Function description files

For each function definition file, you need to create at least one function description file. There must be one description file for each supported language. Each file contains the function name, syntax, and tip for a particular language. The functions described in these files are cross-referenced by the id attribute of the function element.

Each function description file is named by combining the file name and a locale identifier, separated by an underscore. If only one description file is provided, the locale identifier must be en. The contents of the file, however, can be in any language.

For example, if the function definition file name is crxSDKSampleTree.xml, then the function description files could be named crxSDKSampleStrings_xx.xml where xx stands for any locale identifier, such as en for English or ja for Japanese.

The i18n_res.xml file, located in the bin directory, contains the list of locales and their identifiers. If this file is missing, IBM® Cognos® Analytics substitutes a standard list of default locales: en (English), fr (French), de (German), and ja (Japanese).

The English function description file is the default. If the requested localized file does not exist, the English file will be used.

The content of the function description files is used in the expression editor. Each function description has three parts that are described here.

function name: Identifies the function in the functions list in the expression editor.
syntax: Describes the exact format and required parameters that must be entered by the report author.
tip: Describes what the function does.