Organizing transformation elements

By organizing transformation elements, you can determine the order of events in the transformation. You can specify the utilities that a transformation runs, and specify the order in which the transformation service runs the elements in a transformation. You can also edit the properties of transformation utilities.

Before you begin

You must have a plug-in manifest file open in the manifest editor. The manifest file must contain an instance of the com.ibm.transform.core.transformationProviders extension point that contains the following items:

About this task

To organize transformation elements:

Procedure

  1. In the plug-in manifest editor, on the Extensions tab, complete the following steps:
    1. In the All Extensions area, expand a com.ibm.xtools.transform.core.transformationProviders extension point, a TransformationProvider element, and a Transformation element.
    2. If the Transformation element does not contain an ExecutionList element, right-click a Transformation element; then click New > ExecutionList. When you create an ExecutionList element, a UseTransform element is created automatically. The UseTransform element indicates when the transformation service runs the transform that is specified in the id attribute of the transformation descriptor.
      Note: If you do not create an ExecutionList element, you cannot add utilities to the transformation, and the transformation service runs only the transformation that is specified in the id attribute of the transformation descriptor.
  2. On the Extensions tab, use the navigation controls to complete the following tasks:
    Task Description
    Specify which utilities a transformation must run Right-click the ExecutionList element; then click New > UseUtility. In the Extension Element Details area, in the id field, specify the unique identifier of the utility.
    Change the order in which the transformation service runs the transformation elements Expand the ExecutionList element, click a transformation element, and click Up or Down.
    Edit the properties of a utility Expand the ExecutionList element, and click a UseUtility element. In the Extension Element Details area, edit the properties of the UseUtility element.

    For more information about the fields in the Extension Element Details area, place the mouse pointer over the name to display hover help.

    Remove a utility Expand the ExecutionList element; right-click a UseUtility element; then click Delete.
    Note: You can also organize transformation elements by editing the plugin.xml file: In the transformation descriptor, in the <ExecutionList> element, add or edit the <UseTransform> element or the <UseUtility> element or elements. The following code fragment shows an ExecutionList element for a transformation that runs a transformation utility, followed by the main transform, followed by another transformation utility.
    <ExecutionList>
    	<UseUtility>
    		id="my.transformation.utility1"
    	</UseUtility>
    	<UseTransform>
    		Use transform body text
    	</UseTransform>
    	<UseUtility>
    		id="my.transformation.utility2"
    	</UseUtility>
    </ExecutionList>
  3. Click File > Save.
  4. In the All Extensions area, click a Transformation element.
  5. In the Extension Element Details area, view the document that is specified in the document property to determine if you must specify additional information for the utility to run.

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