Micro Focus Visual COBOL 2.3 for Visual Studio 2015 > Programming > COBOL Programming > Using COBOL and XML together > XML Extensions > COBOL considerations > Data conventions > Missing intermediate parent names > Unique identifier

Unique identifier

The unique identifier (uid) attribute is generated by an XML EXPORT FILE or XML EXPORT TEXT statement if XML attributes are enabled. Attributes may be enabled by using the XML ENABLE ATTRIBUTES statement before the XML EXPORT statements.

Using the same COBOL data structure illustrated for unique element names (described in the previous section), a well-formed XML document (generated by XML EXPORT), which contains attributes-including uids-that could be imported into this structure is shown below:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<customer-address uid ="V6" line="18" offset="0" length="239" category="group" kind="GRP" type="xsd:string" xmlns:xtk="https://www.microfocus.com/xcentricity/xml-extensions/symbol-table/">
<name uid="V7" line="19" offset="0" length="64" category="alphanumeric" kind="ANS" type="xsd:string">Wild Hair
Corporation</name>
<address-1 uid="V8" line="21" offset="64" length="64" category="alphanumeric" kind="ANS" type="xsd:string">8911 Hair
Court</address-1>
<address-2 uid="V9" line="23" offset="128" length="64" category="alphanumeric" kind="ANS" type="xsd:string">Sweet
4300</address-2>
<address-3 uid="V10" line="24" offset="192" length="39" category="group" kind="GRP" type="xsd:string">
 <city uid="V11" line="25" offset="192" length="32" type="alpha
 numeric" kind="ANS" type="xsd:string">Lostin</city><state uid="V12" line="26" offset="224" length="2" category="alphanumeric" kind="ANS" type ="xsd:string">TX</state>
<zip uid="V13" line="27" offset="226" length="5" category="numeric" kind="NSU" type="xsd:decimal" usage="display" scale="0" precision="5"> 70707</zip></address-3>
<time-stamp uid="V14" line="28" offset="231" length="8" category="numeric" kind="NSU" type="xsd:decimal" usage="display" scale="0" precision=" 8">99999999</time-stamp>
</customer-address>

A well-formed "flattened" version of an XML document that could also be imported into this structure is displayed below. The uid attributes were captured from an XML document (such as the one shown previously) that was generated by an XML EXPORT statement. These attributes may be captured by an XSLT stylesheet or other process, and then added again before the XML IMPORT FILE or XML IMPORT TEXT statement. This is accomplished by combining the element name and the uid attribute value to form a new element name. For example, <name uid="V7">, could be used to generate a new element name "name.V7".

	<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?> 
<customer-address>
  <name uid="V7">>Wild Hair Corporation</name>
  <address-1 uid="V8">>8911 Hair Court</address-1>
  <address-2 uid="V9">>Sweet 4300</address-2>
  <city uid="V11">Lostin</city>
  <state uid="V12">TX</state>
  <zip uid="V13">70707</zip>
  <time-stamp uid="V14">99999999</time-stamp>
</customer-address>