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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.
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.
DECVARIABLE
The DECVARIABLE function decrements the numeric value a flow variable.

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.
    - DECVARIABLE
      The DECVARIABLE function decrements the numeric value a flow variable.
    - DELETEVARIABLE
      The DELETEVARIABLE function deletes a flow variable defined for a flow.
    - GETVARIABLE
      The GETVARIABLE function retrieves the value associated to a flow variable.
    - INCVARIABLE
      The INCVARIABLE function increments the numeric value for a flow variable.
    - RESOLVEVARIABLE
      The RESOLVEVARIABLE function resolves all flow variables in a given text.
    - SETVARIABLE
      The SETVARIABLE function sets a new, or updates an existing flow variable. This function specifies the name of a flow variable if one does not already exist. Otherwise, it updates the value of an existing flow variable with the new value.
  - 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.

DECVARIABLE

The DECVARIABLE function decrements the numeric value a flow variable.

This function defines a new flow variable if one doe not exist already and sets the specified decrement value as the initial value for the new flow variable. If the decrement value is not specified, it defaults to 1, and returns the set value in text format.

If the flow variable exists already and holds a numeric value, this function decrements by the specified increment value. If the decrement value is not specified, it decrements the numeric value associated to a flow variable by 1 and returns the set value in text format to the map. The value associated to a flow variable is non-numeric, then this function skips performing decrement operation on the value of the flow variable, leaves the non-numeric value intact.

Syntax:: DECVARIABLE ( single-text-expression [, single-text-expression] )
Meaning:: DECVARIABLE ( variable_name [, decrement_by] )
Returns:: A single text item.

Examples

flowlib->DECVARIABLE ( "interest.rate" )
Decrements the value of flow variable, interest.rate, by 1 and returns the decremented value in text format. If the flow variable, interest.rate, does not exist already, creates one by that name, assigns 1 and returns “1�?.
flowlib->DECVARIABLE “interest.rate�?, 10 )
Decrements the value of flow variable, interest.rate, by 10 and returns the decremented value in text format. If the flow variable, interest.rate, does not exist already, creates one by that name, assigns 10 and returns “10�?.
flowlib->DECVARIABLE ( “city�? )
Returns empty value, if the flow variable, city, holds a non-numeric text value as ‘New York’. Decrement operation is not performed and retains the value of the flow variable intact as ‘New York’. If the flow variable, city, does not exist already, then a new flow variable, city, is created and set with value 1, returns “1�? to the map.