NewFromRecord (XmlDoc function)
Create a new XmlDoc from the current record (XmlDoc class)
[Requires Janus SOAP]
This shared function creates a new XmlDoc object that contains the fields and fieldgroups from the current record. Among other things, the result XmlDoc can be used to copy a record, using the AddToRecord subroutine.
The field and fieldgroup extraction performed by NewFromRecord is the same operation that is performed by the LoadFromRecord subroutine and by the ToXmlDoc function in the Record class, as is further described below in "Usage notes".
Syntax
%doc = [%(XmlDoc):]NewFromRecord[( [AttributeValues= boolean], - [AttributeNames= boolean], - [NamesToLower= boolean], - [AllowUnreversible= boolean], - [CodepageTable= boolean], - [Base64Encode= boolean], - [CharacterMap= characterToUnicodeMap], - [Allownull= boolean], - [Recordnumber= number], [File= string])] Throws CharacterTranslationException
Syntax terms
| %doc | NewFromRecord returns a new XmlDoc object. |
|---|---|
| [%(XmlDoc:]) | The optional class name in parentheses denotes a virtual constructor method. See "Usage notes", below, for more information about invoking an XmlDoc virtual constructor. |
| AttributeValues | This name required argument is a Boolean value that indicates whether a field value will be stored as "XML text" or as an XML attribute (belonging to its field, which is an XmlDoc element).
For example, The default value is False, which produces text format. In this format, the value of a field will be converted to base64 in the XmlDoc if the field contains a byte that is:
|
| AttributeNames | This name required argument is a Boolean value that indicates whether each field name is to be stored in the XmlDoc as an element name or as the value of a "name" attribute.
For example, <field name="APSUBUND"> COMM </field> The default value as of Sirius Mods version 7.6 (and maintenance back to version 7.3) is True, which produces name-as-attribute format. Formerly, the default value was False. The name-as-attribute format from the True option is better suited to operations on the XmlDoc, particularly a record copying operation. The element-name format from the False option produces more compact output when the XmlDoc is serialized. This argument must be True if the XmlDoc is to be used as the method object of the AddToRecord subroutine. |
| NamesToLower | This name required argument is a Boolean value that indicates whether field names are stored in all lowercase characters. The default value is False, which does not translate uppercase name characters to lowercase.
If the XmlDoc is to be used for record copying, this argument should probably be False. |
| AllowUnreversible | This name required argument is a Boolean value that indicates whether a request is cancelled if a field name would be changed irreversibly by lowercasing or by replacing with a period the characters that would be invalid in an XML document.
The default value is False, which allows request cancellation to alert you about unreversible field names. If the XmlDoc is to be used for record copying, this argument should probably be False. |
| CodepageTable | This name required argument is a Boolean value; if True, the translations defined by the base Unicode codepage are used when translating from EBCDIC to Unicode for storing in the XmlDoc.
This argument is for the unusual case where you anticipate that the XML document is to be used later by AddToRecord, and the standard Unicode translation tables in place when AddToRecord is invoked may differ from those in place when the record was copied to the XmlDoc. The default value is False, which uses the standard Unicode translation tables, including any modifications specified in CodepageTable=False is that it will allow you to readily modify the XmlDoc directly (that is, with the AddElement and AddAttribute methods). Those operations will use the standard Unicode translation tables; there is no way to perform them using the base codepage translation tables. |
| AllowNull | The value of this name required Boolean argument, which defaults to False, is copied to the AllowNull property of the XmlDoc created by NewFromRecord. The XmlDoc's AllowNull property, in turn, determines whether field values that contain the X'00' character are stored in the XmlDoc with base64 encoding. Such values are base64 encoded if the AllowNull property is False (the default). For an example, see "Handling records with null characters", below. |
Usage notes
- NewFromRecord is a virtual constructor and as such can be called with no method object, with an explicit class name, or with an object variable, even if that object is Null:
%doc = NewFromRecord %doc = %(XmlDoc):NewFromRecord %doc = %doc:NewFromRecord
- Whether to use ToXmlDoc, LoadFromRecord, or NewFromRecord depends on what is
most convenient for your application.
If you are already using a Record object which references the desired record,
using ToXmlDoc may be more convenient; if not, then either
NewFromRecord or LoadFromRecord (both of which require that the method be
contained in a record loop, for example, For Each Record) may be more convenient.
You must use LoadFromRecord if you want to add the record's content as a
subtree to a non-empty XmlDoc;
in other cases the NewFromRecord virtual constructor may be your choice.
Since NewFromRecord and ToXmlDoc create new XmlDoc objects, they have the AllowNull argument for setting the created XmlDoc's AllowNull poperty; LoadFromRecord does not have the AllowNull argument.
As stated, both NewFromRecord and LoadFromRecord must be contained in a record loop, for example, an FRN block, and they may not be invoked within a fieldgroup context.
Except for these considerations, ToXmlDoc, NewFromRecord, and LoadFromRecord all perform the same operation and have the same arguments, so.
- See the additional comments in the ToXmlDoc "Usage notes"; these apply equally to NewFromRecord and LoadFromRecord.
Examples
In addition to the examples in the following section, the ToXmlDoc examples show the effect of the AttributeValues, AttributeNames, and NamesToLower method arguments.
Handling records with null characters
In the following example, NewFromRecord adds record content which includes a null character to an XmlDoc. The default False value of the AllowNull parameter is passed to the XmlDoc and causes the null character to be base64 encoded. This conforms to the XML Recommendation, which does not allow null characters in an XML document.
The following fragment:
%s = 'Field with null/' With '00':X With '/' Store Record FOO = %s End Store %r = $CurRec FRN %r %doc = %doc:NewFromRecord End For PrintText {~} = {%doc:AllowNull} %doc:Print
produces this output:
%doc:AllowNull = False <Record version="1" file="QAWORK" number="1"> <field name="FOO" encoding="base64"> xomFk4RApomjiECVpJOTYQBh </field> </Record>
In the above output, notice that FOO is base64 encoded,
because it contains a null character, and
null characters are not allowed in an XmlDoc whose AllowNull
property is False.
The following fragment:
%s = 'Field with null/' With '00':X With '/' Store Record FOO = %s End Store %r = $CurRec FRN %r %doc = %doc:NewFromRecord(AllowNull=True) End For PrintText {~} = {%doc:AllowNull} %doc:Print
produces the following output:
%doc:AllowNull = True <Record version="1" file="QAWORK" number="1"> <field name="FOO"> Field with null/�/ </field> </Record>
In the above output, FOO is not base64 encoded; the XmlDoc contains
a null character, which is displayed by the Print method using a
character reference (�).
This may be useful for visually inspecting the contents of the
XmlDoc, again noting that such a document is not, strictly speaking,
conformant to the XML Recommendation.
The description above of the AttributeValues argument lists all conditions which force base64 encoding of the "field" element.
See also
- Among other things, the result XmlDoc can be used to copy a record, using the AddToRecord subroutine.
- See the LoadFromRecord method for a discussion of extracting the contents of the current record into an XmlDoc.