CALL in Xlate

[garry r fisher]

Hi,

Does anybody use CALL in Xlates? If so would they be kind enough to provide me with a simple example of how it works? Do you need to use the xlate variables i.e. xlateInVals, xlateOutVals etc?

Regards

Garry

Topic

[Russ Ross]

Arguments (xlateInVals & xlateOutVals) for the Xlate/CALL and Xlate/Copy are the same.

Here is an example of part of a Xlate using the CALL that splits a field using the “-” character and palces the output into 5 different output fields:

xlt_splitflds.tcl

Code:

################################################################################
# Name: xlt_splitflds
# Purpose: Provide a capability to split a field into it’s sub fields based
#           upon a user specified separator.
#
#           For example a name field is comprised of three sub-fields:
#              Last Name
#              First Name
#              Middle Initial
#               separated by a comma thus LastName,FirstName,MiddleInitial
#           After the proc has executed, three subfields will have been extracted.
#
#
# UPoC type:    XLTP
# Args: @xlt_splitflds_debug
#           @xlt_splitflds_sep
#           Field to be checked
# Author:       Jim Kosloskey
# Date-written: 10/01/1999
# Purpose:      This procedure splits a Source field into at least as many fields as specified
#               in the Destination (xlateOutList) as separated by the separator specified i
#               (xlt_splitflds_sep).
#
#**************************************************************************************************************
#*                                            C O D E   A U D I T                                                               *
#*_____________________________________________________________________________*
#*Date       I-Catcher  Description                                                                                          *
#*———- ———- ———————————————–*
#*10/01/1999            Procedure conception
#*
#*______________________________________________________________________________*
#*02/24/2004 jrk02242004  Changed use of translit Tcl command to convert DEBUG
#*                        argument to uppercase. Now using string toupper Tcl
#*                        command as translit is being phased out of Tcl.
#*_____________________________________________________________________________*
#**************************************************************************************************************
#
################################################################################
#
# Copyright: Copyright(c) 1999, Oakwood Healthcare System. All rights reserved.

proc xlt_splitflds { } {
   upvar xlateId       xlateId
 xlateInList   xlateInList
 xlateInTypes  xlateInTypes
 xlateInVals   xlateInVals
 xlateOutList  xlateOutList
 xlateOutTypes xlateOutTypes
 xlateOutVals  xlateOutVals

# Global variables
   global HciConnName           ;#Get the connection name

# Local variables
    set fatal_err “N”
    set elem_count 0
    set field_count 1    
    set temp_outvals {}
    set module “$HciConnName XLT_SPLITFLDS v1.1:”
#
#******************************************************************************************************
# Setup the field IDs necessary for this procedure
#******************************************************************************************************
#
   set splitflds_debug {@xlt_splitflds_debug}          ;# xlt_splitflds debug switch
   set splitflds_sep {@xlt_splitflds_sep}              ;# xlt_splitflds separator
#
#******************************************************************************************************
# Setup the Indexes into the Inbound list for the above arguments
#******************************************************************************************************
#
   set debug_ndx {}                         ;# xlt_splitflds debug switch index
   set sep_ndx {}                           ;# xlt_splitflds separator index
#
#******************************************************************************************************
# Setup the Storage Area for the above arguments
#******************************************************************************************************
#
   set debug {N}                             ;# debug switch
   set sep {}                                ;# sep
#
#******************************************************************************************************
# Get the DEBUG argument
#   Find the debug argument position if it exists in the inbound list
#   If it does not exist, notify the invoker
#   If it does exist, find the value of the switch
#       Convert a lower case y to upper case
#******************************************************************************************************
#
   set debug_ndx [lsearch $xlateInList $splitflds_debug]
   if {$debug_ndx == -1} {                     ;# Did we find the argument?
        if {$debug == “Y”} {          ;#Debug on?
            echo “$module $splitflds_debug not located, assuming no debug.”
        }
    }
# jrk02242004 – old way using translit      
#    set debug [translit y Y [lindex $xlateInVals $debug_ndx]]     ;#Change lower to upper  
# jrk02242004 – new way using string toupper
    set debug [string toupper [lindex $xlateInVals $debug_ndx]]

#If debug – display received arguments
    if {$debug == “Y”} {          ;#Debug on?
        echo “$module @xlt_splitflds_debug is >$debug<."     } # #****************************************************************************************************** # Get the SEP argument #   Find the sep argument position if it exists in the inbound list #   If it does not exist, notify the invoker #   If it does exist, find the value of the argument #****************************************************************************************************** #    set sep_ndx [lsearch $xlateInList $splitflds_sep]    if {$sep_ndx == -1} {                     ;# Did we find the argument?        if {$debug == "Y"} {          ;#Debug on?            echo "$module $splitflds_sep not located, proc terminated - NO ACTION TAKEN."        }        xpmerror $xlateId action "$module: Action terminated."     } # # Show the separator argument index     if {$debug == "Y"} {          ;#Debug on?         echo "$module @xlt_splitflds_sep index is >$sep_ndx<."     } # #****************************************************************************************** #* Locate the first element which is NOT an argument #******************************************************************************************    foreach listval $xlateInList {     ;# Step through the xlateInList #    If the list element is one of the arguments #     then bump the list counter      if {[cequal $listval $splitflds_sep] || [cequal $listval $splitflds_debug]} {          incr elem_count 1      } else {                       ;# Found a non-argument element          set elem_ndx $elem_count   ;# set the index for the element          set elem_found 1           ;# set a switch to let everyone else know          if {$debug == "Y"} {       ;# If debug - do da debug dance              echo "$module: First non argument Source element named >$listval< located as element # $elem_count."          }                                  break   ;# Found a non-argument element - stop scanning      }   ;#endelse    }   ;#end foreach       #****************************************************************************************** #* Check to see if we located anything besides our arguments #* If no non-argument elemnts located, #*    - log the event #*    - kill the action #* If an element is located then use that for the substitution #******************************************************************************************    if {!$elem_found} {     ;#No non-argument elements located - Bad News!!        echo "$module: The only elements found in the Source are xlt_splitflds arguments."        echo "$module: Fatal errors occurred while getting arguments (see above)!"        echo "$module:                       NO ACTIVITY PERFORMED!!"        xpmerror $xlateId action "$module: Action terminated."    } else {        set field [lindex $xlateInVals $elem_ndx]    }   ;#endelse #Get the number of Destination fields     set num_flds [llength $xlateOutList] #Get the separator     set sep [lindex $xlateInVals $sep_ndx] #Split the Source field into sub fields based on the separator     set fields_lst [split $field $sep] # # Show the various arguments     if {$debug == "Y"} {          ;#Debug on?         echo "$module @xlt_splitflds_sep value is >$sep<."         echo "$module number of subfields expected (Destination list) value is >$num_flds<."         echo "$module Fields separated are: >$fields_lst<."         echo "$module Source field $listval value is >$field<."    } # #We need to null out the existing xlateOutVals entries in case #   there are less subfields than number of xlateOutVals so the #   COPY action does not erroneously populate xlateOutVals #     if {$debug == "Y"} {          ;#Debug on?         echo "$module -------- Nulling sub fields ---------"         echo "$module   OutVals prior to Null >$xlateOutVals<"         echo "$module   Nulling list elements 0 thru [expr $num_flds - 1]."     }     set xlateOutVals [lreplace $xlateOutVals 0 end ""]     if {$debug == "Y"} {          ;#Debug on?         echo "$module   OutVals after nulling >$xlateOutVals<"         echo "$module ------ End nulling sub fields -------"         echo "$module ------ Start Copying sub fields -------"     }     set field_count 1 #Place the subfields into the Destination fields     foreach sub_field $fields_lst {         if {[expr $field_count > $num_flds]} {
            break
        }
        if {$debug == “Y”} {          ;#Debug on?
            echo “$module Sub field $field_count >$sub_field< copied to [lindex $xlateOutList [expr $field_count - 1]]."         }         xpmstore $xlateId [lindex $xlateOutList [expr $field_count - 1]] c $sub_field         incr field_count 1     }     if {$debug == "Y"} {          ;#Debug on?         echo "$module ------ End Copying sub fields -------"     } }

Russ Ross
RussRoss318@gmail.com

[garry r fisher]

Russ,

Very complete answer:-)

Much appreciated.

Garry

[Peter Heggie]

When would a CALL action be preferred over a COPY action?

Peter Heggie

[Charlie Bursell]

A question I always ask in my Level 3 class is “What is the difference between a CALL and a COPY?”  I don’t think I have ever got a correct answer even from my own people   🙂

In a COPY statement something is *ALWAYS* copied to the output address.  By default it is the input but can be changed.

In a CALL statement *NOTHING* is copied to the output address unless you specifically put it there with an xpmstore command.

It is one of those areas in Cloverleaf where you are allowed to take over the engine tasks and do them as you want instead of the way the engine would.  In this case the translate engine.

As in other cases where you can do the engine’s job, make sure you do it and do it correctly.

I tend to use the CALL statement a lot in some cases.  It is a good tool to have in your toolbox

[Peter Heggie]

Thank you – so maybe SQLite or ODBC code could be called, or an email sent,  to do something not directly related to formatting the output of a translate.

Peter Heggie

[Charlie Bursell]

You would not necessarily need a CALL to do that.  You can do it with a COPY

COPY @null -> @null

[Author]

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