Declaring rules, extractors, or transforms in transformation extensions

You can add rules, extractors, and transforms to a transformation extension. These elements specify the behavior of the transformation extension. Adding an element only declares the element to the core transformation functionality; it does not add the element to an extended transform.

Before you begin

You must open the plug-in manifest file of the transformation extension. The manifest file must contain a TransformationExtension element. The Java classes that contain the source code for the rules, extractors, or transforms must exist in the current workspace.

About this task

To declare the rules, extractors, or transforms that a transformation extension contains:

Procedure

  1. In the plug-in manifest editor, on the Extensions tab, expand the com.ibm.xtools.core.transformationExtensions element, right-click the appropriate TransformationExtension element; then click New, and click one of the following items:
    • To add a rule, click RuleDefinition.
    • To add an extractor, click ExtractorDefinition.
    • To add a transform, click TransformDefinition.
  2. On the Extensions tab, in the Extension Element Details area, specify values for the required fields. The other fields in the Extension Element Details area are optional.
    • In the id field, specify the identifier for the rule, extractor, or transform.
    • In the class field, specify the class name for the rule or extractor:
      • To select an existing class, beside the class field, click Browse, select a class name from the list, and click OK.
      • To create a new class, click class. In the New Java Class wizard, on the Java Class page, specify values for the fields, and click Finish. You must specify a class name when you declare a rule or an extractor.
  3. Optional: To delete a rule, extractor, or transform, on the Extensions tab, in the All Extensions area, right-click the appropriate element; then click Delete.
  4. Click File > Save.

What to do next

For each rule, extractor, or transform that you declare, a RuleDefinition, ExtractorDefinition, or TransformDefinition element is added to the TransformationExtension element. When you run the target transformation, the core transformation functionality attempts to load the specified class for the element and adds an instance of the element to the instance of the target transformation.

Note: When you create a transformation extension, you can declare elements on the New Transformation Extension page of the Transformation Extension wizard.

Feedback