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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.
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.

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.
  - 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.
    - SETLOGICALORDER
      Use this function to convert a bidirectional data object from visually ordered (characters ordered as they are presented for reading) to logically ordered (the order in which text is typed on a keyboard or phonetic order).
    - SETORIENTATIONLTR
      The SETORIENTATIONLTR function converts the orientation of a text object from right-to-left (RTL) to left-to-right (LTR).
    - SETORIENTATIONRTL
      Use the SETORIENTATIONRTL function to convert the orientation of a text object from left-to-right (LTR) to right-to-left (RTL).
    - SETTEXTSHAPING
      The SETTEXTSHAPING function converts a bidirectional text object from non-shaped to shaped.
    - SETTEXTSHAPINGOFF
      The SETTEXTSHAPINGOFF function removes the shaping from a bidirectional text object.
    - SETVISUALORDER
      The SETVISUALORDER function converts a bidirectional data object from logically ordered to visually ordered.
  - 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.

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.

In addition, the order in which characters appear within program variables can vary. The text is usually stored in logical order, the order in which the characters are entered in the input field. These differences in ordering and in other associated presentation characteristics require the program to have the ability to convert bidirectional text strings from one format to another.

Use the SETLOGICALORDER, SETVISUALORDER,SETORIENTATIONLTR, SETORIENTATIONRTL, SETTEXTSHAPING, and SETTEXTSHAPINGOFF functions for specific transformation needs when dealing with bidirectional data.

About the order of text

The order of text generally corresponds with way it is stored in memory or on disk. In general, the order of text is displayed, on the screen for example, in visual order so that a person can read it the way it is subjectively meant to be read. That is, left-to-right characters are displayed from left-to-right, and right-to-left characters are displayed with the first character of the text block beginning from the right.

Storage in memory or on disk generally occurs in a logical manner so that the left-to-right characters are stored left-to-right (that is, one after another), and require no processing to display properly. However, when right-to-left characters are stored in a logical manner, they are also stored one after another from left-to-right. These text blocks, when in Logical order, are usually enclosed by markers that identify the start and end positions of the right-to-left text blocks.

Logical to visual reordering

To display these logical sequences on a screen would require that any left-to-right text is simply read and displayed. When right-to-left text is encountered, it must be turned around to the appropriate direction. This is logical-to-visual reordering.

Examples

In the following example, lowercase characters are considered left-to-right (LTR) and uppercase characters are considered right-to-left (RTL).


Text=	`a`	`b`	`c`	`F`	`E`	`D`	`g`	`h`	`i`
Visual order	`0x61`	`0x62`	`0x63`	`0x46`	`0x45`	`0x44`	`0x67`	`0x68`	`0x69`
Logical order	`0x61`	`0x62`	`0x63`	`0x44`	`0x45`	`0x46`	`0x67`	`0x68`	`0x69`