Container Termination

Select the default method for determining how the end of a container is identified.

Delimiter

The end of the container is marked by a literal character string or binary sequence.

For example: A semicolon ;

Fixed Length

For all messages, the container length is defined as an integer value that is constant from instance to instance. The length is setfor each new container when you add a container to a message definition.

Minimum Length & Delimiter

A minimum number of characters are read from the field, continuing until a delimiter is reached.

Minimum Length & White Space

A minimum number of characters are read from the field, continuing until whitespace data is read, which may include spaces, carriage returns, line feeds, horizontal tabs, or vertical tabs.

White Space

The end of the container is marked by whitespace data, which can include spaces, carriage returns, line feeds, horizontal tabs, or vertical tabs.

None

The end of the container is not marked.

End of Container

The container accepts input until the beginning of the next field or container or until the end of the message.

Child Grouping

Select the default option that describes how a container's fields are arranged:

Ordered

This container contains a set of fields that occur in the same order for every message. When you add fields to this container, the field order must match the actual field order in a message.

Alternative

This container contains two or more fields, but only one of the fields is expected to occur per message. Use this type of container group type to model a field that can be one of several types in any given message.

Type

A delimiter identifies the end of a container. If you know that the majority of the delimiters used in your message definitions are either character strings or binary sequences, make the appropriate selection below.

String

Select String if you are entering the delimiter value as a regular string, for example, $$.

Binary

Enter Delimiter Value

If you know that the majority of the containers in your message definition use the same delimiter value, for example, />, enter the delimiter here. If delimiter values are different from container to container, you may want to select the No Default check box.

No Default

Select the check box if you want the delimiter value to default to null.

When editing a message definition lacking a default delimiter for containers, each time you add a container and select one of the "Delimiter" types for the Container Termination property, you must enter the delimiter value manually.

Optional

If the majority of the containers in your message definition are optional, select the check box. If the majority of containers are required, clear the check box.

Repeat Type

Select the default rule that determines how many containers of this type are expected to occur in each message instance:

None

The container always occurs once and only once.

Unbounded

The container can occur any number of times or not at all.

Fixed Count

The container occurs X number of times in each message, where X = the Instances property of the container, which you set for each container and must have a positive value.

Field Driven

The container appears X number of times, where X = the positive, non-zero integer value of the field specified by Instance Count Field property of the container, which you set for each container.

Range

The container may appear any number of times between and including X and Y, where X is the positive, non-zero integer value of Min and Y is the non-negative integer value of theMax property of the container, which you set for each container.

Container Is Tagged

If the majority of containers in your project are identified by a literal tag, for example, ZIP:, select the check box.