The Translator’s Annotation Windows provide real-time results of exactly what your code is doing.
An annotation is created for each line of code that is executed. If you have imported Sample Data to your script, it will also be used in the annotations, showing you the real time results of the processing on your data.
If you edit the script or navigate through sample data the annotations and data dialogs will be updated in real time.
Annotations are key to faster and more comprehensive development in the Translator. They enable you to:
Verify or view your logic in the annotations in real time. For example, when mapping data you can view the results of your maps:
At any point in your script you can view your data in the annotations by Using trace() function.
Annotations contain clickable links that open dialog boxes with your results or data.
View sample data or string with The string viewing window where you can copy or inspect data in more detail.
View Node Trees (hierarchical data like HL7, X12, XML, and database query results), that can be expanded/contracted to show more or less detail as needed. With some node trees you can also use the “Show Empty Nodes“ check box to analyze empty segments/values.
You can open multiple annotations dialog boxes at once. These can be docked to the right or bottom of the Translator to keep your work space clean.
By clicking on the function name in the annotations you can navigate between functions in the various Lua files within your Project Tree. These function name links make it easy to step into or out of any called function.
Functions which are called multiple times have a navigation control at the top which lets you select the iteration of the function. See how the for loop mapping kin has a sub window with a navigation control?
See for loop and # Operator on Userdata Objects if these concepts are new to you!