Action step properties

The Action step can run multiple specific actions one after the other in order; see Action step for more information.

The properties of an Action step become visible in the Step properties pane when the Action step is selected on the Steps pane.

Description

This subsection is collapsed by default in the interface, to give more screen space to other important parts.

Name: The name of the step. This name will be displayed on top of the step's icon in the Steps pane.

Comments: The text entered here will be displayed in the tooltip that appears when hovering over the step in the Steps pane.

Actions

This subsection lists all actions executed by the step, and their types.

  • Name: A name by which to refer to the action. This name has no impact on functionality.

  • Type:

    • Set property: Sets the value of a record property which was created in the Preprocessor step (see Preprocessor step).

    • Run JavaScript : Runs a JavaScript expression, giving much more flexibility over the extraction process.

    • Skip to next record: When this option is selected, the extraction workflow stops processing the current record and moves on to the next one. The record remains visible, but with its data model pane greyed out, when it is being skipped as a visual clue to determine to which records the "Stop Processing Record" action is being applied.
      If fields were already extracted prior to encountering the Action step, then those fields are stored as usual.
      If no fields were extracted prior to encountering the Action step, then no trace of the record is saved in the database at run time.

    • Stop data mapping: The extraction workflow stops processing the data.
      If fields of the current record were already extracted prior to encountering the Action step, then those fields are stored as usual, but the rest of the data is skipped.
      If no fields were extracted prior to encountering the Action step, then no trace of the current record is saved in the database at run time.

    • Break out of repeat loop: The data mapping workflow moves to the first step following the Repeat loop, after executing any other actions defined in the same Action step. If this action is specified in an Action step that is not inside a Repeat loop, then it is ignored.

Set Property

Text and PDF Files

  • Property: Displays a list of record properties set in the Preprocessor step (see Preprocessor step).

  • Type: Displays the type of the property. This is a read-only field.

  • Based on: Determines the origin of the data.

    • Location: The contents of the data selection set below will be the value of the extracted field. The data selection settings are different depending on the data sample type.

      • Left: Defines the start of the data selection to extract

      • Right: Defines the end of the data selection to extract

      • Top offset: The vertical offset from the current pointer location in the Data Sample (Viewer).

      • Height: The height of the selection box.

      • Use selection: Click to use the value of the current data selection for the extraction.

        • Note: If the selection contains multiple lines, only the first line is selected.

      • Trim: Select to trim empty characters at the beginning or the end of the field

    • JavaScript : The result of the JavaScript Expression written below the drop-down will be the value of the extracted field. If the expression contains multiple lines, the last value attribution (variable = "value";) will be the value. See DataMapper Scripts API.

      • Expression: The JavaScript expression to run.

      • Use JavaScript Editor: Click to display the Edit Script dialog (see Using scripts in the DataMapper and DataMapper Scripts API).

      • Use selected text: Inserts the text in the current data selection in the JavaScript Expression. If multiple lines or elements are selected, only the first one is used.

      • Use selection: Click to use the value of the current data selection for the extraction.

        • Note: If the selection contains multiple lines, only the first line is selected.

  • Data Format: Data format settings tell the DataMapper how certain types of data are formatted in the data source. Make sure that this format matches the actual format of the data in the data source.

    • Negative Sign Before: Any value in a numeric field that has a "-" sign is interpreted as a negative value.
    • Decimal Separator: Set the decimal separator for a numerical value.
    • Thousand Separator: Set the thousand separator for a numerical value.
    • Currency Sign: Set the currency sign for a currency value.
    • Treat empty as 0: A numerical empty value is treated as a 0 value.
    • Date/Time Format: Set the date format for a date value.
      • Automatic: Select this option to parse dates automatically, without specifying a format. This is the default setting for new Date fields.
      • ISO8601: This setting allows for dates with different timestamp formats, or belonging to different time zones, to be parsed inside a single job. Dates that do not include a specific time are automatically considered to use the current locale's time zone.
        Select the ISO template to be used when parsing the timestamp. Other ISO8601 formats can be handled via the Custom option.
      • Custom: Set a custom date format. For the markers available in the DataMapper see Date.
    • Date Language: Set the language for a date value (ex: If English is selected, the term May will be identified as the month of May).
    • Use offset from UTC: Select the default time zone, which is to be used to extract any timestamp that does not already include time zone information with the time.

CSV and Database Files

  • Property: Displays a list of record properties set in the Preprocessor step (see Preprocessor step).

  • Type: Displays the type of the property. Read only field.

  • Based on: Determines the origin of the data.

    • Location: The contents of the data selection set below will be the value of the extracted field. The data selection settings are different depending on the data sample type.

      • Column: Drop-down listing all fields in the Data Sample, of which the value will be used.

      • Top offset: The vertical offset from the current pointer location in the Data Sample (Viewer).

      • Use selection: Click to use the value of the current data selection for the extraction.

        • Note: If the selection contains multiple lines, only the first line is selected.

      • Trim: Select to trim empty characters at the beginning or the end of the field

    • JavaScript : The result of the JavaScript Expression written below the drop-down will be the value of the extracted field. If the expression contains multiple lines, the last value attribution (variable = "value";) will be the value. See DataMapper Scripts API.

      • Expression: The JavaScript expression to run.

      • Use JavaScript Editor: Click to display the Edit Script dialog (see Using scripts in the DataMapper and DataMapper Scripts API).

      • Use selected text: Inserts the text in the current data selection in the JavaScript Expression. If multiple lines or elements are selected, only the first one is used.

      • Use selection: Click to use the value of the current data selection for the extraction.

        • Note: If the selection contains multiple lines, only the first line is selected.

  • Data Format: Data format settings tell the DataMapper how certain types of data are formatted in the data source. Make sure that this format matches the actual format of the data in the data source.

    • Negative Sign Before: Any value in a numeric field that has a "-" sign is interpreted as a negative value.
    • Decimal Separator: Set the decimal separator for a numerical value.
    • Thousand Separator: Set the thousand separator for a numerical value.
    • Currency Sign: Set the currency sign for a currency value.
    • Treat empty as 0: A numerical empty value is treated as a 0 value.
    • Date/Time Format: Set the date format for a date value.
      • Automatic: Select this option to parse dates automatically, without specifying a format. This is the default setting for new Date fields.
      • ISO8601: This setting allows for dates with different timestamp formats, or belonging to different time zones, to be parsed inside a single job. Dates that do not include a specific time are automatically considered to use the current locale's time zone.
        Select the ISO template to be used when parsing the timestamp. Other ISO8601 formats can be handled via the Custom option.
      • Custom: Set a custom date format. For the markers available in the DataMapper see Date.
    • Date Language: Set the language for a date value (ex: If English is selected, the term May will be identified as the month of May).
    • Use offset from UTC: Select the default time zone, which is to be used to extract any timestamp that does not already include time zone information with the time.

XML and JSON files

  • Property: Displays a list of Source Record properties set in the Preprocessor step (see Preprocessor step).

  • Type: Displays the type of the Source Record property. Read only field.

  • Based on: Determines the origin of the data.

    • Location: The contents of the data selection set below will be the value of the extracted field. The data selection settings are different depending on the data sample type.

      • XPath / JsonPath: The path to the XML field / JSON element that is extracted.
        For an overview of XPath functions, see Mozilla: XPath Functions.
        For an overview of the JsonPath syntax, see https://github.com/json-path/jsonpath.

        • Use selection: Click to use the value of the current data selection for the extraction.

          Note: If the selection contains multiple lines, only the first line is selected.

        • Trim: Select to trim empty characters at the beginning or the end of the field

    • JavaScript : The result of the JavaScript Expression written below the drop-down will be the value of the extracted field. If the expression contains multiple lines, the last value attribution (variable = "value";) will be the value. See DataMapper Scripts API.

      • Expression: The JavaScript expression to run.

      • Use JavaScript Editor: Click to display the Edit Script dialog (see Using scripts in the DataMapper and DataMapper Scripts API).

      • Use selected text: Inserts the text in the current data selection in the JavaScript Expression. If multiple lines or elements are selected, only the first one is used.

      • Use selection: Click to use the value of the current data selection for the extraction.

        • Note: If the selection contains multiple lines, only the first line is selected.

  • Data Format: Data format settings tell the DataMapper how certain types of data are formatted in the data source. Make sure that this format matches the actual format of the data in the data source.

    • Negative Sign Before: Any value in a numeric field that has a "-" sign is interpreted as a negative value.
    • Decimal Separator: Set the decimal separator for a numerical value.
    • Thousand Separator: Set the thousand separator for a numerical value.
    • Currency Sign: Set the currency sign for a currency value.
    • Treat empty as 0: A numerical empty value is treated as a 0 value.
    • Date/Time Format: Set the date format for a date value.
      • Automatic: Select this option to parse dates automatically, without specifying a format. This is the default setting for new Date fields.
      • ISO8601: This setting allows for dates with different timestamp formats, or belonging to different time zones, to be parsed inside a single job. Dates that do not include a specific time are automatically considered to use the current locale's time zone.
        Select the ISO template to be used when parsing the timestamp. Other ISO8601 formats can be handled via the Custom option.
      • Custom: Set a custom date format. For the markers available in the DataMapper see Date.
    • Date Language: Set the language for a date value (ex: If English is selected, the term May will be identified as the month of May).
    • Use offset from UTC: Select the default time zone, which is to be used to extract any timestamp that does not already include time zone information with the time.

Run JavaScript

Running a JavaScript expression offers many possibilities. The script could, for example, set record properties and field values using advanced expressions and complex mathematical operations and calculations.

  • Expression: The JavaScript expression to run (see DataMapper Scripts API).

  • Use JavaScript Editor: Click to display the Edit Script dialog.

  • Use selected text: Inserts the text in the current data selection in the JavaScript Expression. If multiple lines or elements are selected, only the first one is used.

  • Use selection: Click to use the value of the current data selection.

    • Note: If the selection contains multiple lines, only the first line is selected.