diff --git a/manual/ExternalFunctions.ipynb b/manual/ExternalFunctions.ipynb
index 9030aec066e16edb5ec3abe16ed3740080a35f35..9f6bae2ff2196e299bd98e123272984831705f98 100644
--- a/manual/ExternalFunctions.ipynb
+++ b/manual/ExternalFunctions.ipynb
@@ -1622,6 +1622,499 @@
     "INT_TO_HEX_STRING(2**100-1)"
    ]
   },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "### STRING_IS_DECIMAL\n",
+    "\n",
+    "\n",
+    "This external predicate takes a string and is true if the string represents a decimal number. It requires a decimal point and digits both before and after the decimal point.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "Type: $STRING $."
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 3,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{TRUE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "TRUE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 3,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_DECIMAL(\"1.0\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 4,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{TRUE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "TRUE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 4,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_DECIMAL(\"00.00\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "All the examples below are not considered decimal number strings:"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 5,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{FALSE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "FALSE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 5,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_DECIMAL(\"1\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 6,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{FALSE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "FALSE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 6,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_DECIMAL(\".5\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 7,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{FALSE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "FALSE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 7,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_DECIMAL(\"\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 8,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{FALSE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "FALSE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 8,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_DECIMAL(\"1.\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 9,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{FALSE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "FALSE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 9,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_DECIMAL(\"1e5\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "### STRING_IS_ALPHANUMERIC\n",
+    "\n",
+    "\n",
+    "This external predicate takes a string and is true if the string is non empty and contains only alphanumeric letters (a-z,A-Z,0-9) and nothing else.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "Type: $STRING $."
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 10,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{TRUE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "TRUE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 10,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_ALPHANUMERIC(\"azAZ09\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 11,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{TRUE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "TRUE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 11,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_ALPHANUMERIC(\"1\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 12,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{TRUE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "TRUE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 12,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_ALPHANUMERIC(\"a\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "All the examples below are not considered alphanumeric strings:"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 13,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{FALSE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "FALSE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 13,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_ALPHANUMERIC(\"\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 14,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{FALSE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "FALSE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 14,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_ALPHANUMERIC(\"p_1\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 15,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{FALSE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "FALSE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 15,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_ALPHANUMERIC(\"ä\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "### STRING_IS_NUMBER\n",
+    "\n",
+    "\n",
+    "This external predicate takes a string and is true if the string represents a number.\n",
+    "Type: $STRING $."
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 16,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{TRUE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "TRUE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 16,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_NUMBER(\"1\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 17,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{TRUE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "TRUE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 17,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_NUMBER(\"0.5\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 18,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{TRUE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "TRUE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 18,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_NUMBER(\"00.00\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "All these strings are not considered numbers:"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 19,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{FALSE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "FALSE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 19,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_NUMBER(\"1.\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 20,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{FALSE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "FALSE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 20,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_NUMBER(\"\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 21,
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/markdown": [
+       "$\\mathit{FALSE}$"
+      ],
+      "text/plain": [
+       "FALSE"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 21,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "STRING_IS_NUMBER(\"1e5\")"
+   ]
+  },
   {
    "cell_type": "markdown",
    "metadata": {},