How can I create a JSON message with multiple patient records?

Question

I need to create a JSON response that contains multiple patient records.  The receiving system expects something like this:

{
    "count": 3,
    "sender": "SendingSystem",
    "receipient": "ReceivingSystem",
    "date": "20160316",
    ...
    "patients": [
        {
            "firstName": "First",
            "lastName": "Last",
            "middleName": "Middle",
            ...
        },
        {
            "firstName": "First",
            "lastName": "Last",
            "middleName": "Middle",
            ...
        },
        {
            "firstName": "First",
            "lastName": "Last",
            "middleName": "Middle",
            ...
        }
    ]
}

Answer 1

Let's say we were building a response to a query for the patients with more than one heart (just something to fill in the ...)

 

//Create an object for the response

var patientMessage = {};

 

//Populate the response meta data

patientMessage.count = 3;

patientMessage.sender = 'AcmeEHR';

patientMessage.receipient = 'EmcaEHR';

patientMessage.date = '' + qie.formatDate('yyyyMMdd', qie.getSystemDate());

 

//Initialize an Array in the response object

patientMessage.patients = [];

 

//Create another object for the first patient

var patient = {};

patient.firstName = 'Unknown';

patient.lastName = 'Unknown';

patient.middleName = 'Unknown';

patient.alias = 'The Doctor';

patient.numberOfHearts = 2;

 

//Add the patient to the response objects array in the first or 0 position

patientMessage.patients[0] = patient;

 

//Add another patient but this time let's just initialize the 

//second or 1 position in the array as an object directly

patientMessage.patients[1] = {};

 

//Then populate it

patientMessage.patients[1].firstName = 'Hag';

patientMessage.patients[1].lastName = 'Man';

patientMessage.patients[1].middleName = 'Fish';

patientMessage.patients[1].numberOfHearts = 4;

 

//Repeat for the third patient in the 2 position of the array

patientMessage.patients[2] = {};

patientMessage.patients[2].firstName = 'Squid';

patientMessage.patients[2].lastName = 'Man';

patientMessage.patients[2].numberOfHearts = 3;

 

qie.debug(JSON.stringify(patientMessage));

 

The above demonstrates two ways to add objects to an array in JSON.  So our resulting JSON response contains an array of patients with more than one heart.  Note: [] creates a new Array vs {} creates a new Object.

 

This is the output from the debug:

 

{

    "count": 3,

    "sender": "AcmeEHR",

    "receipient": "EmcaEHR",

    "date": "20160316",

    "patients": [

        {

            "firstName": "Unknown",

            "lastName": "Unknown",

            "middleName": "Unknown",

            "alias": "The Doctor",

            "numberOfHearts": 2

        },

        {

            "firstName": "Hag",

            "lastName": "Man",

            "middleName": "Fish",

            "numberOfHearts": 4

        },

        {

            "firstName": "Squid",

            "lastName": "Man",

            "numberOfHearts": 3

        }

    ]

}

 

Anyone, care to add any comments regarding other characters besides The Doctor with more than one heart?