String Deciders

Whenever the XML allows a string decider (instead of a concrete string), these are the valid options:

A binary operation using the "binary-operation" attribute. Specify this attribute inside a <calculate> element.
Other supported operations (that are not binary) using the "operation" attribute. Specify this attribute inside a <calculate> element.
A concrete string value consisting of any text inside the parent element.
A string component like a text box or select box (such as <component id="nameOfTextbox" />) inside the parent element.

11.2.1 Binary Operations

All binary operations requires <first> and <second> elements (which themselves could be deciders). The type of decider is dependent on the binary-operation attribute value.

11.2.1.1 Substring

The substring binary operation string decider requires a string decider for the <first> element and an integer for the <second> element. The result of the operation is the first n characters of the <first> element.

Here, the first three characters of the "payment-value" component are calculated.

<calculate binary-operation="substring">
 <first>
  <component id="payment-value" />
 </first>
<second>3</second>
</calculate>

Operations require the operation attribute on the <calculate> element. The attribute value determines the type of operation.

"int-to-string" - Requires a child integer decider. Evaluates the integer and takes the string value.
"double-to-string" - Requires a double decider. Evaluates the double and takes the string value. Optionally, you can specify the "precision" attribute to specify how many decimal places to use in the result.

These are some other keywords to get specific strings:

"empty-string" - Returns an empty string.
"space" - Returns a space.

11.2.2.1 Append Strings

To append multiple strings together, use the "append-in-order" decider. This requires at least two children string deciders.

<calculate operation="append-in-order">
  <value order="1">Add a new reservation with
  </value>
  <value order="2">
    <component id="procs" />
  </value>
  <value order="3"> Processor(s)</value>
</calculate>

11.2.2.2 Conditional

The conditional decider uses "if", "then", "else", and "else-if" syntax to determine the string's value. The root of the value decider is a <conditional> element that includes the following three child elements:

<if> - REQUIRED - The <if> element is a Boolean decider that is evaluated first. It has one child element, <then>. The <then> element is the value of the evaluated condition if the if decider evaluates to true.
<else-if> - OPTIONAL - The <else-if> element is a Boolean decider. If specified, it must contain a <then> child element that is the value of the conditional if previous conditions evaluated to false. There may be zero or more <else-if> elements.
<else> - RECOMMENDED - The <else> element does not contain a Boolean decider, but instead is the value of the conditional if the other <if> and <else-if> statements evaluated to false. Although optional, it is always recommended to include the <else> element to verify that the decider always returns a value.

The following is an example of using the conditional syntax:

<conditional>
  <if comparison="equal">
   <first>
    <component id="script-chooser" />
   </first>
   <second>Upload</second>
   <then>
    <component id="upload-script" type="upload" />
   </then>
  </if>
  <else-if comparison="equal">
  <first>
    <component id="script-chooser" />
   </first>
   <second>NONE</second>
   <then>NO_VALUE</then>
  </else-if>
  <else>
   <component id="write-script" type="upload" />
  </else>
 </conditional>

In the preceding example, if the "script-chooser" component was "Upload", then the value is the value of the "upload-script" component. Else if the "script-chooser" component was "NONE", then the value would be "NO_VALUE". If neither of these conditions are true, then the value would be the value of the "write-script" component.

11.2.2.3 String Replace

The string replace decider is where the decider replaces all instances of the first string with the second string. The three required children elements are:

<regex> - The regular expression to match.
<replacement> - The string that replaces the matched expression.
<value> - The original string that is evaluated. The regular expression checks this string.

<calculate operation="string-replace">
 <regex>\.</regex>
 <replacement>_</replacement>
 <value>Name.Of.File</value>
</calculate>