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Functions and Expressions
Use HCL Link functions and expressions to create component rules and map rules.
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.
Western date and time format strings
You can use these format strings to create custom date and time format.

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.
- 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.
  - Time units
    Specifies the symbol and different units used to describe time.
  - Date units
    Specifies the symbol and different format used to describe date.
  - Binary date and time format strings
    Create custom date and time formats by using the symbols based on the given format strings.
  - Japanese date and time format strings
    You can use these to create custom date and time format.
  - Western date and time format strings
    You can use these format strings to create custom date and time format.
    - Western date format strings
    - Western time format strings
- 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.

Western date and time format strings

You can use these format strings to create custom date and time format.

Substring Name

Substring Value

Western DateTime

"{" +DateTime + "}"

"{" +DateTime + "}" + Separator(1) + "{" + DateTime + "}"

"{" +DateTime + "}" + "[" + Separator(1) + "{" + DateTime + "}" + "]"

DateTime

Date

Time

Separator

Separator is optional. If specified, it can be up to 120 bytes, composed of non-alphabetic characters. Symbol table values, such as <CR>, can be used to indicate non-printable characters.

The Separator is required if the second DateTime option is used and the format string of the first DateTime ends in a variable sized specification - M, MONTH, D, or DAY for Date or H24, H12, M, or S for Time.