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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.
Text functions
These functions are used to convert the text item in a map rule.
TEXT
You can use the TEXT function to convert an object to a text item or when echoing entire data objects to another map.

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.
  - 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.
    - 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.
    - COUNTSTRING
      You can use the COUNTSTRING function when you need to know the number of times a specific text string appears within another text string.
    - CPACKAGE
      The CPACKAGE specifies the character set of the output of the function.
    - CSERIESTOTEXT
      The CSERIESTOTEXT specifies the character set of the output of the function.
    - CSIZE
      The CSIZE function returns an integer representing the size of a specified object in characters, exclusive of any pad characters.
    - CTEXT
      The CTEXT specifies the character set of the output of the function.
    - DATETOTEXT
      The DATETOTEXT function converts a date object or expression to a text item.
    - FILLLEFT
      The FILLLEFT function returns a text item of the length specified. In the output, the text item is preceded with the specified pad value.
    - FILLRIGHT
      The FILLRIGHT function returns a text item of the length specified. In the output, the text item is appended with the specified pad value.
    - FIND
      The FIND function looks for one text string within another text string and returns to its starting position, if found.
    - HEXTEXTTOSTREAM
      The HEXTEXTTOSTREAM is the reverse of STREAMTOHEXTEXT.
    - LEAVEALPHA
      The LEAVEALPHA function removes all non-alphabetic characters from a specified text item.
    - LEAVEALPHANUM
      The LEAVEALPHANUM function removes all non-alphanumeric characters (such as symbols) from a specified text item.
    - LEAVENUM
      The LEAVENUM function removes all non-numeric characters from a text item.
    - LEAVEPRINT
      The LEAVEPRINT function removes all non-printable characters from a text item.
    - LEFT
      The LEFT function returns a specified number of characters from a text expression beginning with the leftmost byte of a text item.
    - LOWERCASE
      The LOWERCASE function converts an alphabetic text item to all lowercase characters.
    - MAX
      The MAX function returns the maximum value from a series of number, date, time, or text values.
    - MID
      You can use the MID function when you need specific characters from a text item.
    - MIN
      Use MIN when you need the minimum value from a series of number, date, time, or text values.
    - NORMXML
      Use this function to remove XML formatting from an input XML fragment.
    - NUMBERTOTEXT
      The NUMBERTOTEXT function converts a character number to a text item that looks like the original object.
    - PACKAGE
      The PACKAGE function converts a group or item object to a text item, including its initiator, terminator, and any delimiters it contains.
    - PROPERCASE
      Use PROPERCASE to convert the first alphabetic character in each word to uppercase and all remaining characters to lowercase.
    - RANDDATA
      The RANDDATA function returns random text based on the properties of the output type. The RAND function returns a pseudo-random integer between 0 and RAND_MAX (guaranteed to be at least 32,767). The RANDDATA function generates a valid random value of the item type that is being built when it is invoked. In other words, if the rule were "A:Card = RandData ()", the random value would be valid data for type "A"—where that type "A" is a component of the specified "Card". The type "A" can be text, a date/time object, or a number.
    - REVERSEBYTE
      Use the REVERSEBYTE function when you need the bytes in the opposite sequence.
    - RIGHT
      You can use RIGHT when you need a specific part of a text item.
    - SEED
      The SEED function primes the RAND and RANDDATA functions so they produce repeated results.
    - 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.
    - SQUEEZE
      The SQUEEZE function removes consecutive duplicate occurrences of a specified character or characters from a text item.
    - SUBSTITUTE
      You can use the SUBSTITUTE function to replace or remove a character.
    - TEXT
      You can use the TEXT function to convert an object to a text item or when echoing entire data objects to another map.
    - TEXTTOBCD
      The TEXTTOBCD function converts a text item from decimal digits to BCD (Binary Coded Decimal) format.
    - TEXTTONUMBER
      Use TEXTTONUMBER to convert text to a number.
    - 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.
    - 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.
    - TRIMLEFT
      You can use the TRIMLEFT function to remove spaces or a text string at the beginning of some text.
    - TRIMRIGHT
      You can use the TRIMRIGHT function to remove spaces or a text string at the end of text.
    - UPPERCASE
      The UPPERCASE function converts text to all uppercase characters.
    - WORD
      You can use the WORD function to parse a text item that is delimited by some character, such as a space or a comma.
  - 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.

TEXT

You can use the TEXT function to convert an object to a text item or when echoing entire data objects to another map.

The TEXT converts the content of a group or item object to a text item.

Syntax:: TEXT ( single-object-expression )
Meaning:: TEXT ( object_to_convert )
Returns:: A single text item

The TEXT function converts object_to_convert to a text-item, excluding the initiator and terminator of the input object.

Examples

TEXT ( Record:card )
Data: #1339X10A,491.38,Green,42x54@

Returns: 1339X10A,491.38,Green,42x54

In this example, the group Record has an initiator of the pound sign (#), a terminator of the at-sign (@), and a delimiter of a comma (,).

The initiator and terminator are not included because only the content of the object is converted to text.

Related functions

DATETOTEXT
FROMDATETIME
FROMNUMBER
NUMBERTOTEXT
PACKAGE
Note: TEXT differs from PACKAGE in that it does not include the initiator and terminator of the input object.
SERIESTOTEXT
TIMETOTEXT