Building Format Definitions

Tree Icon	Icon Name	Description
	Message Format	The top-level element.
	Group	Collections of fields, comments, and other groups or references that are related in some way. (For example, the fields PAYDATE, HOURS, and RATE belong to the PAYINFO group.) Defines the formatting for all items in the group.
	Optional Group	A group that may or may not be included in the message format.
	Repeating Group	A group that is included one or more times.
	Optional Repeating Group	A group that may or may not be included, but if included, may occur more than once.
	Group Reference	Indicates the existence of another instance of the group in the data. The format of a reference group is the same as that of the original group, but you can change the optional setting and the occurrence setting for the reference group.
	Group Choice	Indicates that only one of the items in the group is included in the message format.
	Field	Sequence of bytes that is meaningful in the context of the application and that defines the formatting for the field. (For example, the field EMPNAME contains an employee name.)
	Optional Field	A field that may or may not be included in the message format.
	Repeating Field	A field is included one or more times.
	Optional Repeating Field	A field that may or may not be included, but, if included, may occur more than once in the message format.
	Field Reference	Indicates the existence of another instance of the field in the data. The format of a reference field is the same as that of the original field, but you can change the optional setting and the occurrence setting for the reference field.
	Comment	Contains notes about the message format or the data translated by the message format.
	Collapse	A minus sign next to an item indicates that the specified item can be collapsed.
	Expand	A plus sign next an item indicates that the specified item can be expanded to show child items.

Toolbar Icon	Name	Description
	New	Creates a new message format.
	Open	Opens an existing message format.
	Save	Saves the current message format.
	Cut	Removes the item currently selected in the left pane, and its child objects, from the navigation tree. The item can be pasted elsewhere in the navigation tree. Note: This action is not available if the message format (root) item is selected.
	Copy	Makes a copy of the item currently selected in the left pane for insertion elsewhere in the navigation tree. Note: This action is not available if the message format (root) item is selected.
	Paste as Sibling	Inserts the cut or copied item as a sibling object of the selected item.
	Paste as Reference	Inserts a reference to the cut or copied item as a sibling object of the selected item.
	Undo	Reverses the previous action. The tool tip indicates the action that can be undone. For example, if you change the name of a field to Address and click Apply, the tool tip displays the following message: Undo Apply Field Address. Format Builder supports multiple undoing of previous actions.
	Redo	Reverses the effects of an Undo command. The tool tip indicates the action that can be redone. For example, if you change the name of a field to Address and then Undo that change, the Redo tool tip displays the following message: Redo Apply Field Address. Format Builder supports multiple redoing of previous actions.
	Insert Field	Inserts a field as a sibling of the item selected in the navigation tree.
	Insert Group	Inserts a group as a sibling of the item selected in the navigation tree.
	Insert Comment	Inserts a comment as a sibling of the item selected in the navigation tree.
	Move Up	Moves the selected item up one position under its parent.
	Move Down	Moves the selected item down one position under its parent.
	Promote item	Assigns the selected item to the next highest level in the navigation tree. For example, suppose Field1 is a child object of Group1. If you select Field1 and click the Promote tool, you make Field1 a sibling of Group1.
	Demote item	Assigns the selected item to the next lower level in the navigation tree. For example, suppose Group1 is the sibling of Field1 and it is listed immediately after Group1 in the navigation tree. If you select Field1 and click the Demote tool, you make Field11 a child of Group1.
	Expand All	Expands all the items in the navigation tree to show child items.
	Collapse All	Collapses the navigation tree to show first-level items only.
	Format Tester	Opens the Format Tester window.

Command	Description
Cut	Removes the item currently selected in the left pane, and its child objects, from the navigation tree.
Copy	Makes a copy of the item currently selected in the left pane for insertion elsewhere in the navigation tree.
Paste	Inserts the cut or copied item. An additional menu is displayed when you select Paste. You can paste the item as either a child or a sibling of the selected item. In addition, you can paste a reference to the cut or copied item as a sibling of the selected item.
Insert Group	Inserts a new group as either a child or a sibling of the selected item, depending on your specification.
Insert Field	Inserts a new field as either a child or a sibling of the selected item, depending on your specification.
Insert Comment	Inserts a comment as either a child or a sibling of the selected item, depending on your specification.
Duplicate	Makes a copy of the currently selected item and pastes it as a sibling. The duplicate item contains the same values and child objects as the original. The name of the duplicate is the same as that of the original, with the addition of a prefix: New. Thus, for example, if the name of the original item is MyGroup1, then the name of the duplicate is NewMyGroup1.
Delete	Deletes the selected item.

Category	Property	Description
Group Description	Name	The name of the group. The entry must comply with the conventions described in XML Element Naming Conventions" on page 19.
Optional	Select Optional if the group is optional.
Choice of Children	Select Choice of Children if only one of the items in the group will be included in the message format.
Group Occurrence (Unless defined as Optional in the Group Description, all groups occur at least once.)	Once	Select this option to indicate that the group appears only once.
Repeat Delimiter	Select this option to indicate that the group will repeat until the specified delimiter is encountered.
Repeat Field	Select this option to indicate that the group will repeat the number of times specified in the field selected as the repeat field.
Repeat Number	Select this option to indicate that the group will repeat the specified number of times.
Unlimited	Select this option to indicate that the group will repeat an unlimited number of times.
Group Attributes	Group is Tagged	Select this option if the group is tagged, that is, if a literal precedes the other content of the group, which may be other groups or fields.
Group Delimiter	The termination point of a group can be specified by a delimiter: a string of characters that marks the end of a group of fields. The group continues until delimiter characters are encountered. Note: Normally, groups are not delimited. They are usually parsed by content; the group ends when all child objects have been parsed. For more information about delimiters, see Specifying Delimiters. Select from among the following options to specify the group delimiter attributes:
None	Select this option if there is no delimiter for the group.
Delimited	Select this option if the termination point of the group is marked with a delimiter character string, then enter the delimiter characters in the Value field.
Delimiter Field	Select this option if the termination point of the group is marked by a field that contains a delimiter character string. When you select this option, you are prompted to provide the following: Field—select the field that contains the delimiter character string. A list of valid fields is presented in a drop-down list. Default—enter the default delimiter character used if the selected field is not included in the data. This value is required.
Delimiter is Shared	Select this option to indicate that the delimiter marks both the end of the group of data, and the end of the last field of the group. The delimiter is shared by the group, and the last field of the group, to indicate the end of the data.

Use this construct . . .	To designate the following character as a delimiter . . .
x	x
\\	\ (backlash)
\0n	Character with octal value 0n (<= n <= 7)
\0nn	Character with octal value 0nn (0 <= n <= 7)
\0mnn	Character with octal value 0mnn (0 <= m <= 3, 0 <= n <= 7)
\xhh	Character with hexadecimal value 0xhh
\uhhhh	Character with hexadecimal value 0xhhhh
\t	Tab character ('\u0009')
\n	Newline (line feed) character ('\u000A')
\r	Carriage-return character ('\u000D')
\f	Form-feed character ('\u000C')
\a	Alert (bell) character ('\u0007')
\e	Escape character ('\u001B')
\cx	Control character corresponding to x

Table 3-5 Field Properties

Category	Property	Description
Field Description	Name	The name of the field. The entry must comply with the conventions described in XML Element Naming Conventions" on page 19.
	Optional	Select this option if this is an optional field. Optional means that the data for the field may or may not be present.
	Type	Select the data type of the field from the drop-down list. The default is String. Note: Which field type you select dictates which field data options are displayed. For a list of data types supported by ProductName, see Supported Data Types.
Field Occurrence (Unless defined as Optional in the Field Description, all fields occur at least once.)	Once	Select this option to indicate that the field appears only once.
	Once
	Repeat Delimiter	Select this option to indicate that the field will repeat until the specified delimiter is encountered.
	Repeat Field	Select this option to indicate that the field will repeat the number of times specified in the field selected as the repeat field.
	Repeat Number	Select this option to indicate that the field will repeat the specified number of times.
	Unlimited	Select this option to indicate that the field will repeat an unlimited number of times.
Field Attributes (The Field Attributes properties that are displayed are dependent on the Type specified in the Field Description)	Field is Tagged	Select this option if the field is tagged, that is, if a literal proceeds the data, indicating that the data is present. You must also choose the data type of the tag field from the drop-down list. For example in the following: SUP:ACME INC SUP: is a tag and ACME INC is the field data. If you select the Field is Tagged option, enter the tag in the field to the right of the check box.
	Field Default Value	Select this option to specify a value for the data in field that is inserted into the binary data if the field is not included in the XML. If the field is not included in the binary data and it is not optional, then the binary data fails to parse, even if a default value is given.
	Data Base Type	If the field is a date or time field, the base type indicates the type of characters (ASCII, EBCDIC, or Numeric) used to represent the data.
	Year Cutoff	If the field is a date field with a 2-digit year, the year cutoff attribute allows the 2-digit year to be converted to a 4-digit year. If the 2-digit year is greater than or equal to the year cutoff value, a prefix of 19 is added to the year value. Otherwise a prefix of 20 is used.
	Code Page	The character encoding of the field data. The default code page is set by choosing Tools—>Options and selecting the default encoding from the Default Field Code Page drop down list.
	Value	The value displayed in a literal field.
Field Attributes (Continued)	Termination	Select from among the following options to specify the group delimiter attributes:
Field Attributes (Continued)	Termination	Length	Select this option to set the length of variable-sized data types to a fixed value. When you select this option, you are prompted to provide the following: Length—enter the number of bytes in the field. Trim Leading/Trailing—removes the specified data from the leading or trailing edge of the data. Pad—if the XML data is shorter than the specified length, appends the specified data to correct its length. Select one of the following padding options: Select the Trailing option to append padding at the end of a field. Select the Leading option to append padding at the beginning of a field. Truncate—remove a specified number of characters from a field. Select any combination of the following truncation options: Select the Truncate First option to remove the specified number of characters from the beginning of the field. Select the Truncate After option to remove the specified number of characters from the end of the field. If you select both truncation options, the Truncate First option is implemented initially, and the Truncate After option is invoked on the remaining characters.
Field Attributes (Continued)	Termination (Continued)	Embedded Length	Select this option to indicate that the termination point of a variable-sized data type is specified by an embedded length. An embedded length precedes the data field and indicates the number of bytes in the data. When you select this option, you are prompted to provide the following: Type—specifies the data type and, if necessary, the length or delimiter for termination. Tag/Length Order—specifies the order of the tag and length fields when both are included. The default order is: tag, length. Trim Leading/Trailing—removes the specified data from the leading or trailing edge of the data. Truncate—remove a specified number of characters from a field. For more information, see the description of the Truncate option for the Length option.
Field Attributes (Continued)	Termination (Continued)	Delimiter	Select this option to indicate that the termination point of a variable-sized data type is specified by a delimiter: a value that marks the end of the field. The field data continues until the delimiter is encountered. When you select this option, you are prompted to provide the following: Value—enter the delimiter that marks the end of the field data. Trim Leading/Trailing—removes the specified data from the leading or trailing edge of the data. Truncate—remove a specified number of characters from a field. For more information, see the description of the Truncate option for the Length option.
Field Attributes (Continued)	Termination (Continued)	Delimiter Field	Select this option if the termination point of a variable-sized data type is specified by a field that contains a delimiter value. When you select this option, you are prompted to provide the following: Field—select the field that contains the delimiter. Default—enter a default delimiter that can be used when the delimiter field is not present. You must enter a value in this field. Trim Leading/Trailing—removes the specified data from the leading or trailing edge of the data. Truncate—remove a specified number of characters from a field. For more information, see the description of the Truncate option for the Length option. For more information about delimiters, see Specifying Delimiters.
		Decimal Position	Specifies the number of digits (0-16) to the left of the decimal point.

Category	Option	Description
N/A	Default Message Format Version	Select the version to be associated with new MFL documents. Note: Each message format document is associated with its own message format version. The version specified for a message format can be changed from the default from the File Properties dialog box described in the preceding section Changing Options for a Message Format..
Character Encoding Options	Default Message Format (MFL) Encoding	Select the character encoding to be associated with new MFL documents. The character encoding associated with an MFL document specifies the encoding used for the MFL document itself, and the XML output it generates.
Character Encoding Options	Default Field Code Page	Select the code page, from the list of binary formats, to be used as the default code page for each field created in your MFL documents. A code page specifies the character encoding of the binary data in the field.
XML Formatting Options	Initial Indent	Enter the number of spaces by which to indent the root element when generating the XML output.
XML Formatting Options	New Line Indent	Enter the number of spaces by which to indent a new child element when generating the XML output.
XML Content Model Options	Auto-generate DTD	Generates a DTD document which captures the content model defined in the MFL document. If you specify Auto-generate DTD: When you save an MFL document to the file system, the DTD is saved in the same directory. When you store an MFL document in the repository, the DTD is also stored.
XML Content Model Options	Auto-generate Schema	Generates an XML Schema document which captures the content model defined in the MFL document. If you specify Auto-generate Schema: When you save an MFL document to the file system, the XML Schema document is saved in the same directory. When you store an MFL document in the repository, the XML Schema is also stored.

Command	Description
New	Creates a new message format document.
Open	Opens an existing message format document.
Close	Closes the current message format document.
Save	Saves the current message format document.
Save As	Saves the current message format under a different name.
Properties	Opens the File Properties dialog box for the active message format document. This dialog allows you to set options for the active MFL document (see Changing Options for a Message Format). Choose Tools—>Option to set defaults for the application (see Setting Format Builder Options).
Exit	Exits the Format Builder.

Command	Description
Log In	Displays the ProductName Repository Login dialog box, allowing you to connect to the repository.
Log Out	Disconnects from the repository.
Retrieve	Retrieves a document from the repository.
Store	Stores the current document in the repository.
Store As	Stores the current document in the repository under a different name.

Command	Description
Import	Displays a list of the installed importers. Choose the importer from which you want to import a message.
Test	Opens the Format Tester.
User Defined Types	Opens the Add/Remove User Defined Types dialog box.
Options	Displays the Format Builder Options dialog box.

Command	Description
Help Topics	Displays the online help in your default browser.
How Do I	Displays a list of common Format Builder tasks. Click a task to view the step-by-step instructions.
About	Displays version and copyright information for the Format Builder and the JDK you are running.

Category	Property	Description
Field or Group Reference Description	Name	The name of the field or group for which you created this reference. This value cannot be changed.
Field or Group Reference Description	Optional	Select this option if the reference is optional.
Field or Group Reference Occurrence (Unless defined as Optional all referenced items occur at least once.)	Once	Select this option to indicate that the referenced item appears only once.
	Once
	Repeat Delimiter	Select this option to indicate that the referenced item will repeat until the specified delimiter is encountered.
	Repeat Field	Select this option to indicate that the referenced item will repeat the number of times specified in the field selected as the repeat field.
	Repeat Number	Select this option to indicate that the referenced item will repeat the specified number of times.
	Unlimited	Select this option to indicate that the referenced item will repeat an unlimited number of times.

Command	Description
Open	Displays the Open dialog box to allow you to select and open an existing MFL document in the palette.
Save	Saves any changes you have made to the MFL document currently open in the palette.
Hide Palette	Closes the Palette window.

Command	Description
Insert	Inserts a new folder. When you select this command, you are prompted to supply the name of the folder.
Rename	Renames a folder. When you select this command, you are prompted to supply the new name.
Delete	Deletes the selected item.
Move Up	Moves the selected item up one position under its parent.
Move Down	Moves the selected item down one position under its parent.
Promote	Assigns the selected item to the next level up in the hierarchy. For example, suppose Field1 is a child of Group1. If you select Field1 and click the Promote tool, then Field1 becomes a sibling of Group1.
Demote	Assigns the selected item to the next lower level in the hierarchy. When you demote an item, it becomes a child of the sibling that immediately precedes it. For example, suppose Field1 is a sibling of Group1, and that it and immediately follows Group1. If you select Field1 and click the Demote tool, Field1 becomes a child of Group1.

Command	Description
Undo action	Reverses the previous action. The Undo command on the Edit menu is constantly refreshed to indicate the action most recently performed that can be nullified. For example, if you change the name of a field to Field1 and click Apply, the listing for the Undo command contains the following text: Undo Apply Field Field1. Format Builder supports multiple undoing of previous actions.
Redo action	Reverses the effects of the Undo command. The Redo command in the Edit menu is constantly refreshed to indicate the action that can be redone. For example, if you change the name of a field to Field1 and then click Undo, the listing for the Redo command contains the following text: Redo Apply Field Field1. Format Builder supports multiple redoing of actions previously undone.
Cut	Removes the selected item along with its child objects. The item is placed in the clipboard and can be pasted in a new location. Note: This action is not available if the Message Format (root) item is selected.
Copy	Makes a copy of the selected item along with its child objects. The copy is placed in the clipboard and can be pasted in a new location. Note: This action is not available if the Message Format (root) item is selected.
Paste	Inserts the current contents of the clipboard. When you select Paste, the following Paste menu options are displayed: As Child As Sibling As Reference
Duplicate	Makes a copy of the currently selected item and pastes it as a sibling. The duplicate item contains the same values and child objects as the original. The name of the duplicate is the same as that of the original, with the addition of a prefix: New. Thus, for example, if the name of the original item is MyField1, then the name of the duplicate is NewMyField1.
Delete	Deletes the item selected in the navigation tree, as well as all child objects of that item.
Move Up	Moves the selected item up one position under its parent.
Move Down	Moves the selected item down one position under its parent.
Promote	Assigns the selected item to the next level up in the hierarchy. For example, suppose Field1 is a child of Group1. If you select Field1 and select Promote, then Field1 becomes a sibling of Group1 and is inserted immediately after Group1.
Demote	Assigns the selected item to the next lower level in the hierarchy. When you demote an item, it becomes a child of the group that immediately precedes it. For example, suppose Field1 is a sibling of Group1 and immediately follows Group1. If you select Field1 and select Demote, Field1 becomes a child of Group1.

Command	Description
Field	Inserts a new field. You can insert the field as either a child or sibling of the item selected in the navigation tree.
Group	Inserts a new group. You can insert the group as either a child or sibling of the item selected in the navigation tree.
Comment	Inserts a comment. You can insert the comment as either a child or sibling of the item selected in the navigation tree.

Command	Description
Show Palette	Displays the Palette window.
Expand All	Expands the entire navigation tree to show the child objects of all items in the navigation tree.
Collapse All	Collapses the entire navigation tree to show only the root message format.