Field repetition

Lint rule that reports a field with more repetitions than HL7v2 allows.

What it does

Flags a field with more repetitions (separated by ~) than the HL7v2 standard for the message's version allows: one for a field that does not repeat, or a set number such as 2 for OBR-17 in v2.6. Fields with no limit on repetitions are never reported. It needs the plugins @glion/annotate-profile-context and @glion/annotate-profile-fields to run before it; @glion/preset-lint-profile-recommended includes them.

Install

npm install @glion/lint-profile-field-repetition

Use

import { hl7v2AnnotateProfileContext } from "@glion/annotate-profile-context";
import { hl7v2AnnotateProfileFields } from "@glion/annotate-profile-fields";
import hl7v2LintFieldRepetition from "@glion/lint-profile-field-repetition";
import { parseHL7v2 } from "@glion/parser";
import { unified } from "unified";
import { VFile } from "vfile";
import { reporter } from "vfile-reporter";

const message = [
  "MSH|^~\\&|SENDER|FAC|RECV|RFAC|20250601120000||ADT^A01^ADT_A01|MSG00001|P|2.5",
  "PID|1||PATID1234^^^HOSP^MR||DOE^JANE||19800101~19800102|F",
].join("\r");

const file = new VFile();
await unified()
  .use(hl7v2AnnotateProfileContext)
  .use(hl7v2AnnotateProfileFields)
  .use(hl7v2LintFieldRepetition)
  .run(parseHL7v2(message), file);

console.error(reporter([file]));

API

`unified().use(hl7v2LintFieldRepetition)`

A unified lint rule plugin. Takes no options. Reports one message for each field with too many repetitions.

import type { Plugin } from "unified";
import type { Root } from "@glion/ast";

declare const hl7v2LintFieldRepetition: Plugin<[], Root>;
export default hl7v2LintFieldRepetition;

What it checks

A field has at most as many repetitions as its repetition limit in the message's version. For example, PID-7 (Date/Time of Birth) does not repeat in v2.5.

Valid

PID-7 has one value:

MSH|^~\&|SENDER|FAC|RECV|RFAC|20250601120000||ADT^A01^ADT_A01|MSG00001|P|2.5
PID|1||PATID1234^^^HOSP^MR||DOE^JANE||19800101|F

Invalid

PID-7 has two values:

MSH|^~\&|SENDER|FAC|RECV|RFAC|20250601120000||ADT^A01^ADT_A01|MSG00001|P|2.5
PID|1||PATID1234^^^HOSP^MR||DOE^JANE||19800101~19800102|F

Reported message:

The field has 2 repetitions; it allows at most 1 repetition.

Field repetition

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