Custom Function Return Type¶

The custom functions whose return type is an array or a register, or whose return type depends on the input values, have to implement an additional method that returns the type of the function based on the parameters of the function.

If the function has several signatures that meet one of these conditions, there must be an additional method for each signature.

In the custom functions developed with Java annotations, this additional method has to be annotated with CustomExecutorReturnType. If it is developed with name conventions, the name of the method has to be executeReturnType.

This additional method has to meet these rules:

It must have the same number of parameters as the “execute” method.
Each parameter of the additional method must have the same type or an equivalent one, as its respective parameter in the execute method:
1. If execute returns a basic Java type, the additional method has to return the same basic Java class. For example, if execute returns a String object, the additional method has to return java.lang.String.class.
2. If execute returns a CustomRecordValue object, the additional method has to return a CustomRecordType object.
3. If execute returns a CustomArrayValue object, the additional method has to return a CustomArrayType object. See the table Equivalency between Java and Virtual DataPort data types to know the type that these return parameters must have in Virtual DataPort.
4. If a parameter of execute is a CustomRecordValue, the type of the parameter in the additional method has to be CustomRecordType.
5. If a parameter of execute is a CustomArrayValue, the type of the parameter in the additional method has to be CustomArrayType.

If the returned type is a compound data type, the type will be created in Virtual DataPort, unless it already exists. If the returned type does not have name, the type will be created with a random name.

At runtime, every time this function is invoked, Virtual DataPort will execute this additional method to know the return type of the function.

The following two sections contain an example of how to implement this additional method in a function that uses annotations and in a function that uses name conventions.

Function Without Annotations with Return Type Depending on the Input¶

Implementation of a function SPLIT which splits strings around matches of a given regular expression and returns the array of those substrings:

Example of function without annotations with return type depending on the input¶

 public class SplitVdpFunction {
     private static final String STRING_FIELD = "string";
     public CustomArrayValue execute(String regex, String value) {
         if (value == null || regex == null) {
             return null;
         }
         String[] result = value.split(regex);
         LinkedHashMap<String, Object> results =
                 new LinkedHashMap<String, Object>(1);
         List<CustomRecordValue> arrayValues =
                 new ArrayList<CustomRecordValue>(result.length);
         for (String string : result) {
             results.put(STRING_FIELD, string);
             CustomRecordValue recordValue =
                     CustomElementsUtil.createCustomRecordValue(results);
             arrayValues.add(recordValue);
         }
         return CustomElementsUtil.createCustomArrayValue(arrayValues);
     }

     public CustomArrayType executeReturnType(String regex, String value){
         LinkedHashMap<String, Object> props =
                 new LinkedHashMap<String, Object>();
         props.put(STRING_FIELD, String.class);
         CustomRecordType record =
                 CustomElementsUtil.createCustomRecordType(props);
         CustomArrayType array =
                 CustomElementsUtil.createCustomArrayType(record);
         return array;
     }
 }

Aggregation Function Using Annotations¶

The following function returns the first value of a non group-by field for each group:

Example of aggregation function using annotations¶

 @CustomElement(
       type=CustomElementType.VDPAGGREGATEFUNCTION, name="FIRST_RECORD")
 public class FirstRecordFunction {

     @CustomExecutor
     public CustomRecordValue execute(
             @CustomGroup(groupType=CustomRecordValue.class, name="records")
                 CustomGroupValue<CustomRecordValue> records) {

         if(records == null) {
             return null;
         }
         if(records.size() == 0) {
             return null;
         }

         return records.getValue(0);
     }

     @CustomExecutorReturnType
     public CustomRecordType executeReturnType(
             CustomRecordType recordType) {

         return recordType;
     }
 }

Example of aggregation function using annotations¶

 @CustomElement(type=CustomElementType.VDPAGGREGATEFUNCTION, name="FUNCTION_F1")
 public class FirstRecordFunction {

     @CustomExecutor
     public Long execute(
             @CustomGroup(groupType=Long.class, name="values")
                 CustomGroupValue<Long> records) {

         ...
         ...
         return ...
     }

     @CustomExecutorReturnType
     public Class executeReturnType(Long values) {

         return Long.class;
     }
 }

USER MANUALS

Custom Function Return Type¶

Function Without Annotations with Return Type Depending on the Input¶

Aggregation Function Using Annotations¶