Using UN/EDIFACT Message Libraries

This topic includes instructions for working with the UN/EDIFACT message structures, or OTDs, provided in the UN/EDIMessagessage Library, including customizing message structures and building UN/EDIFACT Collaborations.

The following topics provide instructions for working with the message library:

• Displaying UN/EDIFACT OTDs

• Building UN/EDIFACT OTD Collaborations

• Customizing the UN/EDIFACT OTDs

• Creating UN/EDIFACT OTDs from SEF Files

• Possible Differences in Output When Using Pass-Through

Displaying UN/EDIFACT OTDs

After installing the UN/EDIFACT Message Library, you can view the message structures in the OTD Editor as described below.

To Display UN/EDIFACT OTDs

1. Make sure you are connected to the Java CAPS Repository from NetBeans.
2. In the Projects window, expand CAPS Components Library, expand Message Library, and then expand EDIFACT.

   Depending on which message libraries you installed, the envelope, v3, or v4 folders are visible. The v3 folder includes files for UN/EDIFACT version 3, and the v4 folder includes files for UN/EDIFACT version 4.

3. Expand the v3 or v4 folder.

   Nodes for each installed UN/EDIFACT directory appear, such as D01B. The table below describes the naming conventions for the OTDs.

   
   

   eDF_ Abbreviation of the protocol name v3_ or v4_ Indicates the UN/EDIFACT version D00A_ UN/EDIFACT directory APERAK_ Abbreviation of the message name _Full Fully enveloped OTD version that includes the inner and outer envelopes

   The folder also includes a Metadata folder, which holds the SEF files for the library. You can use the SEF files to customize the OTD as described in Customizing the UN/EDIFACT OTDs.

Building UN/EDIFACT OTD Collaborations

This section describes how to build Java Collaborations that use the UN/EDIFACT OTDs provided in the UN/EDIFACT Message Library. To customize the OTDs before building the Collaboration, refer to Customizing the UN/EDIFACT OTDs.

To Build UN/EDIFACT OTD Collaborations

1. In the NetBeans Projects window, right-click the Project for which you want to create a Collaboration, point to New, and select Collaboration Definition (Java).

   The Collaboration Definition Wizard dialog box appears.

2. Enter the name of the Collaboration and specify whether to use and existing or new web service operation.
3. Click Next.

   The next page to appear depends on the web service type you selected.

4. Do one of the following:
   • If you selected an existing web service, do the following:
   • If you selected a new web service, enter a name for the operation and then click Next.
     1. Browse to and select the web service to use, and then click Next.
     2. Browse to and select the input message to use, and then click Next.
     3. Browse to and select the output message to use, and then click Next.
5. To use envelope OTDs, navigate to envelopes in the Look In field and double-click the envelopes to use.

   Envelopes are located in \CAPS Component Library\Message Library\EDIFACT\envelopes.

   The envelope names appear in the Selected OTDs section of the wizard.

6. To select message OTDs, navigate to the UN/EDIFACT directory in the Look In field.

   The UN/EDIFACT directories are located in \CAPS Component Library\Message Library\EDIFACT\version, where version is either v3 or v4.

   The Look In field displays the OTDs for the selected UN/EDIFACT directory. The table below describes the naming convention for the OTDs.

   
   

   eDF_ Abbreviation of the protocol name v3_ or v4_ UN/EDIFACT version D00A_ UN/EDIFACT directory APERAK_ Abbreviation of the transaction name _Full Fully enveloped OTD version that includes the inner and outer envelopes

7. Double-click the OTDs to use.

   The OTDs appear under Selected OTDs.

8. Click Finish.

   The Collaboration appears in the Collaboration Editor. You can now use the Java CAPS and OTD methods to build the business logic for the Collaboration. For information about the UN/EDIFACT OTD methods, see Java Methods for UN/EDIFACT OTDs.

Customizing the UN/EDIFACT OTDs

The OTDs provided in the OTD Library cannot be customized. However, the Message Library provides the SEF files so you can modify the file and then rebuild it. You can then rebuild the OTD with the customized SEF file as described in the following section. The procedure below describes how to save the SEF files locally for editing.

To Customize UN/EDIFACT OTDs

1. In the NetBeans Projects window, expand CAPS Component Library, expand Message Library, expand EDIFACT, and then expand v3 or v4.
2. Expand the folder for the UN/EDIFACT directory you want to work with, such as D01B, and then expand Metadata.

   The metadata folder displays the available SEF files.

3. Right-click the SEF file you want to customize, and then click Export.

   The Save As dialog box appears.

4. Select a location for the SEF file and click Save.
5. Use a SEF editor to customize the file.
6. Use the SEF OTD wizard to rebuild the OTD as described in the next section.

Creating UN/EDIFACT OTDs from SEF Files

This section describes how to create UN/EDIFACT OTDs using SEF files. The UN/EDIFACT Message Library includes the SEF files for the OTDs so you can customize the OTD. Once you have tailored the SEF file to your business requirements, you can use the procedure below to recreate the OTD.

To create OTDs from SEF files, you use the SEF OTD wizard to build the OTD using selected SEF files. The SEF OTD wizard is packaged separately from the Message Library, so make sure you have installed it. For information, see Installing the Message Library for EDIFACT.

To Create UN/EDIFACT OTDs from SEF files

1. In the NetBeans Projects window, right-click the Project, point to New, and then click Object Type Definition.

   The New Object Type Definition dialog box appears.

2. Select SEF in the OTD Wizard list, and then Next.

   The Select SEF File(s) page appears.

3. In the Look In field, navigate to the folder where the SEF file for this OTD resides, and then double-click the SEF file.
4. Click Select, and when the file appears in the box at the bottom of the page, click Next.

   The Select OTD Options page appears.

5. To include the inner and outer envelopes, select the Include Outer and Inner Envelopes option.
6. To use local codes for segment IDs, select the Segment IDs Using Local Codes option and enter the code.
7. To avoid the OTD using interfaces for date and time types, select the Do Not Use Interfaces for Date and Time Types option.
8. Select the transaction sets you want to include using the Ctrl and Shift keys to select multiple options.
9. Click Finish.

   The OTD Editor appears, displaying the OTD.

Possible Differences in Output When Using Pass-Through

If you are using a pass-through Collaboration, the output file contains essentially the same data as the input file. Certain differences in output, based on variations in acceptable interpretation of the information, are acceptable, provided that the data conforms to the formats specified for the elements. For example:

• If the input file includes a six-digit date, the output file might represent this as an eight-digit value. For example, 040715 in the input file might be represented as 20040705 in the output file.

• The number of trailing zeros after a decimal point might vary. For example, an input value of 10.000 might be represented as 10 in the output file.

The reason these changes occur is that, during pass-through, certain data fields are parsed and stored as Java objects other than strings; for example, Date or Double. The actual value of all the information must remain the same.