About Connection Normalizer Markup

The connection normalizers use the same small set of XML elements that the unit normalizers use. With this XML markup, connection normalizers translate location and role references between CTS and the foreign clinical assignment system.

Connection normalizers use the XML syntax shown in the following table.

Table 1. Normalizer Syntax
XML Element	Description
<normalizer/>	Top-level element with an optional version attribute for your own reference.
<entry/>	An element that processes a single chunk of data—either a location or a role. Both <format/> and <node/> elements are allowed within an <entry/> element.
<format/>	An immediate child of the <entry/> element, <format/> specifies either the location or role that is output by the normalizer. This output is assembled with the processing done by each of the individual nodes. For example, a location normalizer may use a <format/> element such as the following to specify that its output is "Room" followed by a number and "Bed" followed by a number; in this example, Room 103 Bed 2 would be an allowed location: <format>Room $room Bed $bed</format> The <format/> element always determines the final output of the normalizer, even if $role or $location are defined in the <variables/> element.
<node/>	An immediate child of the <entry/> element or of another <node/>, each <node/> processes one or more variables in the input template. For example, the top-level node in a location normalizer may evaluate the input group, and nested nodes may evaluate room ($Room) and bed ($Bed) variables. Each <node> element is a parent of <input>, <pattern>, and <variable/> elements.
<input/>	An immediate child of the <node/> element, <input/> specifies which variable from the template its parent <node/> is processing.
<pattern/>	An immediate child of the <node/> element, <pattern/> uses Java regular expressions to specify the pattern of data allowed into the node. Every regular expression group in the <pattern/> element must correspond to a variable in the <variables/> element. If the <node/> specifies more <pattern/> groups than <variables/>, the normalizer produces an error.
<variables/>	An immediate child of the <node/> element, <variables/> specifies one or more variables that are refined by the parent <node/> processing. This resolved value of the <node/> element is passed to the <format/> element, which in turn uses the value as part of its output. If the processing in any <node/> fails, the <variables/> element is not assigned a return value.