Can The Index Notation for Translates be Converted?

[Vince Angulo]

I’m maintaining a old translate that uses the pound sign field notation and would prefer to use the 5-digit HL7 field numbers.

Is there a way to update them without editing the translate line by line?

Topic

[Jim Kosloskey]

I think your only options are to edit in Xlate Configurator or use a text editor against the .xlt file and try find/replace although that might be as tedious.

The reason the # notation is used is that on at least one HL/7 version, the field numbers got changed. I don’t recall which version but it really caused a lot of grief.

Why do you prefer the field numbers?

email: jim.kosloskey@jim-kosloskey.com 29+ years Cloverleaf, 59 years IT - old fart.

[Vince Angulo]

Thanks Jim, I was pretty sure that would be the case.

For me it’s a maintenance convenience.  Since I haven’t run into the HL7 version with different numbers (yet), I can find, say, the patient name, by searching 00108 and find everywhere the translate touches that field.  This is esp. useful as we have one developer with a quirky organization style…

Over time, I’ve become really familiar with the numbers and it’s quicker than trying to search a field using the # notation — I don’t have the PID(0).#5 on the tip of my brain — if that makes sense…I guess that’s my quirk 🙂

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