Data Transformation Engine Type Designer Reference Guide

Chapter 7 - Group Properties Implicit Format
Floating Component
The floating component represents an object that may appear after any
component of the group.
An implicit group can have a floating component; an explicit group cannot. If the
group is prefix or infix delimited, the floating component appears before the
delimiter. If the group is postfix delimited, the floating component appears after
the delimiter.
A floating component can be an optional component that may appear after any
other component. However, it is not included in the component list because it does
not appear at a specific location.
If a group has a floating component, a component must be distinguishable from a
floating component. For example, components and floating component could start
with different initiators.
Note When a floating component appears in the input data, it is validated during
mapping. If there are floating components in your output data, define them as
actual components of the output.
A floating component can appear after the initiator (when the type has an
initiator), after each component, or both. For EDI and other existing floating
components, trees will be converted as “after each component”.
A floating component can be specified for implicit sequence group, choice group,
and unordered group definitions.
A floating component provides additional flexibility to support XML Data. With the
floating component property, XML element groups would have a floating
component defined as an unordered group of XML comments, XML processing
instructions, and/or white space.
The XML DTD Importer, for example, uses the floating component property for
XML elements whose content contains other elements. For such XML element
definitions, a floating component can be a choice of XML comments and/or XML
processing instructions.
To define a type as a floating component
1 In the Properties window expand the Format property.
2 With current focus in the Floating Component > Value field, define the value
for the floating component by pressing Alt and dragging the item from the tree
into the Floating Component > Value field.