Decodes a string from a number of different text encodings into plain text. The following encoding types are supported:
URL (Percent Encoding)
This encoding is used to ensure that a string is valid for inclusion in a URL. All characters that are not a letter, digit, dash, period, underscore or tilde will be encoded. The TextDecoder converts an encoded string such as black%20%26%20white into its decoded form black & white.
Unicode
This encoding is used to encode non-ascii characters in an ascii string. The TextDecoder will decode from any of these code point representations, where the XX...X string represents the hexadecimal value of a Unicode code point:
\uXXXX
\UXXXX
\u{XX...X}
\UXXXXXXXX
U+XXXX
For example, the Cyrillic character Ӥ is represented as \U04E4 or U+04E4. The TextDecoder converts a string containing code point references to a UTF-8 string, with the code points dereferenced. Any characters which are not part of a Unicode code point will be unchanged. For example, the string ‘U+0F06 εA \U03A8’ will be decoded to ‘༆ εA Ψ’
XML
| Character | Encoded Value |
|---|---|
| < | < |
| > | > |
| " | " |
| & | & |
| ' | ' |
In addition, the XML encoding allows for any character to be represented using the decimal or hexadecimal representation of its Unicode code point. The TextDecoder converts an XML encoded string, such as black & white into its plain text representation, black & white.
HTML
This encoding is an extension of the XML encoding. The HTML encoding includes many characters which cannot be represented using a simple Latin character set, such as ♪, ± or ∞. The TextDecoder will convert an HTML encoded string, such as this &plusm; that into its plain text representation, this ± that.
Base64
Base64 encoding is a method of storing arbitrary data as an ASCII string. The TextDecoder will convert Base64 encoded data into a text string. The Base64 data will be decoded into a sequence of bytes, which will then be interpreted using the character encoding given in the Character Encoding for Binary Data parameter.
HEX
HEX encoding is another method used to store arbitrary data as an ASCII string. HEX encoded data is not as compact as Base64 encoded data. The TextDecoder will convert HEX encoded data to a text string. The HEX data will be decoded into a sequence of bytes, which will then be interpreted using the character encoding given in the Character Encoding for Binary Data parameter.
Octal
Octal encoding is another method used to store arbitrary data as an ASCII string. Octal encoded data is not as compact as HEX or Base64 encoded data. The TextDecoder will convert Octal encoded data to a text string. The Octal data will be decoded into a sequence of bytes, which will then be interpreted using the character encoding given in the Character Encoding for Binary Data parameter.
Parameters
Encoding Type
Identifies the method the transformer will use to decode the attribute.
String to Decode
The value of this parameter will be decoded using the selected method.
Destination Attribute
This attribute will store the decoded string.
Character Encoding for Binary Data
This optional parameter only applies to the HEX, Octal, and Base64 encoding methods. If no value is given, the output attribute will be left as binary data.
Editing Transformer Parameters
Using a set of menu options, transformer parameters can be assigned by referencing other elements in the workspace. More advanced functions, such as an advanced editor and an arithmetic editor, are also available in some transformers. To access a menu of these options, click 
beside the applicable parameter. For more information, see Transformer Parameter Menu Options.
Transformer Categories
Transformer History
Selecting URL as the Encoding Type replaces the URLDecoder transformer, which is now deprecated.
Technical History
Associated FME function or factory: TextEncoderFactory
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Tags Keywords: URLDecoder decode encode