AFD Products: Pocket BankFinder Manual

PROGRAMMING POCKET BANKFINDER

The Application Programming Interface (API)

The Pocket BankFinder® Dynamic Link Library provides a powerful and simple way for programmers to integrate the power of Pocket BankFinder directly into their database or application running on the Pocket PC. Making use of these powerful facilities has been made as straight-forward as possible, but the API is designed for advanced users who have an understanding of programming.

The programming involved will vary with the language you are using, but examples are provided which make it very easy for most popular languages and illustrate the principles that will guide developers in other environments. If you are using one of the example languages, you can simply paste the bits of program into your own code, for immediate use!

The Pocket BankFinder API is provided in a single DLL file, "afdbank.dll". This file is installed into the Windows folder during installation.

For VB .NET and C# .NET developers please see our Programming with .NET documentation.

Overview

Implementing the use of the Pocket BankFinder API typically requires the following steps:

Define the Data Types or Structures used to communicate with the library: examples of definitions are provided in the example programs for popular languages like eMbedded Visual Basic and eMbedded C++. If your language does not support Types, but can handle long strings, you may still be able to communicate with the DLL by using long strings, as all the structure 'fields' are of string type.
Declare the DLL Functions. Examples and prototypes of these are also provided, but the syntax may vary.
Incorporate all the power of Pocket BankFinder right within your application! All the data lookups and searches from the main Pocket BankFinder program can be carried out by the routines detailed below!

The best place to find the format of Data Type and Structure, or DLL function declarations for your own programming language is within the examples supplied. This discussion uses examples from the Visual Basic language, but the principles apply to all. The file afdbank.h contains definitions and declarations for the 'C' or 'C++' languages.

The Search Data Type or Structure

The Search Data Type contains all the fields that you can search as well as a lookup field to provide the same functionality as the Lookup box in the front end. See the Search documentation for more details on the input that can be used with these fields.

Type SearchRec	Field Details
Lookup As String * 60	Place a query string to be looked up by the DLL here. If this is specified the rest of the search parameters are ignored.
SortCode As String * 8	Bank Sort Code to search for.
BankBIC As String * 8	Bank BIC Code to search for.
BranchBIC As String * 3	Branch BIC Code to search for.
Postcode As String * 8	Postcode to search for.
BranchName As String * 60	Branch Name to search for
BankName As String * 60	Bank Name to search for
Town As String * 30	Town / Location to search for.
Phone As String * 20	The STD Code & Phone Number to search on
searchText As String * 256	Text to search for in all fields
End Type

The Bank Data Type or Structure

This is called after a call to GetFirst or GetNext to get the general and address details for a bank record. See the Bank Tab documentation for more details about these fields.

Type BankRec	Field Details
RecNo As Long	A unique record number used to jump directly to a record (see the JumpRec function)
SortCode As String * 6	The Bank's Sort Code (Does not apply to IPSO records)
BankBIC As String * 8	The Bank's BIC Code (Does not apply to IPSO records)
BranchBIC As String * 3	The Branch's BIC Code (Does not apply to IPSO records)
SubBranchSuffix As String * 2	Allows a branch to be uniquely identified where there is a cluster of branches sharing the same Sort Code (Does not apply to IPSO records)
ShortBranchTitle As String * 27	The official title of the branch
CentralBankCountryCode As String * 2	The ISO Country code for beneficiary banks in other countries
Supervisory Body As String * 1	Indicates the supervisory body for an institution that is an agency in any of the clearings. This will be A - Bank Of England, B - Building Society Commission, C - Jersey, Guernsey or Isle of Man authorities or D - Other.
DeletedDate As String * 10	Specifies the date the branch was closed if it is not active
BranchTypeIndicator As String * 1	Shows the branch type (M - Main Branch, S - Sub or NAB Branch, or L - Linked Branch)
MainBranchSortCode As String * 6	Set for linked branches in a cluster. It identifies the main branch for the cluster. For IPSO records this is set to the branch that would handle transactions for this sortcode, if the branch has been amalgamated with another.
MajorLocationName As String * 30	Optional field used to indent the Branch name or place in the printed directory (Does not apply to IPSO records where the branch name is normally also the location).
MinorLocationName As String * 30	Optional field also used to indent the Branch name or place in the printed directory (Does not apply to IPSO records where the branch name is normally also the location).
BranchName As String * 35	Defines the actual name or place of the branch
BranchName2 As String * 35	Where applicable contains an alternative name or place for the branch
FullBranchTitle As String * 105	Extended title for the institution (ShortBranchTitle is the official one).
OwnerBankShortName As String * 20	The short version of the name of the Owning Bank
OwnerBankFullName As String * 70	The full version of the name of the Owning Bank
OwnerBankCode As String * 4	The four digit bank code of the Owning Bank (Does not apply to IPSO records).
Property As String * 65	The Property for the Banks Postal Address
Street As String * 60	The Street for the Banks Postal Address
Locality As String * 60	The Locality for the Banks Postal Address
Town As String * 30	The Town for the Banks Postal Address
County As String * 30	The County for the Banks Postal Address
Postcode As String * 8	The Postcode for the Banks Postal Address
STDCode As String * 5	The Banks STD Code
Phone As String * 8	The Banks Phone Number (concatenate with STD Code for the full number)
FaxSTDCode As String * 5	The Banks Fax STD Code (Only applies to IPSO records)
Fax As String * 8	The Banks Fax Number (concatenate with Fax STD Code for the full number - Only applies to IPSO records)
CountryIndicator As String * 1	Set to 'U' if the record is on the BACS clearing system, or 'I' if it is on the IPSO clearing system. Branches on both will have an entry for each clearing system.
Reserved As String * 36	Reserved for future use
End Type

The BACS Data Type or Structure- Not relevant to IPSO records

This is called after a call to GetFirst or GetNext to get the BACS details for a bank record. See the BACS Tab documentation for more details about these fields.

Type BACSRec	Field Details
Status As String * 1	BACS Clearing Status (M - Branch of a BACS Member, A - Branch of an Agency Bank, N - Does not accept BACS Payments)
LastChange As String * 10	Effective date on which this data group was last amended
ClosedClearing As String * 10	Where a branch is closed in BACS clearing this will be set at the same time that the Status field is changed to 'N'.
RedirectedFromFlag As String * 1	Set to R if other branches are redirected to this Sort Code. (See the GetFirstRedirect function to get a list of those redirected to this code)
RedirectedToSortCode As String * 6	This specifies the Sort Code to which BACS should redirect payments addressed to this Sort Code if applicable.
SettlementBankCode As String * 4	The BACS generated Bank Code of the Bank that will settle payments for this branch.
SettlementBankShortName As String * 20	The Short form of the name of the bank corresponding to the SettlementBankCode field.
SettlementBankFullName As String * 70	The Full form of the name of the bank corresponding to the SettlementBankCode field.
SettlementSection As String * 2	Numeric data required for BACS to perform it's settlement
SettlementSubSection As String * 2	Numeric data required for BACS to perform it's settlement
HandlingBankCode As String * 4	BACS Generated Bank Code that defines the member that will take BACS output for this branch.
HandlingBankShortName As String * 20	The Short form of the name of the bank corresponding to the HandlingBankCode field
HandlingBankFullName As String * 70	The Full form of the name of the bank corresponding to the HandlingBankCode field.
HandlingBankStream As String * 2	Numeric code defining the stream of output within the Handling Bank that will be used for payments to this branch.
AccountNumberedFlag As String * 1	Set to 1 if numbered bank accounts are used by this branch
DDIVoucherFlag As String * 1	Set to 1 if Paper vouchers have to be printed for Direct Debit Instructions.
AllowedDirectDebits As String * 1	Set to 1 if this branch accepts Direct Debits
AllowedBankGiroCredits As String * 1	Set to 1 if this branch accepts Bank Giro Credits
AllowedBuildingSocietyCredits As String * 1	Set to 1 if this branch accepts Building Society Credits
AllowedDividendInterestPayments As String * 1	Set to 1 if this branch accepts Dividend Interest Payments
AllowedDirectDebitInstructions As String * 1	Set to 1 if this branch accepts Direct Debit Instructions
AllowedUnpaidChequeClaims As String * 1	Set to 1 if this branch accepts UnpaidChequeClaims
Reserved As String * 10	Reserved for future use
End Type

The CHAPS Data Type or Structure- Not relevant to IPSO records

This is called after a call to GetFirst or GetNext to get the CHAPS details for a bank record. See the CHAPS Tab documentation for more details about these fields.

Type CHAPSRec	Field Details
PStatus As String * 1	Shows if the branch can accept CHAPS sterling payments and if it is an agency (M - Branch of a CHAPS £ member, A - Branch of an agency bank, N- Does not accept CHAPS £ payments).
PLastChange As String * 10	Effective date on which this CHAPS sterling data group was last amended.
PClosedClearing As String * 10	Where a branch is closed in CHAPS sterling clearing this will be set at the same time that the PStatus field is changed to 'N'.
PSettlementBankCode As String * 3	CHAPS ID of the bank that will settle payments for this branch (not the same as the BACS bank code present elsewhere).
PSettlementBankShortName As String * 20	The short form of the name of the bank corresponding to the PSettlementBankCode field.
PSettlementBankFullName As String * 70	The Full form of the name of the bank corresponding to the PSettlementBankCode field.
EStatus As String * 1	Shows if the branch can accept CHAPS Euro payments and if it is a direct branch (one of the member BICs which are part of the SWIFT closed user group). (D - Direct Branch, I - Indirect Branch, N - Does not accept CHAPS Euro payments).
ELastChange As String * 10	Effective date on which this CHAPS Euro data group was last amended.
EClosedClearing As String * 10	Where a branch is closed in CHAPS Euro clearing this will be set at the same time that the EStatus field is changed to 'N'.
EEuroRoutingBICBank As String * 8	Specifies the SWIFT closed user group Bank BIC to which CHAPS Euro payments for this branch should be routed.
EEuroRoutingBICBranch As String * 3	Specifies the SWIFT closed user group Branch BIC to which CHAPS Euro payments for this branch should be routed.
ESettlementBankCode As String * 3	CHAPS ID of the bank that will settle payments for this branch.
ESettlementBankShortName As String * 20	The Short form of the name of the bank corresponding to the ESettlementBankCode field.
ESettlementBankFullName As String * 70	The Full form of the name of the bank corresponding to the ESettlementBankCode field.
EReturnIndicator As String * 1	Set to 'R' if this is the branch to which CHAPS Euro payments should be sent.
Reserved As String * 10	Reserved for future use
End Type

The C&CCC Data Type or Structure- Not relevant to IPSO records

This is called after a call to GetFirst or GetNext to get the C&CCC details for a bank record. See the C&CCC Tab documentation for more details about these fields.

Type CCCCRec	Field Details
Status As String * 1	Shows if the branch is part of Cheque and Credit Clearing and if it is an agency. (M - Branch of a C&CCC Member, F - Full agency bank branch, D - Debit agency branch only, N - Not part of C&CCC Clearing)
LastChange As String * 10	Effective date on which this C&CCC data group was last amended.
ClosedClearing As String * 10	Where a branch is closed in C&CCC clearing this will be set at the same time that the Status field is changed to 'N'.
SettlementBankCode As String * 3	BACS generated code of the bank that will settle payments for this branch.
SettlementBankShortName As String * 20	The short form of the name of the bank corresponding to the SettlementBankCode field.
SettlementBankFullName As String * 70	The Full form of the name of the bank corresponding to the SettlementBankCode field.
DebitAgencySortCode As String * 6	When the Status field is set to 'D' this specifies where cheque clearing is handled for this branch.
ReturnIndicator As String * 1	Set if this is the branch that other banks should return paper to. It will only be set for a sort code of a Member.
Reserved As String * 10	Reserved for future use
End Type

Constants

Although it is not essential, you may find it useful to declare the following constants - which are used by the Pocket BankFinder DLL functions to return error conditions etc.

Record Selection Flag Constants
	Global Const ALL_RECORDS = 0	Specifies that you want records returned on both the UK (BACS) and Irish (IPSO) clearing systems or accounts validated on both systems.
	Global Const UK_ONLY = 1	Specifies that you only want records returned which relate to the UK (BACS) clearing system, or want accounts only validated if they reside at branches wihin the UK system.
	Global Const IRISH_ONLY = 2	Specifies that you only want records returned which relate to the Irish (IPSO) clearing system, or want accounts only validated if they reside at branches wihin the Irish system.
Standard Return Code Constants
	Global Const SUCCESS = 0	Successful
	Global Const RECORD_BREAK = 5	Return with no new record after 500 non-matching records - to allow for the user to cancel a search when the searchText search field is used on it's own with few matching records.
	Global Const NOT_FOUND = -2	No records matching the lookup/search criteria specified where found
	Global Const ERROR_OPENING FILES = -4	Error opening BankFinder files
	Global Const END_OF_SEARCH = -6	GetNext has reached the end of a lookup/search, no new record returned.
	Global Const DATA_LICENSE_ERROR = -7	Registration error - run the Welcome program to register your copy of BankFinder.
	Global Const NO_SEARCH_DATA = -10	No data was found to lookup/search

Account Number Return Flag Constants
	Global Const UK_ACCOUNT = 1	Specifies that the account number validated resides at a branch on the UK (BACS) clearing system.
	Global Const IRISH_ACCOUNT = 2	Specifies that the account number validated resides at a branch on the Irish (IPSO) clearing system.
	Global Const DUAL_ACCOUNT=3	Specifies that the account number validated resides at a branch on both the UK (BACS) and the Irish (IPSO) clearing system. The account could therefore accept transactions on one or both of these clearing systems and you will probably want to verify which should be used with the customer.
Account Number Validation Constants
	Global Const SUCCESS = 0	Successful Verification of Account Number
	Global Const VALIDATION_NOT_AVAILABLE = 1	No Validatation is available for Account Numbers on the supplied Sort Code (so as validation has not failed it is valid for submission to BACS)
	Global Const NOT_FOUND = -2	Sort Code Not Found
	Global Const INVALID_SORT_CODE = -13	Invalid Sort Code Passed
	Global Const INVALID_ACCOUNT_NUMBER = -14	Invalid Account Number Passed
Debit / Credit Card Validation Constants
	Global Const MASTERCARD = 1	Successfully validated Mastercard Details
	Global Const VISA = 2	Successfully validated Visa Details
	Global Const AMERICAN_EXPRESS = 3	Successfully validated American Express Details
	Global Const SWITCH = 4	Successfully validated Switch Details
	Global Const VISA_DELTA = 5	Successfully validated Visa Delta Details
	Global Const VISA_UK_ELECTRON = 6	Successfully validated Visa UK Electron Details
	Global Const VISA_PURCHASING = 7	Successfully validated Visa Purchasing Details
	Global Const SWITCH_AND_MAESTRO = 8	Successfully validated Switch and Maestro (combined) Details
	Global Const MAESTRO = 9	Successfully validated Maestro Details
	Global Const SOLO_AND_MAESTRO = 10	Successfully validated Solo and Maestro (combined) Details
	Global Const JCB = 11	Successfully validated JCB Details
	Global Const INVALID_EXPIRY = -15	Invalid Expiry Date Passed
	Global Const CARD_EXPIRED = -16	Debit/Credit Card has Expired
	Global Const INVALID_CARD_NUMBER = -18	An Invalid Card Number was passed
	Global Const VISA_ATM_ONLY = -19	Validated VISA Card valid for ATM machine use only
	Global Const UNRECOGNISED_CARD = -20	Number validated but Card Type unrecognised

BankFinder Functions

There are Unicode and ASCII forms of each of the Pocket BankFinder functions, the Unicode forms are generally easier to work with in the CE environment. The Unicode versions have the prefix 'w'. The String type used in the data structures in each of these examples is assumed to be an array of TChars (2 bytes per character) if the Unicode function is used, or an array of Chars (1 byte per character) if the ASCII version is used. Where Strings to not form part of the parameters supplied or returned by the function the Unicode version of the function is identical to the ASCII form.

BankGetFirst

Used to initiate a BankFinder Lookup or Search and to return the first matching bank record.

Unicode Declaration
Declare Function BankGetFirst Lib "afdbank.dll" alias "wBankGetFirst" _
(details As SearchRecType, flags As Long) As Long

ASCII Declaration
Declare Function BankGetFirst Lib "afdbank.dll" _
(details As SearchRecType, flags As Long) As Long

BankGetNext

Used to call of subsequent records from a BankFinder Lookup or Search, returns END_OF_SEARCH (-6) when you attempt to call off another record after all records have been returned.

Unicode Declaration
Declare Function BankGetNext Lib "afdbank.dll" alias "wBankGetNext" () As Long

ASCII Declaration
Declare Function BankGetNext Lib "afdbank.dll" () As Long

Usage

To carry out a bank lookup or search:

Set lookup in your SearchRec structure to the lookup string you wish to use (e.g. a Sort Code - see Find Box & Lookup for full details on what you can specify for a lookup) or ensure lookup is blank and set the other search fields to your search criteria (ensure any unused fields are set to a null string or spaces).
Set a flags variable to one of the following values:
- 0 - If you wish to have records from both the BACS (UK) and IPSO (Irish) clearing systems
- 1 - If you wish to have records from the BACS (UK) system only
- 2 - If you wish to have records from the IPSO (Irish) system only.
Call BankGetFirst with your SearchRec structure and flags
If BankGetFirst returns success (return value >=0) call call GetBankRecord to get the data you require. (For records on the UK clearing system GetBACSRecord, GetCHAPSRecord, and/or GetCCCCRecord can also be used to get the UK specific data you may require).
Call BankGetNext repeatedly and process the returned record until it returns END_OF_SEARCH (-6) or another error (<0) to call off subsequent matching bank records.

Example:

Dim SearchData As SearchRec

Dim flags As Long

' Set Lookup Data

SearchData.Lookup = "517032"

' Set Flags to indicate the systems you require data from (0 - Both, 1 - BACS only, 2 - IPSO Only)

flags = 0

' Call Get First to get the first record

retVal = GetFirst(SearchData)

' If success process and call of subsequent records

Do While RetVal >= 0 Then

' If RetVal <> 5 (Record_Break) Call GetBankRecord, GetBACSRecord, GetCHAPSRecord and/or GetCCCCRecord to get the data you require

RetVal = GetNext

' Allow user to cancel if desired

Loop

BankGetFirst Return Type

Returns 0 if success:

Returns <0 if fails:

Returns -2 if no matching records where found
Returns -4 if there was an error opening the BankFinder files
Returns -7 if there was a registration error
Returns -10 if no search data was specified

BankGetNext Return Type

Returns 0 if success:

Returns <0 if fails:

Returns -6 if the end of a search was reached or GetFirst has not been called first

GetBankRecord, GetBACSRecord, GetCHAPSRecord, GetCCCCRecord

Used to get the data type/structures containing the data for a bank record matched by a call to BankGetFirst or BankGetNext. Note that while the other functions will not fail for IPSO records, only the GetBankRecord function returns useful data for IPSO records as the others provide data specific to the UK clearing systems. The CountryIndicator parameter of the BankRecType structure returned from the GetBankRecord function can easily be examined to determine the clearing system the record is for if you are searching on both - it will contain "I" for IPSO records and "U" for BACS records.

Unicode Declarations
Declare Function GetBankRecord Lib "afdbank.dll" alias "wGetBankRecord" _
(bankRecord As BankRecType) As Long
Declare Function GetBACSRecord Lib "afdbank.dll" alias "wGetBankRecord" _
(bacsRecord As BACSRecType) As Long
Declare Function GetCHAPSRecord Lib "afdbank.dll" alias "wGetBankRecord" _
(chapsRecord As CHAPSRecType) As Long
Declare Function GetCCCCRecord Lib "afdbank.dll" alias "wGetBankRecord" _
(ccccRecord As CCCCRecType) As Long

ASCII Declarations
Declare Function GetBankRecord Lib "afdbank.dll" _
(bankRecord As BankRecType) As Long
Declare Function GetBACSRecord Lib "afdbank.dll" _
(bacsRecord As BACSRecType) As Long
Declare Function GetCHAPSRecord Lib "afdbank.dll" _
(chapsRecord As CHAPSRecType) As Long
Declare Function GetCCCCRecord Lib "afdbank.dll" _
(ccccRecord As CCCCRecType) As Long

Example:

Dim searchData As SearchRec

Dim bankData As BankRec

Dim BACSData As BACSRec

Dim CHAPSData As CHAPSRec

Dim CCCCData As CCCCRec

' Set Lookup Data

SearchRec.Lookup = "517032"

' Set Flags to indicate the systems you require data from (0 - Both, 1 - BACS only, 2 - IPSO Only)

flags = 0

' Call BankGetFirst to get the first record

retVal = BankGetFirst(SearchRec, flags)

' If success process and call of subsequent records

Do While RetVal >= 0 Then

If RetVal <> 5 (Record_Break) Then

GetBankRecord (bankData)

GetBACSRecord (BACSData)

GetCHAPSRecord (CHAPSData)

GetCCCCRecord (CCCCData)

' Process the data

End If

' Allow user to cancel if desired

retVal = BankGetNext

Loop

Return Type

These functions will always return 0 for success. If no call to GetFirst or GetNext has yet been made a blank data record will be returned.

GetFirstRedirect, GetNextRedirect - Applies to UK (BACS) branches only

These functions are used to get a list of banks that are redirected to a sort code. When you lookup a bank record if the 'Redirected From' field contains 'R' this means that other sort codes are redirected to this one. Call GetFirstRedirect with that records sort code and it will return the first sort code that has been redirected to it, then repeatedly call GetNextRedirect until it returns -6 to get the rest of the records.

Unicode Declarations
Declare Function GetFirstRedirect Lib "afdbank.dll" _
(ByVal sortcode As String) As Long
Declare Function GetNextRedirect Lib "afdbank.dll" _
(ByVal sortcode As String) As Long

ASCII Declarations
Declare Function GetFirstRedirect Lib "afdbank.dll" alias "wGetFirstRedirect" _
(ByVal sortcode As String) As Long
Declare Function GetNextRedirect Lib "afdbank.dll" alias "wGetNextRedirect" _
(ByVal sortcode As String) As Long

Example:

Dim sortCode As String * 8

sortCode = "086001"

' Call GetFirstRedirect to get the first record

retVal = GetFirstRedirect(sortCode)

' If success process and call of subsequent records

Do While RetVal >= 0 Then

' Sort Code now contains a sort code that has been redirected to the one originally supplied.

retVal = GetNextRedirect(sortCode)

Loop

Return Type

GetFirstRedirect Return Type

Returns 0 if success:

Returns <0 if fails:

Returns -2 if no matching records where found
Returns -4 if there was an error opening the BankFinder files
Returns -6 if no matching sort codes were found
Returns -7 if there was a registration error - run the AFD Welcome program to register BankFinder

GetNextRedirect Return Type

Returns 0 if success:

Returns <0 if fails:

Returns -6 if no further matching sort codes were found

JumpToRecord

This function is used to jump back to a record that has previously been accessed. It is useful if you are listing results and need to recall a record when the user selects it. Each Bank record has a record number simply pass that to this function, you will be moved to that position from where you can call off the data you then require using the GetBankRecord, GetBACSRecord, GetCHAPSRecord and GetCCCCRecord methods as desired.

Unicode Declaration
Declare Function JumpToRecord Lib "afdbank.dll" _
(ByVal recPos As Long) As Long

ASCII Declaration
Declare Function JumpToRecord Lib "afdbank.dll" alias "wJumpToRecord" _
(ByVal recPos As Long) As Long

Example:

retVal = JumpToRecord (recPos) ' where recPos contains the record number of the record to jump back to

If retVal >= 0 Then

' Successfully Jumped - Use GetBankRecord, GetBACSRecord, GetCHAPSRecord and/or GetCCCCRecord to get data for this bank as desired

Else

' Failed - inform user (See below for error codes)

End If

Return Type

Returns 0 if success:

Returns <0 if fails:

Returns -2 if the record number supplied does not exist
Returns -4 if there was an error opening the BankFinder files
Returns -7 if there was a registration error - run the AFD Welcome program to register BankFinder

ValidateAcc

This function is used to verify that an Account Number is valid and therefore can be used to help eliminate errors in capturing an account number. The sortcode and accountNo parameters will be updated with the translated numbers for BACS processing if applicable, so you should use the values returned by the function in any subsequent processing. The TypeOfAccountCode parameter is normally zero but for some account translations will be set and is necessary for BACS submission. You may also want to lookup the Sort Code using the GetFirst and GetNext methods to verify the bank details are correct.

Unicode Declaration
Declare Function ValidateAcc Lib "afdbank.dll" alias "wValidateAcc" _
(flags As Long, ByVal sortcode As String, ByVal accountNo As String, typeOfAccountCode As Long) As Long

ASCII Declaration
Declare Function ValidateAcc Lib "afdbank.dll"
(flags As Long, ByVal sortcode As String, ByVal accountNo As String, typeOfAccountCode As Long) As Long

Flags
The flags parameter serves two purposes. Prior to calling ValidateAcc you should set this to indicate the clearing systems that you wish to validate accounts for. This will likely depend on which clearing system or systems you are able or willing to process payments through. This should be one of the following values:

0 - If you wish to validate account numbers help at branches from both the BACS (UK) and IPSO (Irish) clearing systems
1 - If you wish to validate account numbers help at branches from the BACS (UK) system only
2 - If you wish to validate account numbers help at branches from the IPSO (Irish) system only.

On successfully validating an account number. the flags parameter passed will be set to show which clearing system the branch is part of:

1 - The branch is a member of the BACS (UK) system.
2 - The branch is a member of the IPSO (Irish) system.
3 - The branch is a member of both the BACS (UK) and IPSO (Irish) clearing systems. In this case you may wish to check with the customer which clearing system should be used as there branch may not allow both to be used with there particular account.

Example:

Dim retVal As Long

Dim sortCode As String * 8

Dim accountNo As String * 12

Dim typeOfAccountCode As Long

Dim flags As Long

flags = 0

sortCode = "401101"

accountNo = "61893939"

retVal = ValidateAcc (flags, sortCode, accountNo, typeOfAccountCode)

If retVal >= 0 Then

' Successfully validated - process it here - sortCode, accountNo, and typeOfAccountCode variables will have been updated with any necessary account translation
' flags will also now indicate the clearing system the branch resides on.

Else

' Validation failed - inform user (See below for error codes)

End If

Return Type

Returns >=0 if success:

Returns 0 if validation was successful for the account code
Returns 1 if no validation is available for this sort code

Returns <0 if fails:

Returns -2 if no matching sort code was found
Returns -13 if the sort code supplied is invalid (it should be in the format XXXXX, XX-XX-XX, or XX XX XX, where X is a digit)
Returns -14 if the account number was invalid (incorrect length or the checksum was not valid)

ValidateCard

This function is used to verify that a Debit / Credit Card Number and expiry date is valid and to determine what the card type is. It can be used to help eliminate errors in capturing debit or credit card details.

Unicode Declaration
Declare Function ValidateCard Lib "afdbank.dll" _
(RevisionID As Long, ByVal cardNumber As String, ByVal expiry As String) As Long

ASCII Declaration
Declare Function ValidateCard Lib "afdbank.dll" alias "wValidateCard" _
(RevisionID As Long, ByVal cardNumber As String, ByVal expiry As String) As Long

Example:

Dim retVal As Long

Dim cardNumber As String * 30

Dim expiryDate As String * 5

Dim revisionID As Long

revisionID = 2 ' Set to 2 to indicate current checking methods

cardNumber = "6439401101618939396"

expiryDate = "04/02" ' Must be in the format MM/YY (set to an empty string if you don't want to check this)

retVal = ValidateCard (revisionID, cardNumber, expiryDate)

If retVal > 0 Then

' Successfully validated - check return value for card type and process it here

Else

' Validation failed - inform user (See below for error codes)

End If

Return Type

Returns Card Type (>0) if success:

Returns 1 if Mastercard
Returns 2 if Visa (not including Debit types listed below with values 5, 6 and 7 which are also Visa cards)
Returns 3 if American Express
Returns 4 if Switch (Will normally also need to get an Issue Number from the user, note Return value 8 is also Switch)
Returns 5 if Visa Delta
Returns 6 if Visa UK Electron
Returns 7 if Visa Purchasing
Returns 8 if Switch and Maestro combined (Will normally also need to get an Issue Number from the user for Switch)
Returns 9 if Maestro (note Return value 8 is also Maestro)
Returns 10 if Solo and Maestro combined
Returns 11 if JCB

Returns <0 if fails:

Returns -15 if an invalid expiry date was specified (it should be in the format MM/YY, or set to blank not to verify)
Returns -16 if the card has passed it's expiry date
Returns -18 if the card number was invalid (Incorrect length, invalid number for the type of card, or the checksum was not valid)
Returns -19 if the card is Visa but is only accepted by ATM machines (i.e. not for electronic use)
Returns -20 if the card number itself is valid but the card could not be fully validated as it is not of one of the recognised types.

Address, Postcode and Bank solutions