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Functions and Expressions
Use HCL Link functions and expressions to create component rules and map rules.
Error handling functions
You can use this function in evaluating the type of error during map execution.
FAIL
You can use the FAIL function to abort a map based on map or application specific logic.

Functions and Expressions
Use HCL Link functions and expressions to create component rules and map rules.
- Expressions and evaluations
  The documentation provided here describes HCL Link functions and expressions. Functions and expressions are used to create component rules and map rules.
- Using functions
  A function is an expression that generates an output by performing a certain operation on one or more inputs.
- Syntax of a function
  The following is an example of a function:
- Function argument syntax
  Arguments typically have some restrictions on the expression used for that argument.
- Character-set encoding functions
  Functions that use the HCL Link EXIT architecture convert data to the native character set of the platform as part of the function call.
- General functions
  There are several general functions you can call from map rule to process input.
- Bidirectional functions
  Bidirectional languages such as Arabic and Hebrew are languages in which the text is presented to the user ordered from right to left, but numbers and Latin alphabetic strings within the text are presented left to right.
- Bit manipulation and testing functions
  You can use this function to manipulate and to test a bit in a binary number.
- Cache functions
  Use cache functions to specify a value for each of the cache variables defined for a flow, and additionally, to alter an already specified value for a cache variable.
- Conversion functions
  You can use this function to convert an expression from one datatype to another datatype.
- Date/time functions
  You can use this function to perform various operations on date and time.
- Error handling functions
  You can use this function in evaluating the type of error during map execution.
  - CONTAINSERRORS
    The CONTAINSERRORS function tests a valid object to see whether it contains any objects in error.
  - FAIL
    You can use the FAIL function to abort a map based on map or application specific logic.
  - GETXMLERRORMSG
    Use this function on an output card to return an XML validation error message when a map runs against invalid XML input.
  - ISERROR
    The ISERROR function tests an object to see if it is in error.
  - ONERROR
    Use ONERROR in component rules to add user-defined error messages to the data section of the audit log.
  - REJECT
    The REJECT function returns the content of an object in error as a text item.
  - QUIT
    You can use the QUIT function to stop a map at a specific point during map execution.
  - VALID
    You can use the VALID function to perform conditional processing based on whether an external interface function executes successfully.
- External interface functions
  You can use this function to retrieve data from a database from within in a map rule.
- Flow functions
  Use Flow functions to specify a value for each of the flow variables defined for a flow, and additionally, to alter an already specified value for a flow variable.
- Inspection functions
  You can use this function to test and inspect the object.
- Logical functions
  Logical functions provide a way to use logical conditions to display one of several values.
- Lookup and reference functions
  These function search operates by scanning the appropriate set of items in sequence, attempting to match the logical condition.
- Math and statistics functions
  Precede all MATHLIB functions with mathlib->
- Text functions
  These functions are used to convert the text item in a map rule.
- XML functions
  There are several XML functions that you can call from component rules and map rules to process input XML data.
- Custom functions
  From the Type Designer or Map Designer, you can create custom functions to call external libraries.
- Date and time format strings
  You can use the listed format strings for numbers, dates and times in functions such as the CURRENTDATETIME, FROMNUMBER, TONUMBER, FROMDATETIME, and TODATETIME.
- Number format strings
  You can create custom number formats by using the given format strings.
- RUN function return codes
  The RUN function return codes and messages might result when using the RUN function.
- Character set codes for CPACKAGE, CSERIESTOTEXT, and CTEXT
  The second argument of the CPACKAGE, CSERIESTOTEXT, and CTEXT functions specifies the character set of the output of the function. The value of the second argument (the character set of the object content), must be a valid character set code.

FAIL

You can use the FAIL function to abort a map based on map or application specific logic.

Syntax:: FAIL (single-text-expression)
Meaning:: FAIL (message_to_return)
Returns:: "None"

The FAIL function returns "none" to the output to which the function is assigned, aborts the map, and returns message_to_return as the map completion error message included in the execution audit. The map return code will be "30", indicating that the map failed through the FAIL function.

Examples

AcctID = EITHER (LOOKUP (CustomerID:.:Xref , MyKey:.:Xref = ID:.:Input ) , FAIL ( "Unknown Customer (" + ID:.:Input + "). Processing Terminated." ) )
In this example, the FAIL function is being used in conjunction with the EITHER function to conditionally fail the map if a record in the customer cross-reference file does not exist for a given CustomerID.

For example, the ID in Input is ABC123. If the LOOKUP succeeds, the CustomerID result is assigned to AcctID and the map continues.

If the LOOKUP fails, AcctID is assigned a value of "none", the map aborts, and the message Unknown Customer (ABC123). Processing Terminated.is written to the execution audit log.
Message = VALID (RUN ("Map1Msg.mmc", "-AE -OMMSMQ1B `-QN .\aqueue -CID 2001'" ), FAIL ("Failure on RUN (" + TEXT (LASTERRORCODE ( ) ) + "):" + LASTERRORMSG ( ) ) )
In this example, the FAIL function is being used in conjunction with the VALID, LASTERRORCODE, and LASTERRORMSG functions to fail (abort) the map if the map executed by the RUN function (Map1Msg.mmc) fails. In this example, the map fails and returns the error code and error message reported by the RUN function using the LASTERRORCODE and LASTERRORMSG functions.

If Map1Msg fails because one or more of its inputs was invalid, Message is assigned a value of "none". The map aborts and the following message is reported in the execution audit log:

"Failure on RUN (8): One or more inputs was invalid."

Related functions

LASTERRORCODE
LASTERRORMSG
QUIT
VALID