The SDFXMLEXTRACTOR Utility generates the appropriate output file or files depending on the command used to initiate the utility.
Before using the contents of a formlibrary, review Preparing to Use ClearPath ePortal Developer, Preparing to Capture the Screens of T27 Applications, Preparing To Use the MCP COBOL Data Source Wizard, and Using an SDF Formlibrary with ePortal.
Selecting the Forms To Be Modernized
The SEPARATE=<boolean attribute> parameter controls how the output file is generated.
If the attribute is set to FALSE, or not specified, a single output file is generated for all of the forms in the formlibrary, and all of the forms in the formlibrary are imported into the ClearPath ePortal.
If the attribute is set to TRUE, a separate output file is generated for each of the forms in the formlibrary and the forms to be imported can be selected.
If the formlibrary contains more forms than the ones that need to be modernized, a new formlibrary containing just those forms to be modernized can be created.
To create a new formlibrary
Determine the name of the dictionary that contains the formlibrary and the name of the formlibrary.
Copy the forms needed for the new presentation from the existing formlibrary into the new formlibrary.
Running the SDFXMLEXTRACTOR Utility for a T27 Data Source Project
Use the T27XMLEXTRACT command or its synonym XMLEXTRACT to generate the XML representation of forms in the formlibrary.
The following is a CANDE statement to use to extract T27 forms:
RUN $SYSTEM/EPORTAL/SDFXMLEXTRACTOR("T27XMLEXTRACT
[,SEPARATE=<Boolean attribute>,UNIQUE=<unique attribute>]");
FILE DICTIONARY (FILENAME=<sdf dictionary name>);
FILE FORMLIBRARY (FILENAME=<sdf formlibrary file name>);
[,INTMODE=<coded character set name>]);
FILE RESULTS (LTITLE=<sdf xml output file name>);>By default, the SDF formlibrary file is assumed to be in the HOSTCCS character set. If the INTMODE of the SDF formlibrary file is not the same as the HOSTCCS setting, you must specify the optional INTMODE attribute in the FORMLIBRARY file equation.
For example, if the SDF formlibrary file is in JAPAN24JBIS8, but the HOSTCCS setting is not JAPAN24JBIS8, then you must use the FILE FORMLIBRARY (FILENAME= SDF formlibrary file name , INTMODE=JAPAN24JBIS8) file equation.
The SEPARATE and UNIQUE parameters are optional parameters for the T27XMLEXTRACT command.
By default, the output file is placed under the same usercode as the dictionary.
The default behavior for generating the page identification region or regions for the form is
If the formlibrary processes forms based on the message keys, the default value (transaction code) for the Message Key field of each form becomes the page identification region when the form is imported into the ClearPath ePortal data source project.
If the formlibrary does not process forms based on the message keys, the literal text of each form becomes the page identification region of each form. If the first literal text does not provide a unique page identification region for the screen, additional page identification regions are created using the next literal text on the screen until the concatenated page identification regions are unique to the screen.
This default behavior can be overwritten by specifying the UNIQUE=<unique attribute> parameter or the SEPARATE=<Boolean attribute> in the CANDE statement.
The possible attribute values for the UNIQUE parameter are:
| Value | Action |
|---|---|
| NONE | Do not generate the page identification region or regions for the form. Refer to Planning the Data Identification Strategy, in Preparing to Capture the Screens of T27 Applications to determine your strategy for identifying pages. |
| LITERALTEXT | When the formlibrary processes forms based on the message keys, use the literal text of the form to generate the page identification region or regions for the form. |
The possible values for the SEPARATE parameter are:
| Value | Action |
|---|---|
| FALSE or not specified | A single output file is generated for all of the forms in the formlibrary. |
| TRUE | A separate output file is generated for each form in the formlibrary that is selected. When selected, the RESULTS file specified the output file name prefix for the generated output file for each form selected: <sdf xml output file name>/"<each form name>.XML" |
Note: The SDFXMLEXTRACTOR utility might generate the following warnings. Such warnings indicate that the identified forms might be duplicate forms. Check these forms after importing the forms into the ClearPath ePortal data source project:CLEARPATHEPORTAL:WARNING: FOLLOWING FORMS WITH SAME NUMBER COULD BE A DUPLICATE FORM: CLEARPATHEPORTAL: form name 1 8 CLEARPATHEPORTAL: form name 2 8
Refer to T27 Project SDFXMLEXTRACTOR Utility Example.
Running the SDFXMLEXTRACTOR Utility for an MCP COBOL Data Source Project
Use the COBOLXMLEXTRACT command to generate the COBOL data description and the XML representation of the forms in the formlibrary.
The following is a CANDE statement to use to extract forms and their data descriptions:
RUN $SYSTEM/EPORTAL/SDFXMLEXTRACTOR("COBOLXMLEXTRACT
[,SEPARATE=<Boolean attribute>,FLATTEN=<Boolean attribute>]");
FILE DICTIONARY (FILENAME=<sdf dictionary name>);
FILE FORMLIBRARY (FILENAME=<sdf formlibrary file name>);
[,INTMODE=<coded character set>]);
FILE RESULTS (LTITLE=<output file name prefix>);By default, the SDF formlibrary file is assumed to be in the HOSTCCS character set. If the INTMODE of the SDF formlibrary file is not the same as the HOSTCCS setting, you must specify the optional INTMODE attribute in the FORMLIBRARY file equation.
For example, if the SDF formlibrary file is in JAPAN24JBIS8, but the HOSTCCS setting is not JAPAN24JBIS8, then you must use the FILE FORMLIBRARY (FILENAME= SDF formlibrary file name, INTMODE=JAPAN24JBIS8) file equation.
The SEPARATE and FLATTEN parameters are optional parameters of the COBOLXMLEXTRACT command.
The possible attribute values for the FLATTEN parameter are:
| Value | Action |
|---|---|
| FALSE or not specified | Occurring items are emitted into the generated COBOL data description file without modification. For example, 02<item>PIC X(5) OCCURS 3. |
| TRUE | A flatten data description of the occurring item is emitted. For example, 02<item>
03<item>-1 PIC X(5).
03<item>-2 PIC X(5).
03<item>-3 PIC X(5).
|
The possible values for the SEPARATE parameter are:
| Value | Action |
|---|---|
| FALSE or not specified | A pair of output files are generated for all of the forms in the formlibrary. The RESULTS file specifies the output file name prefix for two output files: <output file name prefix>/COBOLRECORD <output file name prefix>/"COBOLSDF.XML" |
| TRUE | A pair of output files are generated for each form in the formlibrary that is selected. The RESULTS file specifies the output file name prefix for a pair of generated output files for each form selected: <output file name prefix>/COBOLRECORD/<each form name> <output file name prefix/COBOLSDFXML/"<each form name>.XML" |
If the formlibrary processes forms based on the message keys, the Message Key field of each form is automatically assigned as a unique COBOL data identifier for each COBOL record image.
However, if the formlibrary does not process forms based on the message keys, a unique COBOL data identifier is not automatically assigned. Refer to Planning the Data Identification Strategy, in Preparing To Use the MCP COBOL Data Source Wizard to determine your strategy for identifying messages. To add a data identification field, refer to Changing the COBOL Data Identifier.