HL7Writer Component

Properties   Methods   Events   Config Settings   Errors  

The HL7Writer component is optimized for HL7 documents, providing a simple way to create HL7 documents.

Syntax

TeditranslatorHL7Writer

Remarks

The component allows you to create a document from scratch. The component allows you to create an EDI document one segment at a time. Here's how a document would normally be created:

1. Call LoadSchema to load the necessary schemas for the transactions that will be used.
2. Specify where to write the output document by setting the OutputFile property or SetOutputStream method, or set neither and check the OutputData property.
3. Create a new interchange start segment using the StartInterchangeHeader method and set its properties using WriteElementString and WriteComponentString.
4. To write a basic element value to the current location, call the WriteElementString method. For complex element values, there are two possibilities, elements which are split into components, and elements which repeat. To write these complex element values, use the StartElement and EndElement methods, with WriteComponentString and RepeatElement methods for writing the values. (Examples available below).
5. Create a new functional group using StartFunctionalGroupHeader and set its properties using WriteElementString and WriteComponentString.
6. Create a new transaction using StartTransactionHeader and set the properties for the header segment.
7. Write all the data for the transaction by creating new data segments using StartSegment and providing the path of the segment to create using the schema names of the loops and segments, like /N1Loop1/N1.
8. Once you are done with the segment, call EndSegment.
9. Once you are done with the transaction, call CreateTransactionFooter.
10. Once you are done with the functional group, call CreateFunctionalGroupFooter.
11. Once the interchange is complete, call CreateInterchangeFooter.

Example EDIFACTWriter Code:

EDIWriter1.StartInterchangeHeader("D98B"); //Complex Element, two components EDIWriter1.StartElement(); EDIWriter1.WriteComponentString("UNOB"); EDIWriter1.WriteComponentString("1"); EDIWriter1.EndElement(); //Skip a value for this element EDIWriter1.SkipElement(); //Basic element EDIWriter1.WriteElementString("7654323"); ... EDIWriter1.StartFunctionalGroupHeader(); ... EDIWriter1.StartTransactionHeader("APERAK"); //Complex Element, repeated element EDIWriter1.StartElement(); EDIWriter1.WriteComponentString("UNH1"); EDIWriter1.RepeatElement(); EDIWriter1.WriteComponentString("UNH2"); EDIWriter1.EndElement(); ... //Segment and its data EDIWriter1.StartSegment("BGM"); EDIWriter1.StartElement(); EDIWriter1.WriteComponentString("C00"); EDIWriter1.EndElement(); EDIWriter1.StartElement(); EDIWriter1.WriteComponentString("C10601"); EDIWriter1.EndElement(); EDIWriter1.EndSegment(); ... CreateTransactionFooter(); CreateFunctionalGroupFooter(); CreateInterchangeFooter();

Property List

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The following is the full list of the properties of the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Method List

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The following is the full list of the methods of the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Event List

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The following is the full list of the events fired by the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Config Settings

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The following is a list of config settings for the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

FileWriteMode Property (HL7Writer Component)

Controls how the output file is opened.

Syntax

property FileWriteMode: TeditranslatorTFileWriteModes read get_FileWriteMode write set_FileWriteMode;

TeditranslatorTFileWriteModes = (
  fwmCreate,
  fwmOverwrite,
  fwmAppend
);

Default Value

fwmCreate

Remarks

This property controls how the component will open the output file specified in OutputFile. Possible values are:

OutputData Property (HL7Writer Component)

Contains the output data.

Syntax

property OutputData: String read get_OutputData;
property OutputDataB: TBytes read get_OutputDataB;

Default Value

''

Remarks

This property will be populated with the contents of the EDI data as output by the component when no OutputFile has been specified and SetOutputStream has not been called with a valid output stream.

This property is read-only.

OutputFile Property (HL7Writer Component)

Specifies the name of the EDI file to write to.

Syntax

property OutputFile: String read get_OutputFile write set_OutputFile;

Default Value

''

Remarks

Set OutputFile before calling the StartInterchangeHeader method to write an EDI interchange to a file on disk.

SchemaFormat Property (HL7Writer Component)

The format of the schema file.

Syntax

property SchemaFormat: TeditranslatorTSchemaFormats read get_SchemaFormat write set_SchemaFormat;

TeditranslatorTSchemaFormats = (
  schemaAutomatic,
  schemaBinary,
  schemaBizTalk,
  schemaSEF,
  schemaBOTS,
  schemaAltova,
  schemaJSON
);

Default Value

schemaAutomatic

Remarks

Set SchemaFormat before calling the LoadSchema method to specify the loading schema format.

The following schema formats are supported:

Suffix Property (HL7Writer Component)

What to append after each segment delimiter.

Syntax

property Suffix: TeditranslatorTSuffixes read get_Suffix write set_Suffix;

TeditranslatorTSuffixes = (
  suffixNone,
  suffixCR,
  suffixLF,
  suffixCRLF
);

Default Value

suffixNone

Remarks

If Suffix is different from suffixNone, trailing (suffix) characters are appended after each segment delimiter. This is useful if you want to have a carriage return/line feed after each segment to make the document more readable.

This property is not available at design time.

CompileSchema Method (HL7Writer Component)

Compiles an existing XSD schema into an optimized binary representation.

Syntax

procedure CompileSchema(XsdSchema: String; BinSchema: String);

Remarks

This method parses XsdSchema and generates an optimized binary representation that is saved into the path referenced by BinSchema. Binary schemas are smaller and require less resources when loading later using LoadSchema

If the schema file does not exists or cannot be parsed as an EDI schema, the component throws an exception.

Config Method (HL7Writer Component)

Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.

Syntax

function Config(ConfigurationString: String): String;

Remarks

Config is a generic method available in every component. It is used to set and retrieve configuration settings for the component.

These settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the component, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.

To set a configuration setting named PROPERTY, you must call Config("PROPERTY=VALUE"), where VALUE is the value of the setting expressed as a string. For boolean values, use the strings "True", "False", "0", "1", "Yes", or "No" (case does not matter).

To read (query) the value of a configuration setting, you must call Config("PROPERTY"). The value will be returned as a string.

CreateFunctionalGroupFooter Method (HL7Writer Component)

Closes the current functional group by writing its footer segment.

Syntax

procedure CreateFunctionalGroupFooter();

Remarks

The CreateFunctionalGroupFooter method will write any existing segments to the output stream and then generate and write the functional group closing segment (GE or UNE). If there is an open transaction set, CreateFunctionalGroupFooter will first call CreateTransactionFooter to close it. If there is no functional group open, an exception will be thrown.

CreateInterchangeFooter Method (HL7Writer Component)

Closes the current interchange by writing its footer segment.

Syntax

procedure CreateInterchangeFooter();

Remarks

The CreateInterchangeFooter method will write any existing segments to the output stream and then generate and write the interchange closing segment (IEA or UNZ). If there is an open transaction set, CreateInterchangeFooter will first call CreateTransactionFooter to close it. If there is an open functional group, CreateInterchangeFooter will first call CreateFunctionalGroupFooter to close it. If there is no interchange open, an exception will be thrown.

CreateTransactionFooter Method (HL7Writer Component)

Closes the current transaction set by writing its footer segment.

Syntax

procedure CreateTransactionFooter();

Remarks

The CreateTransactionFooter method will write any existing segments to the output stream and then generate and write the transaction set closing segment (SE or UNT). If there are no open transaction sets, an exception will be thrown.

DisplaySchemaInfo Method (HL7Writer Component)

Returns a string showing the structure of the schema defining the document.

Syntax

function DisplaySchemaInfo(): String;

Remarks

After calling LoadSchema this may be called to obtain information about the structure of the schema defining the document. If the desired XPath is not known this helps determine the structure so that the correct XPath can be built.

Note: A valid schema must be loaded via LoadSchema.

For instance: Console.WriteLine(component.DisplaySchemaInfo()); Will output text like:

UNH[0,1]
  BGM[0,1]
  DTM[0,35]
  PAI[0,1]
  ALI[0,5]
  IMD[0,1]
  FTX[0,10]
  LOC[0,10]
  GIS[0,10]
  DGS[0,1]
  RFFLoop1[0,99]
    RFF[0,1]
    DTM_2[0,5]
    GIR[0,5]
    LOC_2[0,2]
    MEA[0,5]
    QTY[0,2]
    FTX_2[0,5]
    MOA[0,2]
  NADLoop1[0,99]
    NAD[0,1]
    LOC_3[0,25]
    FII[0,5]
    RFFLoop2[0,9999]
      RFF_2[0,1]
      DTM_3[0,5]
    DOCLoop1[0,5]
      DOC[0,1]
      DTM_4[0,5]
    CTALoop1[0,5]
      CTA[0,1]
      COM[0,5]
  TAXLoop1[0,5]
    TAX[0,1]
    MOA_2[0,1]
    LOC_4[0,5]
  CUXLoop1[0,5]
    CUX[0,1]
    DTM_5[0,5]
  PATLoop1[0,10]
    PAT[0,1]
    DTM_6[0,5]
    PCD[0,1]
    MOA_3[0,1]
    PAI_2[0,1]
    FII_2[0,1]
  TDTLoop1[0,10]
    TDT[0,1]
    TSR[0,1]
    LOCLoop1[0,10]
      LOC_5[0,1]
      DTM_7[0,5]
    RFFLoop3[0,9999]
      RFF_3[0,1]
      DTM_8[0,5]
  TODLoop1[0,5]
    TOD[0,1]
    LOC_6[0,2]
  PACLoop1[0,1000]
    PAC[0,1]
    MEA_2[0,5]
    EQD[0,1]
    PCILoop1[0,5]
      PCI[0,1]
      RFF_4[0,1]
      DTM_9[0,5]
      GIN[0,5]
  ALCLoop1[0,9999]
    ALC[0,1]
    ALI_2[0,5]
    FTX_3[0,1]
    RFFLoop4[0,5]
      RFF_5[0,1]
      DTM_10[0,5]
    QTYLoop1[0,1]
      QTY_2[0,1]
      RNG[0,1]
    PCDLoop1[0,1]
      PCD_2[0,1]
      RNG_2[0,1]
    MOALoop1[0,2]
      MOA_4[0,1]
      RNG_3[0,1]
      CUX_2[0,1]
      DTM_11[0,1]
    RTELoop1[0,1]
      RTE[0,1]
      RNG_4[0,1]
    TAXLoop2[0,5]
      TAX_2[0,1]
      MOA_5[0,1]
  RCSLoop1[0,100]
    RCS[0,1]
    RFF_6[0,5]
    DTM_12[0,5]
    FTX_4[0,5]
  AJTLoop1[0,1]
    AJT[0,1]
    FTX_5[0,5]
  INPLoop1[0,1]
    INP[0,1]
    FTX_6[0,5]
  LINLoop1[0,9999999]
    LIN[0,1]
    PIA[0,25]
    IMD_2[0,10]
    MEA_3[0,5]
    QTY_3[0,5]
    PCD_3[0,1]
    ALI_3[0,5]
    DTM_13[0,35]
    GIN_2[0,1000]
    GIR_2[0,1000]
    QVR[0,1]
    EQD_2[0,1]
    FTX_7[0,5]
    DGS_2[0,1]
    MOALoop2[0,10]
      MOA_6[0,1]
      CUX_3[0,1]
    PATLoop2[0,10]
      PAT_2[0,1]
      DTM_14[0,5]
      PCD_4[0,1]
      MOA_7[0,1]
    PRILoop1[0,25]
      PRI[0,1]
      CUX_4[0,1]
      APR[0,1]
      RNG_5[0,1]
      DTM_15[0,5]
    RFFLoop5[0,10]
      RFF_7[0,1]
      DTM_16[0,5]
    PACLoop2[0,10]
      PAC_2[0,1]
      MEA_4[0,10]
      EQD_3[0,1]
      PCILoop2[0,10]
        PCI_2[0,1]
        RFF_8[0,1]
        DTM_17[0,5]
        GIN_3[0,10]
    LOCLoop2[0,9999]
      LOC_7[0,1]
      QTY_4[0,100]
      DTM_18[0,5]
    TAXLoop3[0,99]
      TAX_3[0,1]
      MOA_8[0,1]
      LOC_8[0,5]
    NADLoop2[0,99]
      NAD_2[0,1]
      LOC_9[0,5]
      RFFLoop6[0,5]
        RFF_9[0,1]
        DTM_19[0,5]
      DOCLoop2[0,5]
        DOC_2[0,1]
        DTM_20[0,5]
      CTALoop2[0,5]
        CTA_2[0,1]
        COM_2[0,5]
    ALCLoop2[0,30]
      ALC_2[0,1]
      ALI_4[0,5]
      DTM_21[0,5]
      FTX_8[0,1]
      QTYLoop2[0,1]
        QTY_5[0,1]
        RNG_6[0,1]
      PCDLoop2[0,1]
        PCD_5[0,1]
        RNG_7[0,1]
      MOALoop3[0,2]
        MOA_9[0,1]
        RNG_8[0,1]
        CUX_5[0,1]
        DTM_22[0,1]
      RTELoop2[0,1]
        RTE_2[0,1]
        RNG_9[0,1]
      TAXLoop4[0,5]
        TAX_4[0,1]
        MOA_10[0,1]
    TDTLoop2[0,10]
      TDT_2[0,1]
      LOCLoop3[0,10]
        LOC_10[0,1]
        DTM_23[0,5]
    TODLoop2[0,5]
      TOD_2[0,1]
      LOC_11[0,2]
    RCSLoop2[0,100]
      RCS_2[0,1]
      RFF_10[0,5]
      DTM_24[0,5]
      FTX_9[0,5]
    GISLoop1[0,10]
      GIS_2[0,1]
      RFF_11[0,1]
      DTM_25[0,5]
      GIR_3[0,5]
      LOC_12[0,2]
      MEA_5[0,5]
      QTY_6[0,2]
      FTX_10[0,5]
      MOA_11[0,2]
  UNS[0,1]
  CNT[0,10]
  MOALoop4[0,100]
    MOA_12[0,1]
    RFFLoop7[0,1]
      RFF_12[0,1]
      DTM_26[0,5]
  TAXLoop5[0,10]
    TAX_5[0,1]
    MOA_13[0,2]
  ALCLoop3[0,15]
    ALC_3[0,1]
    ALI_5[0,1]
    MOA_14[0,2]
    FTX_11[0,1]
  UNT[0,1]

EndElement Method (HL7Writer Component)

Finishes the current composite data element.

Syntax

procedure EndElement();

Remarks

Call EndElement once you've written all components in an element started with StartElement. You should not call this if you wrote a simple element using WriteElementString

EndSegment Method (HL7Writer Component)

Ends writing the current segment.

Syntax

procedure EndSegment();

Remarks

EndSegment terminates writing the current segment and flushes it to the output stream/file.

You should call EndSegment to close a segment started with StartSegment, StartInterchangeHeader, StartFunctionalGroupHeader or StartTransactionHeader.

Flush Method (HL7Writer Component)

Forces any pending segments to be written to the output stream without closing it.

Syntax

procedure Flush();

Remarks

The Flush method forces the component to write the last created segment to the output stream and then flush the output stream.

LoadSchema Method (HL7Writer Component)

Loads a schema file describing a Transaction Set.

Syntax

procedure LoadSchema(FileName: String);

Remarks

This method parses the File and loads it into an internal schema list. The component will attempt to automatically detect the SchemaFormat.

If the schema file does not exist or cannot be parsed as an EDI schema, the component raises an exception.

RepeatElement Method (HL7Writer Component)

Adds a new repetition to the current element.

Syntax

procedure RepeatElement();

Remarks

RepeatElement is used to write repeated data elements in supporting version of X12 or EDIFACT. To use it, first write the first repetition of the simple or composite data element and then call RepeatElement to repeat it, then write again.

Example: Repeating a simple data element: EDIWriter writer = new EDIWriter(); ... writer.StartSegment("Tag"); ... writer.WriteElementString("R1_1"); writer.RepeatElement(); writer.WriteElementString("R1_2"); writer.RepeatElement(); writer.WriteElementString("R1_3"); ... writer.EndSegment();

Example: Repeating a composite data element: EDIWriter writer = new EDIWriter(); ... writer.StartSegment("Tag"); ... writer.StartElement(); writer.WriteComponentString("C1_1"); writer.WriteComponentString("C2_1"); writer.RepeatElement(); writer.WriteComponentString("C1_2"); writer.WriteComponentString("C2_2"); writer.RepeatElement(); writer.WriteComponentString("C1_3"); writer.EndElement(); ... writer.EndSegment();

Reset Method (HL7Writer Component)

Resets the state of the control.

Syntax

procedure Reset();

Remarks

Resets the state of the writer. If a document has been partially written already, it will not be closed correctly and the write process will be aborted.

SkipComponent Method (HL7Writer Component)

Moves to the next sub-element in the current composite element in the current segment.

Syntax

procedure SkipComponent();

Remarks

SkipComponent can be used to avoid providing a value for the current sub-element in the opened composite element within the current segment.

If the sub-element already has a value (such as one provided by default by the component), said value will not be overwritten.

SkipElement Method (HL7Writer Component)

Moves to the next data element in the current segment.

Syntax

procedure SkipElement();

Remarks

SkipElement can be used to avoid providing a value for the current element in the current segment.

If the element already has a value (such as one provided by default by the component), said value will not be overwritten.

StartElement Method (HL7Writer Component)

Starts a new EDI composite data element on the current segment.

Syntax

procedure StartElement();

Remarks

When called, a new composite data element is created in the current segment. You can then call WriteComponentString one or more times to write the individual components or subelements that make up this composite.

Call EndElement once you've written all components in this element.

StartFunctionalGroupHeader Method (HL7Writer Component)

Creates a new EDI functional group header segment on the current document.

Syntax

procedure StartFunctionalGroupHeader();

Remarks

When called, a new functional group start (GS or UNG) segment is created and set as the current segment. You should then set the values on said segment before adding a new transaction set within the document.

StartInterchangeHeader Method (HL7Writer Component)

Creates a new EDI Interchange header segment on the current document.

Syntax

procedure StartInterchangeHeader(Version: String);

Remarks

When called, a new interchange start (ISA or UNB) segment is created and set as the current segment. You should then set the values on said segment before creating a functional group or a new transaction set within the document.

StartSegment Method (HL7Writer Component)

Creates a new EDI data segment on the current document.

Syntax

procedure StartSegment(SegmentType: String);

Remarks

When called, a new data segment is created in the current transaction and set as the current segment. You can then set the values on said segment. Creating a new data segment automatically writes the previous current segment to the output stream.

The SegmentType argument specifies the type of data segment to create, using an XPath-like syntax, based on the transaction set schema. For example, to create a new N1 segment on the first N1 loop, specify "/N1Loop1/N1".

It's important to realize that segments must be created in the same order they should appear on the target EDI document. The EDIWriter component doesn't automatically enforce ordering rules, nor does it force the document to reorder segments in loops automatically.

StartTransactionHeader Method (HL7Writer Component)

Creates a new EDI transaction set header on the current document.

Syntax

procedure StartTransactionHeader(Code: String);

Remarks

When called, a new transaction set start (ST or UNH) segment is created and set as the current segment. You should then set the values on said segment before adding creating transaction data segments.

The Code argument should specify the transaction code you want to create (for example, "850" or "INVOIC"). This value, together with the EDI specification and the version provided in the StartInterchangeHeader method are used to locate a matching transaction set schema on the components schema cache. You must make sure that a corresponding schema has been successfully loaded into the component by using the LoadSchema method before trying to call StartTransactionHeader.

WriteComponentString Method (HL7Writer Component)

Sets the value of the next component within the current element in the current segment.

Syntax

procedure WriteComponentString(Value: String);

Remarks

Use the WriteComponentString method to specify a value for an individual component within a composite data element.

To write an entire composite data element, first call the StartElement method, then do one or more calls to WriteComponentString. Finish the composite element by calling the EndElement method.

WriteElementString Method (HL7Writer Component)

Sets a value of the next element in the current segment to a simple value.

Syntax

procedure WriteElementString(Value: String);

Remarks

Use the WriteElementString method to specify a value for the next data element with simple content on the current segment.

To write a composite data element, even if it has a single sub-element, use the StartElement and WriteComponentString methods instead.

WriteTransaction Method (HL7Writer Component)

Writes an entire transaction to the output.

Syntax

procedure WriteTransaction(Value: String);

Remarks

Use the WriteTransaction method when you have generated a complete transaction outside of the component and want to include it in the document being created by this instance.

No validation is done on the contents of the Value parameter. You must ensure the transaction data is valid and matches the same conventions (delimiters, etc) being used in this document.

Error Event (HL7Writer Component)

Fired when information is available about errors during data delivery.

Syntax

type TErrorEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  ErrorCode: Integer;
  const Description: String
) of Object;

property OnError: TErrorEvent read FOnError write FOnError;

Remarks

The Error event is fired in case of exceptional conditions during message processing. Normally the component raises an exception.

The ErrorCode parameter contains an error code, and the Description parameter contains a textual description of the error. For a list of valid error codes and their descriptions, please refer to the Error Codes section.

Output Event (HL7Writer Component)

Fires whenever a segment is complete.

Syntax

type TOutputEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  OutputData: String;
  OutputDataB: TBytes
) of Object;

property OnOutput: TOutputEvent read FOnOutput write FOnOutput;

Remarks

The Output event will fire when the writer completes a new segment and writes data to the output stream or buffer. The Data parameter contains the data bytes.

Warning Event (HL7Writer Component)

Fires whenever a validation warning is encountered.

Syntax

type TWarningEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  WarnCode: Integer;
  const Message: String;
  SegmentNumber: Integer;
  const SegmentTag: String;
  const SegmentErrorCode: String;
  const ElementErrorCode: String;
  ElementPosition: Integer
) of Object;

property OnWarning: TWarningEvent read FOnWarning write FOnWarning;

Remarks

The Warning event will fire if a validation error is encountered when writing a new segment to the output document. The WarnCode parameter contains the type of warning encountered. Message is a textual description of the problem. SegmentNumber is the index of the segment where the problem was found.

Config Settings (HL7Writer Component)

The component accepts one or more of the following configuration settings. Configuration settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the component, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.

HL7Writer Config Settings

Base Config Settings

Trappable Errors (HL7Writer Component)

HL7Writer Errors

	1000   Input/Output error
	1001   No stream or file name were specified for the component
	1002   Unexpected end of file (EOF).
	1003   Segment not found.
	1004   Segment not found in schema.
	1005   Schema not found.
	1010   Invalid Writer state.
	1011   Segment does not have the specified element or component.
	1044   Error while reading schema file.
	1099   Unexpected error.