XSLT Connector
Version 23.4.8839
Version 23.4.8839
XSLT Connector
The XSLT connector provides support for Extensible Stylesheet Transformation (XSLT 1.0) transforms.
Overview
After an XSLT file has been uploaded to the connector, XML files arriving at the connector are automatically converted based on the XLST definition.
Connector Configuration
This section contains all of the configurable connector properties.
Settings Tab
Connector Settings
Settings related to the core operation of the connector.
- Connector Id The static, unique identifier for the connector.
- Connector Type Displays the connector name and a description of what it does.
- Connector Description An optional field to provide a free-form description of the connector and its role in the flow.
- XSL Template File The XSLT file that defines the XML transformation to be performed by the connector.
Other Settings
Settings not included in the previous categories.
- Document Function Check this to allow use of the
document()
function while processing XSLT. - Embedded Scripts Check this to allow use of embedded scripts while processing XSLT.
- Local File Scheme A scheme for assigning filenames to messages that are output by the connector. You can use macros in your filenames dynamically to include information such as identifiers and timestamps. For more information, see Macros.
- Processing Delay The amount of time (in seconds) by which the processing of files placed in the Input folder is delayed. This is a legacy setting. Best practice is to use a File connector to manage local file systems instead of this setting.
Message
Message settings determine how the connector searches for messages and manages them after processing. You can save messages to your Sent folder or you can group them based on a Sent folder scheme, as described below.
- Save to Sent Folder A toggle that instructs the connector to keep a copy of sent messages in the Sent folder.
- Sent Folder Scheme Instructs the connector to group files in the Sent folder according to the selected interval. For example, the Weekly option instructs the connector to create a new subfolder each week and store all sent files for the week in that folder. The blank setting instructs the connector to save all files directly in the Sent folder. For connectors that process many transactions, using subfolders can help keep files organized and improve performance.
Logging
- Log Level The verbosity of logs generated by the connector. When you request support, set this to Debug.
- Log Subfolder Scheme Instructs the connector to group files in the Logs folder according to the selected interval. For example, the Weekly option instructs the connector to create a new subfolder each week and store all logs for the week in that folder. The blank setting tells the connector to save all logs directly in the Logs folder. For connectors that process many transactions, using subfolders helps keep logs organized and improves performance.
- Log Messages Check this to have the log entry for a processed file include a copy of the file itself. If you disable this, you might not be able to download a copy of the file from the Input or Output tabs.
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous settings are for specific use cases.
- Other Settings Enables you to configure hidden connector settings in a semicolon-separated list (for example,
setting1=value1;setting2=value2
). Normal connector use cases and functionality should not require the use of these settings.
Automation Tab
Automation Settings
Settings related to the automatic processing of files by the connector.
- Send Whether messages arriving at the connector are automatically processed.
Performance
Settings related to the allocation of resources to the connector.
- Max Workers The maximum number of worker threads consumed from the threadpool to process files on this connector. If set, this overrides the default setting on the Settings > Automation page.
- Max Files The maximum number of files sent by each thread assigned to the connector. If set, this overrides the default setting on the Settings > Automation page.
Alerts Tab
Settings related to configuring alerts and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
Connector Email Settings
Before you can execute SLAs, you need to set up email alerts for notifications. Clicking Configure Alerts opens a new browser window to the Settings page where you can set up system-wide alerts. See Alerts for more information.
Service Level Agreement (SLA) Settings
SLAs enable you to configure the volume you expect connectors in your flow to send or receive, and to set the time frame in which you expect that volume to be met. CData Arc sends emails to warn the user when an SLA is not met, and marks the SLA as At Risk, which means that if the SLA is not met soon, it will be marked as Violated. This gives the user an opportunity to step in and determine the reasons the SLA is not being met, and to take appropriate actions. If the SLA is still not met at the end of the at-risk time period, the SLA is marked as violated, and the user is notified again.
To define an SLA, click Add Expected Volume Criteria.
- If your connector has separate send and receive actions, use the radio buttons to specify which direction the SLA pertains to.
- Set Expect at least to the minimum number of transactions (the volume) you expect to be processed, then use the Every fields to specify the time frame.
- By default, the SLA is in effect every day. To change that, uncheck Everyday then check the boxes for the days of the week you want.
- Use And set status to ‘At Risk’ to indicate when the SLA should be marked as at risk.
- By default, notifications are not sent until an SLA is in violation. To change that, check Send an ‘At Risk’ notification.
The following example shows an SLA configured for a connector that expects to receive 1000 files every day Monday-Friday. An at-risk notification is sent 1 hour before the end of the time period if the 1000 files have not been received.
Macros
Using macros in file naming strategies can enhance organizational efficiency and contextual understanding of data. By incorporating macros into filenames, you can dynamically include relevant information such as identifiers, timestamps, and header information, providing valuable context to each file. This helps ensure that filenames reflect details important to your organization.
CData Arc supports these macros, which all use the following syntax: %Macro%
.
Macro | Description |
---|---|
ConnectorID | Evaluates to the ConnectorID of the connector. |
Ext | Evaluates to the file extension of the file currently being processed by the connector. |
Filename | Evaluates to the filename (extension included) of the file currently being processed by the connector. |
FilenameNoExt | Evaluates to the filename (without the extension) of the file currently being processed by the connector. |
MessageId | Evaluates to the MessageId of the message being output by the connector. |
RegexFilename:pattern | Applies a RegEx pattern to the filename of the file currently being processed by the connector. |
Header:headername | Evaluates to the value of a targeted header (headername ) on the current message being processed by the connector. |
LongDate | Evaluates to the current datetime of the system in long-handed format (for example, Wednesday, January 24, 2024). |
ShortDate | Evaluates to the current datetime of the system in a yyyy-MM-dd format (for example, 2024-01-24). |
DateFormat:format | Evaluates to the current datetime of the system in the specified format (format ). See Sample Date Formats for the available datetime formats |
Vault:vaultitem | Evaluates to the value of the specified vault item. |
Examples
Some macros, such as %Ext% and %ShortDate%, do not require an argument, but others do. All macros that take an argument use the following syntax: %Macro:argument%
Here are some examples of the macros that take an argument:
- %Header:headername%: Where
headername
is the name of a header on a message. - %Header:mycustomheader% resolves to the value of the
mycustomheader
header set on the input message. - %Header:ponum% resolves to the value of the
ponum
header set on the input message. - %RegexFilename:pattern%: Where
pattern
is a regex pattern. For example,%RegexFilename:^([\w][A-Za-z]+)%
matches and resolves to the first word in the filename and is case insensitive (test_file.xml
resolves totest
). - %Vault:vaultitem%: Where
vaultitem
is the name of an item in the vault. For example,%Vault:companyname%
resolves to the value of thecompanyname
item stored in the vault. - %DateFormat:format%: Where
format
is an accepted date format (see Sample Date Formats for details). For example,%DateFormat:yyyy-MM-dd-HH-mm-ss-fff%
resolves to the date and timestamp on the file.
You can also create more sophisticated macros, as shown in the following examples:
- Combining multiple macros in one filename:
%DateFormat:yyyy-MM-dd-HH-mm-ss-fff%%EXT%
- Including text outside of the macro:
MyFile_%DateFormat:yyyy-MM-dd-HH-mm-ss-fff%
- Including text within the macro:
%DateFormat:'DateProcessed-'yyyy-MM-dd_'TimeProcessed-'HH-mm-ss%
XSLT Operations
In addition to the Operations provided with Arc, connectors can provide operations that extend functionality into ArcScript.
These connector operations can be called just like any other ArcScript operation, except for two details:
- They must be called through the
connector.rsc
endpoint. - They must include an auth token.
For example, calling a connector operation using both of these rules might look something like this:
<arc:set attr="in.myInput" value="myvalue" />
<arc:call op="connector.rsc/opName" authtoken="admin:1j9P8v8b9K0x6g5R5t7k" in="in" out="out">
<!-- handle output from the op here -->
</arc:call>
The operation specific to the functionality of the XSLT connector is described below.
xsltTranslate
Translates an input XML file according to a configured XSLT connector or a specified XSLT file.
Required Parameters
- ConnectorId: The name of the configured XSLT connector to use for translation
OR - TemplateFile: The path to the XSL template to use for translation
OR -
Data: The contents of the XSL template to use for translation
- File: The input file to translate
Optional Parameters
- OutputEncoding: By default, the operation outputs ASCII data. To output base64-encoded binary data instead, set this parameter to
base64
. - OutputFile: When this is set, output data is not written to the Data output attribute and is instead written to the specified file.
Output Attributes
- Data: The output from the translation is passed through this parameter.