I’m uncertain if the field notaiton is documented, but I’ve been using it for since I can remember.
Gotham is the first person that showed it to me, so let me say thanks.
I like it especially if the vendor decides to change versions of HL7 from 2.2 to say 2.3 then the XLATE will probably work without much change.
If you used the HL7 item numbers in the path then you’ve got alot of changes to make.
Not to mention most people use the field notation in everyday conversation so screen shots or Xlate snippets make much more sense to them.
I must say this is a point that Jim Kosloskey and I have opposite preferences on.
Jim has told me he likes the item number because that is what is displayed by the testing tool and that makes it easier for him to identify the same item in the Xlate.
It is true that when using the field notation in the Xlate, there is some mental effort necessary to figure out which item in the Xlate is the same thing in the tester, but I still have a preference for the field number notation.
By the way, the field notation has worked for all levels of granulaity I’ve encountered.
Here is an example of using the field notation for some subfileds:
=ROSS -> 0(0).PID.#5.[0]
=K -> 0(0).PID.#5.[1]
=Russ -> 0(0).PID.#5.[2]
The notation also works in TCL procs that use GRM and XPM functions.
Russ Ross
RussRoss318@gmail.com