Processing text files with user-defined line breaks

The lines in text files are usually either terminated by a two-byte sequence CR LF (0x0D0A) under Windows or by a single byte LF (0x0A) under Linux/Unix or Mac OS X. Both kinds of terminator have previously been supported by the TextFile Adapter. However, the format of text files is occasionally specified differently and an alternative character or sequence of characters are used for the record/row line breaks. The TextFile Adapter now supports freely defined characters for the recognition of line terminators, which means non-standard text files can now be processed in the normal way. Any character or string can be specified as the line terminator.

Release notes for version 4.0.5 on September 17, 2016

All Changes

• SQL Heater / Lookup Heater now enable specification of a default value to return in cases where there is no result of the lookup or the result is NULL or DBNULL. The default value fields support FlowHeater Parameter and OS environment variable placeholders.
  
  
• SQL Heater / Lookup Heater permit choice of Adapter. Previously when Definitions were created with several Adapters, the SQL statement was always executed using the first Adapter on the chosen side (READ/WRITE). With this modification the Adapter for executing the SQL command can now be selected.
  
  
• Replace Heater for strings: In the Extended settings the highest column numbers to search and replace was previously limited to 99. When specifying the CSV file columns the maximum number of columns possible is now 9999.
  
  
• AutoID Heater: It can now be specified for the consecutive numbers generated per record whether rows that are filtered out are to count or not. Definition files created by an older version will automatically be set to “Yes, include filtered out records/rows in the count.” However, in newly created Definitions the default setting of the new option is “No, do not include filtered out records/rows in the count.” This ensures no unexpected changes for older import/export Definitions; they continue to function as before.
  
  
• Copying Adapter settings via the clipboard. It is now possible to copy the complete settings of an Adapter into the clipboard and later paste them into a Definition.
  
  
• Oracle Adapter now supports the connection mode “TNS Names” as well as support for the Windows user authentication to log on to an Oracle database server. When this feature is used the existing log in to Windows is automatically used to log on to the Oracle database server (single sign-on), without needing a user/password in the Definition.
  Note: In the direct connection mode, no Oracle client or configuration of TNSNAMES.ORA is needed, and so this option is not available!
  
  
• Sort Heater: When several fields have to be sorted, it is now possible to specify individually for each input column/field whether to sort ascending or descending.
  
  

Bug Fixes

• Excel Adapter: There was previously a problem of a column not being loaded when a “0” value existed in the first column of the first row. The bug also had the effect that loading fields of available columns (names) in an Excel worksheet did not function cleanly.
  
  
• RUNTIME Designer: Users were able to amend and run RUNTIME Definitions with the Freeware Version, but it terminated when finally saving the Definition with the error message “The Freeware Version does not support the saving of Definitions.”
  
  
• AutoID Heater: An error snuck in during the introduction of a new grouping function in FlowHeater version 4.0.2. This bug had the effect that outgoing connections to the Heater were lost upon closing the settings popup. The pipes then had to be redrawn by hand.

Release notes for version 4.0.5.1 on September 24, 2016

• RUNTIME Definition error correction