Angle Bracket <> Syntax

Describes how to use angle bracket <> syntax to access virtual properties.

Where Applicable

You can use this syntax in business rules.

Details

To use angle bracket syntax to access a virtual property, use the following syntax:

message<xpathexpression>

Where

message is a variable that refers to the current message. The name of this variable depends upon the context.
xpathexpression is an XPath expression.

The preceding syntax is equivalent to the following:

GetXPathValues(message.stream,"context|expression")

GetXPathValues() is a convenience method in the rules engine. It operates on a message that contains a stream property whose contents are an XML document. The method applies an XPath expression to the XML document within the stream property, and returns all matching values. If the context| part of the XPath argument is missing, Ensemble searches the entire XML document.

If the syntax returns multiple values a, b, and c they appear in a single string enclosed in <> angle brackets, like this:

Example

In an HL7 routing rule, the syntax HL7.<fracture> results in a match if the XML document in the message stream property contains the word fracture.