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Reference
This documentation provides HCL Link reference information.
Functions and Expressions
Use HCL Link functions and expressions to create component rules and map rules.
General functions
There are several general functions you can call from map rule to process input.
ASFUNCTION
When you run a functional map with the ASFUNCTION function, the output of the functional map returns to the map rule that invoked the functional map. The invoking rule can work with the output from the functional map. The type of the output card must be an item.

Reference
This documentation provides HCL Link reference information.
- 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.
    - ASFUNCTION
      When you run a functional map with the ASFUNCTION function, the output of the functional map returns to the map rule that invoked the functional map. The invoking rule can work with the output from the functional map. The type of the output card must be an item.
    - CLONE
      The CLONE function creates a specified number of copies of some object.
    - DEFAULT
      The DEFAULT function allows a predefined value to be introduced into an expression.
    - ECHOIN
      The ECHOIN function returns a command (or property) to be used in a RUN function argument.
    - HANDLEIN
      The HANDLEIN function returns a command (or property) to be used in a RUN function argument.
    - PARSE
      The PARSE function analyzes a data object and validates it against the metadata of a component type. The resulting data structure is available to the calling map for further processing.
    - REFORMAT
      The REFORMAT function returns a type object that results from replacing the syntax of the input type with the syntax of the output type.
    - RESOLVETYPE
      The RESOLVETYPE function resolves the provided component path to a specific schema reference when the map is being compiled.
  - 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.
  - 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.

ASFUNCTION

When you run a functional map with the ASFUNCTION function, the output of the functional map returns to the map rule that invoked the functional map. The invoking rule can work with the output from the functional map. The type of the output card must be an item.

Without ASFUNCTION, a functional map writes to the output card before the rest of the invoking rule is evaluated.

If ASFUNCTION runs a functional map that calls a second functional map, the output of the second map also returns to the map rule, as if the second map had been invoked by ASFUNCTION. If the output of each map is a number and the outputs are concatenated, ASFUNCTION adds the numbers instead of concatenating them.

Syntax:: ASFUNCTION ( general-expression)
Meaning:: ASFUNCTION (FunctionalMapName ( argument-1 , argument-2 , ... argument-n ))
Returns:: item

Example 1

Rule:

Output_name = FMAP1 (rule) +  " and " + Fmap2 (rule) + "."

Result:

Output_of_FMap1Output_of_FMap2 and .

Rule:

Output_name = ASFUNCTION(FMAP1 (rule)) +  " and " + Fmap2 (rule) + "."

Result:

Output_of_FMap1 and Output_of_FMap2.

Example 2

Rule:

Output_name = IF (FMap1 (rule) = "abc", "equal", "not equal")

Result:

If FMap1 produces abc:
```
abcnot equal
```
If FMap1 produces def:
```
defnot equal
```

Rule:

Output_name = ASFUNCTION(IF (FMap1 (rule) = "abc", "equal", "not equal"))

Result:

If FMap1 produces abc:
```
equal
```
If FMap1 produces def:
```
not equal
```

Example 3

Rule:

Output_name = ASFUNCTION(FMAP1(rule1)) + FMAP2(rule2)

Result:

If FMAP1 produces 1 and FMAP2 produces 2:
```
3
```
If FMAP1 produces A and FMAP2 produces B:
```
AB
```