UNICODE Function
Generates the Unicode index value for the first character of the input string.
Unicode is a digital standard for the consistent encoding of the world's writing systems, so that representation of character sets is consistent around the world.
The first 256 Unicode characters (0, 255) correspond to the ASCII character set.
If the function cannot resolve a Unicode character from the first character, it returns a null value.
Wrangle vs. SQL: This function is part of Wrangle, a proprietary data transformation language. Wrangle is not SQL. For more information, see Wrangle Language.
Basic Usage
Column reference example:
unicode(MyChar)
Output: Returns Unicode index value for the first character in the MyChar column.
String literal example:
unicode('A')
Output:Returns the integer 65.
Syntax and Arguments
unicode(column_string)
Argument | Required? | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
column_string | Y | string | Name of the column or string literal the Unicode value of which is generated |
For more information on syntax standards, see Language Documentation Syntax Notes.
column_string
Name of the column or string literal, the first character of which is converted to its corresponding Unicode value.
Note
If the input string contains multiple characters, the first character is mapped to its Unicode value, and the rest are ignored.
Missing string or column values generate missing string results.
String constants must be quoted (
'Hello, World').Multiple columns and wildcards are not supported.
Usage Notes:
Required? | Data Type | Example Value |
|---|---|---|
Yes | String literal or column reference | myColumn |
Examples
Tip
For additional examples, see Common Tasks.
Example - char and unicode functions
In this example, you can see how the CHAR function can be used to convert numeric index values to Unicode characters, and the UNICODE function can be used to convert characters back to numeric values.
Functions:
Item | Description |
|---|---|
CHAR Function | Generates the Unicode character corresponding to an inputted Integer value. |
UNICODE Function | Generates the Unicode index value for the first character of the input string. |
Source:
The following column contains some source index values:
index |
|---|
1 |
33 |
33.5 |
34 |
48 |
57 |
65 |
90 |
97 |
121 |
254 |
255 |
256 |
257 |
9998 |
9999 |
Transformation:
When the above values are imported to the Transformer page, the column is typed as integer, with a single mismatched value (33.5). To see the corresponding Unicode characters for these characters, enter the following transformation:
Transformation Name |
|
|---|---|
Parameter: Formula type | Single row formula |
Parameter: Formula | CHAR(index) |
Parameter: New column name | 'char_index' |
To see how these characters map back to the index values, now add the following transformation:
Transformation Name |
|
|---|---|
Parameter: Formula type | Single row formula |
Parameter: Formula | UNICODE(char_index) |
Parameter: New column name | 'unicode_char_index' |
Results:
index | char_index | unicode_char_index |
|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | |
33 | ! | 33 |
33.5 | ||
34 | " | 34 |
48 | 0 | 48 |
57 | 9 | 57 |
65 | A | 65 |
90 | Z | 90 |
97 | a | 97 |
122 | z | 122 |
254 | þ | 254 |
255 | ÿ | 255 |
256 | Ā | 256 |
257 | ā | 257 |
9998 | 9998 | |
9999 | 9999 |
Note that the floating point input value was not processed.