACTWriter Class)

Fires when output data is written.

Syntax

public class DefaultEDIFACTWriterEventListener implements EDIFACTWriterEventListener {
  ...
  public void output(EDIFACTWriterOutputEvent e) {}
  ...
}

public class EDIFACTWriterOutputEvent {
  public byte[] data;
}

Remarks

This event is fired when output data is written. The Data parameter contains the segment that was written.

EDIFACTDelimiters Type

The delimiters used in the EDIFACT document.

Remarks

This type contains fields specifying the various delimiters used within the EDIFACT document.

• Component
• Decimal
• Element
• Release
• Repetition
• Segment

Fields

Constructors

public EDIFACTDelimiters();

EDIFACTFunctionalGroup Type

A functional group of messages.

Remarks

This type represents a functional group of messages, with fields describing the values from the UNG segment.

• AppPassword
• AppRecipientIdentification
• AppRecipientIDQualifier
• AppSenderIdentification
• AppSenderIDQualifier
• AssociationAssignedCode
• ControllingAgency
• Date
• GroupIdentification
• MessageRelease
• MessageVersion
• ReferenceNumber
• Time

Fields

Constructors

public EDIFACTFunctionalGroup();

EDIFACTInterchange Type

An interchange containing functional groups and messages.

Remarks

This type represents an EDIFACT interchange, with fields describing the values from the UNB segment.

• AckRequest
• AgreementIdentifier
• ApplicationReference
• CharacterEncoding
• CodeListVersionNumber
• Date
• ProcessingPriorityCode
• RecipientIdentification
• RecipientIDQualifier
• RecipientInternalIdentification
• RecipientInternalSubIdentification
• RecipientPassword
• RecipientPasswordQualifier
• ReferenceNumber
• SenderIdentification
• SenderIDQualifier
• SenderInternalIdentification
• SenderInternalSubIdentification
• SyntaxIdentifier
• SyntaxVersionNumber
• TestIndicator
• Time

Fields

Constructors

public EDIFACTInterchange();

EDIFACTMessage Type

An EDIFACT message.

Remarks

This type represents an EDIFACT message, with fields describing the values from the UNH segment.

• AssociationAssignedCode
• CodeListVersionNumber
• CommonAccessReference
• ControllingAgency
• FirstAndLastTransfer
• MessageImplControllingAgency
• MessageImplIdentification
• MessageImplRelease
• MessageImplVersion
• MessageRelease
• MessageSubsetControllingAgency
• MessageSubsetIdentification
• MessageSubsetRelease
• MessageSubsetVersion
• MessageType
• MessageTypeSubFunctionIdentification
• MessageVersion
• ReferenceNumber
• ScenarioControllingAgency
• ScenarioIdentification
• ScenarioRelease
• ScenarioVersion
• SequenceOfTransfers

Fields

Constructors

public EDIFACTMessage();

Config Settings (EDIFACTWriter 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.

Trappable Errors (EDIFACTWriter Class)

EDIFACTWriter Errors