Function Name	CodeToChar
Category	String
Icon
Description	Convert Unicode value to character
Inputs	Char Code Unicode representation of character
Outputs	Result Character represented by Unicode input
Properties	None -

Usage

The Data Mapper String CodeToChar function returns the character representation of a single Unicode value input. Often, XML data is mapped for use between differing Web and desktop applications, so the ability to convert data to different formats is essential. Converting Unicode to character data is therefore a useful facility. To apply the String CodeToChar transform function, use the following process:

Create a new Data Mapper file, dragging your XML data source and targets into the editor area. For this example we are using document_alt_source.xsd, an XML Schema Definition inferred from the following source:

<docs>
<document>
 <title>My Data File</title>
 <content>Here is my content</content>
 <type>98</type>
</document>
<document>
 <title>Another File</title>
 <content>Here is some more content</content>
 <type>114</type>
</document>
</docs>

For our target schema we will be using document_alt_target.xsd, inferred from the following XML:

<data_files>
 <file type="c" name="My File">Here is my content</file>
 <file type="s" name="His File">Here is his content</file>
</data_files>

The data models documents, with the "type" item using a single character. Here is the Data Mapper with Source and Target imported:

Drag the String CodeToChar function from the Component Palette into the mapping area:

The String CodeToChar function takes a single input and gives a single output. The input should be connected to the source Unicode value to retrieve the character representation from. The output should be connected to the target item, whether an item in the XML Writer or another component in the Mapper. In this case we are mapping from an element in the source to an attribute in the target, converting to character at the same time. Connect the XML Reader "type" output to the CodeToChar input:

Now connect the CodeToChar output to the "type" item in the XML Writer:

Finally, connect the remaining inputs and outputs:

We can now execute the transform by pressing Shift-F5 or the Execute button (). The transform is applied and the file we selected as output opens in the editor:

<data_files>
 <file type="b" name="My Data File">Here is my content</file>
 <file type="r" name="Another File">Here is some more content</file>
</data_files>

The "type" items have been converted from Unicode to character data as part of the mapping process. The result is that the characters are now represented as text Strings rather than numerically.