12/8/08
For those who develop and/or execute Mercator/DataStage/Websphere maps on
Windows systems, Tal Systems is making available an EXIT DLL to perform
several tasks which might be handy at both development and production time -
and making it available at no cost, with no restrictions other than those
required to retain the copyright.
If you have never used the Mercator/DataStage/Websphere EXIT function in a
map rule, it is very simple:
TextObject =EXIT ("libraryname", "FunctionName", "StringParameter")
The object value is mapped with the value returned by the EXIT function.
Simple, yes?
The functions available in this EXIT DLL are as follows:
SHORTPATHNAME
param in = any file name (long or short)
Returns: = MS-DOS (8.3) filename or NONE if file not found
EXITGETFILESIZE
param in = any file
Returns = "-1" (file not found) or filesize 0 to 2 Gb, not formatted.
EXITGETENVIRONMENTVARIABLE
param in = name of environment variable to get
Returns = value or NONE if not found
ADDWORKDAYS
Adds (or subtracts) nnnn days from input date, not counting Saturdays
or Sundays.
param in = "CCYYMMDD,nnnn" ( nnnn may be preceded with minus sign;
e.g., "-10" for "two work weeks earlier")
returns = "CCYYMMDD" (new date)
returns NONE on invalid date. Invalid numeric value is
treated as zero.
WORKDAYSDIFFERENCE
Computes number of workdays between two CCYYMMDD dates
param in = "CCYYMMDD,CCYYMMDD"
Returns = "999" or "-999" or "0"
If value returned is positive, first date is less than (before) second
date; if
negative, First date is greater than (after) second date
Saturdays and Sundays are ignored when counting. ie, difference
between 20060108 and 20060101 is 5
Returns NONE if either date is invalid.
TSEMSGBOX
Shows resizeable messagebox containing text; Shows length of text, text
itself and offers option to copy that text to the clipboard. Map
execution is suspended until <OK> button clicked or <Enter> is pressed.
Param in = String
[optional window caption]Text to be displayed
If the text string starts with a left-square bracket, and there is a
closing square bracket, any text between the two brackets will be
used as the caption for the Window. Otherwise the Window uses the
default caption "Message from Executing Map"
Any other text becomes the text displayed in the edit control, which
may be edited and then copied to the Windows Clipboard.
Returns = NONE, always
Because the function always returns NONE, can be very useful for
debugging as in this rule..
=EITHER (EXIT ("TSELIB1.DLL", "TSEMSGBOX", "[Window Caption]Text to
display", Actual Mapping Value Desired)
Why are we making this available for free? Well, we are making one last try
at convincing Mercator/DataStage/Websphere mapping professionals that
"Interactive" is a very viable option for maps run on Windows systems. If
you go to our web site at http://www.talsystems.com, at the lower right of
the page is an "=EXIT" icon you may click for more information, along with
an email link from which you may request an evaluation version of the
software. What the TsExitSuite(tm) does is, essentially, is provide a series
of additional "interactive" functions to your mapping rules toolkit...
functions which enable you to prompt for a file name or any other value, run
an external program, or run a program or utility and return the STDOUT of
that process as a 'blob' of text.. all at map EXECUTION TIME.
If you've ever wished you could create a map which started its execution
with, "Select the file name to process", well, here is how you can do that!
You can obtain your free DLL (no restrictions on use or redistribution,
although the copyright remains with the author) by sending an email to
address below or by using the email link on the web site. You MUST include
your real name, city and state and a valid return email address.
The EXIT DLL will ship to you via either email attachment or via a web link
along with the programmer's reference document (13 pp Microsoft Word format)
for the complete TsExitSuite; and you WILL be contacted again to ask if you
wish to evaluate the full TsExitSuite and/or order a license. The full
developer license for the TsExitSuite is only $199.00, which includes a
testbench application on which you can develop your rules without the need
to run the map.. or for that matter, to even have a copy of the
Mercator/DataStage/Websphere Authoring System installed.
As all of us who work with this product know, IBM now owns it and calls it
Websphere.
If IBM thought it was worth BUYING, surely it is worth your time to at least
consider adding INTERACTIVE capability to your maps.
Michael C. Mattias
Tal Systems Inc.
Racine WI
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.talsystems.com
The software described above is not a product of Mercator Software,
Ascential Software or IBM. Mercator, DataStageTX and Webshere are trademarks
or registered trademarks. Active "Websphere" trademark owned by
International Business Machines Corporation Armonk NY USA
...
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