OBX_5 Text Char Limitaions?

Tom,

This is a limitation of the newer GUI (5.x any way maybe 3.8).

Anyway the bottom line is you can ake that field length unlimited by putting -1 in the length (I recall it is -1 anyway – you will need to test that).

Since the GUI will not allow you to enter -1 (there has been a reauest for some time to correct this), how you accomplish what you need is you make a change to the field length in your variant (don’t use the distributed root variant make your own). The with an editor go into the Fields file in the formats directory for that variant and change the length in the OBX-5 field defined there to -1 and save.

Test that negative 1 (don’t forget to reconfigure your Xlate to grab the new versin of the variant) and make sure you are now geting your full set of data in that field. Again I recall the value is -1 but I may be wrong.

Folks,

We are running CIS5.6R2 and I tried that trick with the -1 and it will work fine.  I ran into an issue with an embedded PDF file in OBX-5.  BUT (!!!)

anytime you open the HL7 variant and close it, the -1 reverts to a zero!!!

Which means that you get nothing copied out now.   This happens whether or not you edit the variant or just read it.   And you don’t even have to be looking at any -1 fields or segments with the -1 field(s).

I have communicated this problem to Healthvision support this month (May 2010) but have not heard back to date.   They think that maybe this was fixed in 5.7 but are not sure – it is a pending research question.

So… reverted to a TCL solution to handle the mapping and pulled my Xlate configuration.

Just thought to warn someone trying this trick in CIS 5.6.

BobR

Bob,

CL 5.6 Rev 2 AIX 5.3.

I just:

– created a variant

– changed the OBX-5 field to -1 (with vi)

– opened the variant up in the GUI

– Closed the Variant without saving (effect of just reading it – even moved around before colsing)

No problem the field is still -1.

Then:

– opened the variant up in the GUI

– Changed the OBX segment in the ORU mesage from optional to regquired and back so that the GUI indicated a change had been made.

– Saved the variant

The OBX-5 field still -1.

Not until I actually brought up the OBX-5 field in the variant configurator did I see any change (changes it back to zero as you indicated).

Still a bug – however I did not experience the bug with ANY use of the Configurator – just when I reference the actual field.

Jim,

Thanks for your observations.  I will repeat my experiments and formally submit a bug problem to the Healthvision support via email.  In this way we can get a CASE assigned and maybe get this fixed.

Wondering if I left the field highlighted while moving around, that is, in selected mode?

Ok… try again.

BobR

We went with a different approach to the character limitation in the GUI.

And it avoids the slight bug encountered if you “touch” the field with the GUI.

We are 5.5 Rev1 and 5.3 AIX.

As Jim and Bob mentioned, you have to edit manually.

We set our particular field to 500,000 characters.  The GUI will not reset the field length back to zero with this method.

Here is what it looks like in the fields file…..

{ITEM 100161} {NAME ZTF3} {TYPE ST} {LEN 500000}

I know it is not unlimited, but better than having the field reset to zero if someone “touches” the field using the GUI.  Especially if the person does not notice that the field has been reset to zero.  As you can imagine, not a good thing…. 😯

You can probably put in a larger number like 1,000,000 or whatever your heart desires for the field length.

Just food for thought or another way to skin the cat. 😈

All,

Really the bug should be fixed – but – if you really want to make sure you cannot aaccidentally change the field value in the gui, just reset the write permissions on the file.

The the GUI cannot write to the fields file.

You get an error indicating the action cannot be performed when you go to save.

This means that NO field can be changed as long as the write permissions are off – but – just reset them when you know you want to make a change and be careful.

But after all this is a situation that only arises when you have to make a field unlimited in length and that does not happen that often.