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Functions and Expressions
Use HCL Link functions and expressions to create component rules and map rules.
Conversion functions
You can use this function to convert an expression from one datatype to another datatype.
UNPACK
You can use the UNPACK function to do arithmetic with a packed decimal number or to move a packed decimal value into a numeric item.

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.
  - BASE64TOTEXT
    Use the BASE64TOTEXT decoding function to convert previously encoded data from BASE64 back to the original text.
  - BCDTOHEX
    The BCDTOHEX function converts an item from binary coded decimal (BCD) format to hexadecimal format.
  - BCDTOINT
    The BCDTOINT function converts an item from BCD (binary coded decimal) format to integer format.
  - BCDTOTEXT
    The BCDTOTEXT function converts the digits in a BCD (Binary Coded Decimal) item to a text item containing the digits of the BCD-encoded item as a string of characters.
  - CONVERT
    The CONVERT function replaces each byte of a byte stream or text expression with a byte from another byte stream or text expression.
  - DATETONUMBER
    Use DATETONUMBER to perform arithmetic on dates.
  - DATETOTEXT
    The DATETOTEXT function converts a date object or expression to a text item.
  - FROMBASETEN
    You can use FROMBASETEN when you need to convert numbers to a base other than 10.
  - FROMDATETIME
    The FROMDATETIME function converts a date/time item to a text string of a specified format.
  - FROMNUMBER
    The FROMNUMBER function converts a number to a text string of a specified format.
  - HEXTEXTTOSTREAM
    The HEXTEXTTOSTREAM is the reverse of STREAMTOHEXTEXT.
  - INT
    You can use the INT function when you need only the integer portion of a number.
  - NUMBERTODATE
    You can use the NUMBERTODATE function to perform a calculation on a date.
  - NUMBERTOTEXT
    The NUMBERTOTEXT function converts a character number to a text item that looks like the original object.
  - PACK
    The PACK function converts an integer to a text item that can be interpreted as a packed decimal number.
  - PACKAGE
    The PACKAGE function converts a group or item object to a text item, including its initiator, terminator, and any delimiters it contains.
  - QUOTEDTOTEXT
    The QUOTEDTOTEXT decoding function converts a single (text or binary) data object in Quoted-Printable format to a single data object that represents the original text or binary object.
  - SERIESTOTEXT
    You can use the SERIESTOTEXT function to project your input data as a series and to interpret it as a text item for output.
  - STREAMTOHEXTEXT
    Use STREAMTOHEXTEXT to assign a character text value to a binary text stream item.
  - SYMBOL
    You can use SYMBOL to include a symbol in your output.
  - TEXTTOBASE64
    The TEXTTOBASE64 encoding function converts a text item to Base64 format.
  - TEXTTOBCD
    The TEXTTOBCD function converts a text item from decimal digits to BCD (Binary Coded Decimal) format.
  - TEXTTODATE
    The TEXTTODATE function converts text item from CCYYMMDD or YYMMDD format to a date.
  - TEXTTONUMBER
    Use TEXTTONUMBER to convert text to a number.
  - TEXTTOQUOTED
    The TEXTTOQUOTED encoding function converts a text or binary item to Quoted-Printable format.
  - TEXTTOTIME
    Use TEXTTOTIME when you want to convert an object defined as text that is in HHMM or HHMMSS presentation, to an item defined as time.
  - TIMETOTEXT
    You can use the TIMETOTEXT function to perform text concatenation.
  - TOBASETEN
    The TOBASETEN function converts a text item that can be interpreted as a number, using positional notation of the base specified, to a base 10 number.
  - TODATETIME
    The TODATETIME function converts a text string of a specified format to a date-time item.
  - TONUMBER
    The TONUMBER function converts a text string of a specified format to a number.
  - UNPACK
    You can use the UNPACK function to do arithmetic with a packed decimal number or to move a packed decimal value into a numeric item.
  - UNZONE
    You can use the UNZONE function to convert a text item that represents a zoned (signed) number to an integer.
  - ZONE
    Use ZONE to convert a number to a zoned (signed) number.
- 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.
- 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.

UNPACK

You can use the UNPACK function to do arithmetic with a packed decimal number or to move a packed decimal value into a numeric item.

UNPACK converts text that can be interpreted as a packed decimal number to a signed integer item.

The sign values for packed data are as follows:

C for positive (+)
D for negative (-)
F for unsigned, which is read as positive

Syntax:

UNPACK ( single-fixed-size-text-expression )

Meaning:

UNPACK ( text_to_unpack )

Returns:

A single signed integer

UNPACK returns a signed integer representing the value text_to_unpack, which is a packed decimal number. If the text_to_unpack cannot be interpreted as a valid packed decimal, UNPACK evaluates to "none".

In a packed decimal number, each half-byte is a digit, except for the last half-byte of the rightmost byte, which contains a sign.

Examples

UNPACK ( "1L" ) returns 314
The ASCII string "1L" in hex is 31 4C, which, when interpreted as a packed number, results in (positive) 314. This example returns the value "+314".

The hexadecimal representation of the value "1L" is x`14C', where C in the rightmost half-byte represents a positive sign.
UNPACK ( UnitPrice ) / 100 * QuantityOrdered
UnitPrice is unpacked and divided by 100 (to convert it from an integer to a number with two decimal places) and then multiplied by the QuantityOrdered.

You can define items as having a packed decimal number presentation. Then, when mapping to or from these items, the conversion to and from packed decimal is automatically performed as needed.

Related functions

PACK