ca.uhn.hl7v2.model

Interface Segment

All Superinterfaces:

Serializable, Structure, Visitable

All Known Implementing Classes:

AbstractSegment, GenericSegment

public interface Segment
extends Structure

Represents an HL7 message segment, which is a unit of data that contains multiple fields.

Author:

Bryan Tripp (bryan_tripp@sourceforge.net)

Method Summary

Modifier and Type	Method and Description
String	encode() Encodes this message using the parser returned by Message.getParser()
Type[]	getField(int number) Returns the array of Fields at the specified index.
Type	getField(int number, int rep) Returns a specific repetition of field at the specified index.
int	getLength(int number) Returns the maximum length of the field at the given index, in characters.
int	getMaxCardinality(int number) Returns the maximum number of repetitions of this field that are allowed.
String[]	getNames() Returns the names of the fields in this segment.
boolean	isRequired(int number) Returns true if the field at the given index is required, false otherwise.
int	numFields() Returns the number of fields defined by this segment (repeating fields are not counted multiple times).
void	parse(String string) Parses the string into this segment using the parser returned by Message.getParser()

Methods inherited from interface ca.uhn.hl7v2.model.Structure

getMessage, getName, getParent

Methods inherited from interface ca.uhn.hl7v2.model.Visitable

accept, isEmpty, provideLocation

Method Detail

encode

String encode()
       throws HL7Exception

Encodes this message using the parser returned by Message.getParser()

Returns:

the string-encoded segment

Throws:

HL7Exception - if errors occurred during encoding

getField

Type[] getField(int number)
         throws HL7Exception

Returns the array of Fields at the specified index. The array will be of length 1 for non-repeating fields, and >1 for repeating fields. Fields are numbered from 1.

Parameters:

number - field number (starting at 1)

Returns:

the array of Fields at the specified field number

Throws:

HL7Exception - if field index is out of range.

getField

Type getField(int number,
              int rep)
       throws HL7Exception

Returns a specific repetition of field at the specified index. If there exist fewer repetitions than are required, the number of repetitions can be increased by specifying the lowest repetition that does not yet exist. For example if there are two repetitions but three are needed, the third can be created and accessed using the following code:
Type t = getField(x, 2);

Parameters:

number - the field number (starting at 1)

rep - the repetition number (starting at 0)

Returns:

field at the specified field number and repetition

Throws:

HL7Exception - if field index is out of range, or if the specified repetition is more than 1 greater than the highest index of existing repetitions. NOTE: to facilitate local extensions, no exception is thrown if rep > max cardinality

getLength

int getLength(int number)
       throws HL7Exception

Returns the maximum length of the field at the given index, in characters.

Parameters:

number - field number starting at 1

Returns:

maximum length of the field

Throws:

HL7Exception - if field index is out of range.

getMaxCardinality

int getMaxCardinality(int number)
               throws HL7Exception

Returns the maximum number of repetitions of this field that are allowed. The current cardinality can be obtained by checking the length of the array returned by getLength(n).

Parameters:

number - field number starting at 1

Returns:

maximum number of repetitions of this field

Throws:

HL7Exception - if field index is out of range.

getNames

String[] getNames()

Returns the names of the fields in this segment.

Returns:

array of names

Since:

1.0 - Note that if user defined types are being used, there is a possibility that some entries may be null. All official hapi structures will have all entries populated, but older user defined structures may not have populated all values, since this feature did not exist prior to release 1.0.

isRequired

boolean isRequired(int number)
            throws HL7Exception

Returns true if the field at the given index is required, false otherwise.

Parameters:

number - field number starting at 1

Returns:

true if the field is required

Throws:

HL7Exception - if field index is out of range.

numFields

int numFields()

Returns the number of fields defined by this segment (repeating fields are not counted multiple times).

Returns:

number of fields

parse

void parse(String string)
    throws HL7Exception

Parses the string into this segment using the parser returned by Message.getParser()

Parameters:

string - encoded segment

Throws:

HL7Exception - if errors occurred during parsing