The Format Builder tool assists you in creating descriptions of non-XML data records. Format Builder allows you to describe the layout and hierarchy of the non-XML data so that it can be transformed to or from XML. With Format Builder, you can describe sequences of bytes as fields. Each field description includes the type of data (floating point, string, etc.), the size of the data, and the name of the field. Format Builder allows you to further define groupings of fields (Groups), repetition of fields and groups, and aggregation.
The descriptions you create in Format Builder are saved in an XML grammar called Message Format Language (MFL). MFL documents are used at run-time to transform an instance of a non-XML data record to an instance of an XML document (or vice-versa).
This help system describes how to use Format Builder to define schemas for non-XML documents. These schemas can be used by Xquery Mapper tools to automatically transform data between XML and non-XML formats.
The following topics are included:
Chapter 10, "Format Builder Main Window" describes how to navigate the main window of Format Builder.
Chapter 11, "Message Format Detail Window" describes the fields on the Message Format detail window.
Chapter 13, "Group Detail Window" describes the fields on the Group Details detail window.
Chapter 15, "Comment Detail Window" describes the fields on the Field Details detail window.
Chapter 14, "Reference Detail Window" describes the fields on the Reference Details detail window.
Chapter 15, "Comment Detail Window" describes the fields on the Comment Details detail window.
Chapter 16, "Format Builder Options" describes the fields on the Format Builder Options detail window.
Chapter 18, "Format Tester" describes how to use Format Tester.
Chapter 17, "Importing Metadata" describes how to use Format Builder to import a COBOL Copybook, or C Structure to generate XML files.
Chapter 19, "Format Builder Menus" describes the commands you can execute from the Format Builder menus.
Chapter 21, "Using the Palette" describes the Format Builder palette feature and how to use it.
Chapter 20, "How Do I?" gives you step-by-step instructions for performing the basic tasks in Format Builder.
Chapter 22, "Format Builder Supported Data Types" Provides a list of supported MFL and COBOL Copybook Importer data types.