VendorEscData()

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Object: EHL7.HL7Vendors

FileName: EHL7.dll

METHOD

Name: VendorEscData()

Parameters: 1) strData (String) the data you wish to "escape".

Returns: String

Description: If you are not sure if your data is HL7 safe you can use this function to 'Clean' it before inserting it into an HL7 field.

IMPORTANT PROGRAMMING NOTE: This method will IGNORE the HL7 Escape character unless the ProcessEscapeCharacters Property is set to TRUE.

Private Sub VendorTest()

Dim myVendorObj As New EHL7.HL7Vendors

Dim strVendorID As String

Dim myEmployerName As String

myVendorObj.VendorPath = "C:\EasyHL7"

strVendorID = myVendorObj.GetVendorID("Default","2.3")

If Not myVendorObj.OpenVendor(strVendorID) Then

MsgBox myVendorObj.LastError

Set myVendorObj = Nothing

Exit Sub

End If

myEmployerName = "Dave & Buster's"

'If the vendor definition is set to the default encoding characters this string

'is not to place directly into an HL7 Field becase the '&' character is the

'SubComponentDelimiter. So first we 'Escape' it.

myEmployerName = myVendorObj.VendorEscData(myEmployerName)

MsgBox "Escaped Value is: " & myEmployerName

myEmployerName = myVendorObj.VendorUnEscData(myEmployerName)

MsgBox "And back to the Actual value: " & myEmployerName

'......etc, etc.

End Sub

Programming Note: The VendorEscData() and the VendorUnEscData() methods DO NOT form a complete 'escape/unescape' solution. Using Escape sequences in HL7 is a comprehensive process that (despite the fact that it's part of the standard) will still almost ALWAYS need to be negotiated between you and your HL7 trading partners. What these methods will insure is that the individual piece of data is HL7 safe within the context of the vendor definition, in that all ParsingCharacters, SegmentDelimiters, FieldSeparators and EncodingCharacters are safely and correctly 'Escaped' to make them safe to use in an HL7 message created using that vendor object.