Message set properties

General message set properties

The table below defines the properties that you can set to customize the message set.

Property Type Meaning
Message set ID String This is a unique identifier that is automatically generated for you when you create the message set. You cannot change this property.
Message Set Alias String Specify an alternative unique value that identifies the message set. This property is only required if you are using the Message Identity technique to identify embedded messages. This is where the embedded messages are defined in this message set but the parent message is defined in a different message set, and the bit stream does not contain the actual message set name or identifier
Default Wire Format String Specify the default wire format that is used if a format cannot be deduced from the message's MQRFH2 header, or was not specified as a property of the input node at which the message is received by a message flow. The default is empty (not set).
Message Type Prefix String This property is used when you define multipart messages, specifically when using the Message Path technique to identify embedded messages.

The value that you specify is used as an absolute or relative path to the innermost message from the outermost, and is used as a prefix to the value of the Message Type property specified for the outermost message (specified either in the MQRFH2 header of the message, or in the input node of the message flow).

If you set a value, it must be in the form id1/id2/.../idnu where id1 is the identifier of the outermost message, id2 is the identifier of the next element or message, and idn is the identifier of the innermost message. The default value is blank (not set).

The table below, describing the use of the message set property Message Type Prefix, shows how this value is combined with the Message Type property of an input message.

Runtime Parser String Select the message parser for messages belonging to this set from the drop-down list. The message parser name should be used when writing ESQL field references for messages in the message set, for example, InputRoot.MRM.Document. The Mapping editor and the content assist feature of the ESQL editor use the message parser name when generating ESQL field references. The message parser name must match the Message Domain property of any input node that processes messages from the message set, or the <Msd> element value of any MQRFH2 header preceding a message from the message set. You can choose from:
  • MRM (the default). If you specify MRM, you must deploy the message set to the brokers that receive these messages. The deploy action creates a runtime dictionary (RTD) against which the MRM parser invoked by the broker checks the received message.
  • XML, XMLNS, XMLNSC, JMSMap, or JMSStream. Choose one of these parsers if you want to model a generic self-defining XML, XMLNS, XMLNSC, JMSMap, or JMSStream message. Messages defined in this way are interpreted by the generic XML parser, not the MRM parser. (You do not have to deploy these message sets to brokers, because these parsers do not use a runtime dictionary.)
  • IDOC. Choose this parser if you want to model SAP IDoc messages. If your message set contains user-defined IDoc segments then you must deploy the message set to the brokers that receive these messages. The deploy action creates a runtime dictionary (RTD) against which the MRM parser that the broker invokes checks the received message.
  • MIME. Choose this parser if you want to model a MIME message. Messages defined in this way are interpreted by the MIME parser, not the MRM parser. (You do not have to deploy these message sets to brokers, because this parser does not use a runtime dictionary.)
Use namespaces Check box Select this property if you want to use namespaces within the message set. Namespaces provide a method of avoiding naming conflicts where different document definitions have elements of the same name. For further information see Namespaces.

Once this property has been enabled, it cannot be disabled.

Note that using namespaces also affects how elements are created in the WebSphere Message Broker logical message tree. Each element in the message tree has both a name and a namespace, so an ESQL or Java reference to one of these elements has to specify both name and namespace. Therefore using namespaces has an effect on the ESQL or Java you write.

Select this property if the message set will be used now or in the future to model XML messages. However, if the message set is to be used with message flows running on WebSphere Message Broker Version 2.1, or that originated on WebSphere Message Broker Version 2.1, you should not select this property, because such message flows are not namespace aware.

Treat Length facet as MaxLength Check box Select this property if you want the COBOL importer to create a maxLength facet for a fixed length string element rather than a length facet.

The default is for this property to be set.

Use of the message set property Message Type Prefix

The table below shows the implications of using the property Message Type Prefix. Note that what the message type or message prefix may describe could be elements or messages.

Message Type property example Message Type Prefix not set Message Type Prefix set
Simple Message Type:msg_type Results in the simple Message Type:msg_type Results in the path Message Type: /msg_prefix_1/.../msg_prefix_n/ msg_type
Path Message Type:msg_type_1/.../msg_type_m Results in the path Message Type:/msg_type_1/.../msg_type_m Results in the combined path Message Type: /msg_prefix_1.../msg_prefix_n /msg_type_1/.../msg_type_m
Simple absolute Message Type:/msg_type Results in the simple Message Type:msg_type Results in the simple Message Type:msg_type

An error is raised if Message Type Prefix is set to any value other than msg_type.

Path absolute Message Type:/msg_type_1/.../msg_type_m Results in the path Message Type:/msg_type_1/.../msg_type_m Results in the path Message Type:/msg_type_1/.../msg_type_m

An error is raised if all identifiers in Message Type Prefix do not match the corresponding identifiers in the resulting path.

The message set does not have any properties that are dictated by membership of a larger object, because this is the largest message object as defined by the MRM.

In addition to message set properties, each of the physical formats have properties that can be updated. There is also a documentation property for a message set. Details of these can be found at;

Related concepts
Multipart messages
Identifying an embedded message using a Message Identity
Identifying an embedded message using a Message Path
Message set projects
Message sets overview
Physical formats in the MRM domain
Related tasks
Working with a message set project
Working with a message set
Related reference
Custom Wire Format message set properties
XML Wire Format message set properties
TDS Format message set properties
Documentation properties for all message set objects