Output address format

These settings appear in the qawserve.ini file.

Each dataset has its own default address format, which conforms to local standards. For example, the default American address contains the house number followed by the street name, town name, state and ZIP code. The default German address, on the other hand, contains the street name followed by house number, postal code and town name. It is strongly recommended that you do not edit the default address format: if you wish to create a different format to fit your application, you should do so within a new configuration layout.

Identifiers

It is possible to define address formats for more than one data mapping within a single configuration layout. Therefore, each of the settings in this section must be directly prefixed with the data mapping identifier of the relevant data mapping. For example, the setting CapitaliseItem for an Australia data mapping might become AUSCapitaliseItem. An address format must be set up for each data mapping that you have installed. Data mappings are set up with the DataMappings keyword.

Format:

[identifier]AddressLineCount={integer}

Default:

0

Purpose:

This defines the number of lines in the formatted output address. The format of each individual address line is specified with the AddressLineN keyword.

The number of lines you specify should take into account DataPlus information lines that might be returned.

Example:

USAAddressLineCount=4

This tells Pro API to produce formatted output addresses of four lines for the USA.

Format:

[identifier]AddressLine[N]=W,

Default:

Blank

Purpose:

This specifies which address elements should appear on which line. You can add as many AddressLineN lines as you defined with the AddressLineCount keyword, each time replacing N with the appropriate line number. W signifies that the number that follows it is the maximum width of the line in characters, and < element list> is a comma separated list of dataset-specific element codes. By specifying an element code, you force Pro API to place that element on that line (if the element exists in the matched address).

DataPlus elements are formed from the base name and the element name.

You can allow Pro API to insert other suitable elements before, after or between fixed elements by using the format specifier "…"

Example 1:

NLDAddressLine1=W40,S11,...

This instructs Pro API to give line 1 of a Netherlands output address a maximum width of 40 characters. The street name is fixed to the line, and any subsequent elements can also appear on the line if they fit there.

Example 2:

AUSAddressLine6=W40,AUSMOS.Desc

This tells Pro API to give line 6 of an Australian output address a maximum width of 40 characters and fix the description part of the MOSAIC DataPlus set to it.

Certain DataPlus elements contain imputed information by default. An imputed field is one where data does not exist for all addresses. In this scenario, the gaps in the data are filled in (imputed) using neighbouring data. Alternatively you can specify that you do not want the data to be imputed.

For example:

GBRWPT.Party Standard DataPlus item
GBRWPT.Party.NotImputed If there is no available value in the raw data for this DataPlus set for this address, this element will be blank
GBRWPT.Party.IsImputed The value of this item can be either Yes or No. If this item has been taken directly from the raw data, the value is No. Otherwise, the item has been imputed by Experian, and the value is Yes.

Format:

[identifier]CapitaliseItem={element list}

Default:

Blank

Purpose:

This keyword defines which address elements should appear in upper case in the formatted address. The value of the keyword is a list of element codes separated by spaces.

Example:

CapitaliseItem=P12 X11

Means that the town/city and country name will be capitalised in the output address.

Format:

[identifier]AbbreviateItem={element list}

Default:

Blank

Purpose:

This keyword defines which address elements should be abbreviated in the formatted address. The value of the keyword is a list of element codes, which differ from dataset to dataset, separated by spaces.

Example:

AUSAbbreviateItem=S11

Means that the Australian street name will be abbreviated.

Format:

[identifier]SeparateElements={Boolean}

Default:

True

Purpose:

This keyword specifies whether or not address elements on a single line are separated, usually by commas. Set this keyword to False if you do not want to comma-separate address elements.

Example:

GBRSeparateElements=True

Means that a UK street and locality on the same line would look like this:

Chester Road, Ash

If the keyword was set to False, it would look like this:

Chester Road Ash

Format:

[identifier]ElementSeparator={separator sequence}

Default:

Blank, but is usually set in the ini file depending on the country.

Purpose:

This keyword defines which address elements should be separated by additional characters in the formatted address.

The format of {separator sequence} is: Element code {prefix separator^suffix separator}.

Example:

AUSElementSeparator=C11 { ^ }

Here the element separator would be blank before and after the postcode.

Element separators take precedence right over left. These keywords can be enabled or disabled with the keyword SeparateElements.

Format:

[identifier]ElementExtras={element list}

Default:

Blank

Purpose:

This keyword places additional characters around an address element. The format of {element list} is: Element code {extra characters^extra characters}.

Example:

ESPElementExtras=L21{(^)}

The above example places brackets around element L21 (Spanish province in this case).

Format:

[identifier]TerminateLines={Boolean}

Default:

False

Purpose:

This keyword defines whether or not certain address lines are ended with a comma.

Example:

GBRTerminateLines=True

This means that a five-line UK address could look like this:

6 Cedar Grove,
Bisley,
WOKING,
Surrey,
GU24 9EF

If the keyword was set to False, the commas would not appear.

Format:

[identifier]ExcludeItem={element list}

Default:

Blank

Purpose:

This keyword prevents an item from appearing in an address if it is not fixed to a particular line.

Example:

DEUExcludeItem=C11

If the postcode has not been fixed to a specific line, then it will not appear in the address, even though it is in the list of default address items.

Format:

[identifier]FlattenDiacritics={Boolean}

Default:

No

Purpose:

This keyword enables you to replace all diacritic characters, such as accents and umlauts, with their non-diacritic equivalents. For example, the Danish address "Degnsgårdvej 1 7840 Højslev" would change to "Degnsgardvej 1 7840 Hojslev" if the FlattenDiacritics keyword is set to Yes.

Example:

ESPFlattenDiacritics=Yes

This means that all diacritic characters, in returned Spanish addresses, will be suppressed by Pro API.

Format:

[identifier]CDFVariation={Integer}

Default:

1

Purpose:

This keyword tells Pro API which Form of address to use when automatically fitting address element into the returned address. This is for datasets which include more than one Form of address, such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Finland datasets.

Example:

NLDCDFVariation=2

This example selects the second Form of address for the Netherlands dataset. The three Forms of address for Netherlands addresses are Official, NEN and TPG, so this setting would apply the NEN form to your output addresses.

Format:

[identifier]Comment={text string}

Default:

Default View

Purpose:

This allows you to add a comment to a layout, which is displayed at the bottom of the Select Layout dialog.

Example:

GBRComment=Custom Layout for the United Kingdom

Format:

[identifier]MultiValueDPSeparator={String}

Default:

|

Purpose:

This allows you to set the delimiter used to separate returned multiple DataPlus values.

Example:

GBRMultiValueDPSeparator=|

Format:

[identifier]CapitaliseUnused={String}

Default:

No

Purpose:

This allows you to change the case of unmatched leading information.

Example:

AUSCapitaliseUnused=No

This setting applies to CAN data only.

Format:

[identifier]SubPremiseFormat={value}

Values:

Prepend, Separate

Values:

No value

Purpose:

When the 'prepend' value is used, this setting standardizes the sub-premise formatting for Canadian addresses to follow Canada Post preferred address formatting requirements. I.e. the address will be displayed using the 'sub-premise'-'premise' format. When the 'separate' value is used, the address will be displayed using the premise street sub-premise format.

When no value is specified, the sub-premise will be displayed based on the default Canada address formatting rules.

Example:

SubPremiseFormat=prepend

108-815 Main Street

SubPremiseFormat=separate

815 Main Street Apt 108

This setting applies to the AUE dataset only.

Format:

[identifier]EnableIntelligentLayout={Boolean}

Default:

Yes

Purpose:

This specifies whether intelligent layout will be enabled for the created layout. If intelligent layout is enabled, the PAF or G-NAF address which most closely matches the entered address will be returned, regardless of the default layout.

Example:

AUEEnableIntelligentLayout=Yes

means that intelligent layout is enabled.

Pro API

Configuration settings