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Forge 19.2 for STU3

Forge release 19.2 represents a minor update that introduces some new features. This release also repairs the Import from / Publish to Simplifier commands, which were broken for a while. All users are recommended to update to the latest version. You can download and install the latest version from Simplifier.

Update to FHIR API 0.96.1-alpha2 (custom Forge release)

Stability update with some bug fixes and improvements, especially:

  • Snapshot Generator supports (expands) custom element type profiles for datatype Reference
  • Generated summaries of StructureDefinition resources now include the root element definition property value

New

  • New configuration option: Show child elements when sliced
    According to FHIR, constraints on regular child elements of a slice group represent common slice constraints that apply to all indivual named slices in the group. This approach is more efficient and convenient than having to repeat the same common constraints on all named slices. By default, when an element is sliced, Forge will hide all regular child elements in the element tree, instead showing the associated named slices as children of the sliced element. This design simplifies and declutters the UI, but also prevents authors from specifying and/or editing common child element constraints on a slice group. This release introduces a new application configuration setting Show child elements when sliced that controls the visibility of regular child elements of sliced elements (including extensions). The new option is disabled by default, to maintain the behavior of the previous Forge releases. Advanced users can toggle this option to manage profiles with global slicing constraints.

Improvements

  • Prevent conflicting canonical urls for newly created profiles
    When the user creates a new StructureDefinition, Forge verifies if the specified canonical url is unique. If the url conflicts with another StructureDefinition that is currently loaded in the application, then Forge will automatically add a unique index number to the specified canonical url and name.

  • Generate appropriate name for new logical models
    When creating a new logical model, Forge would propose the confusing name "MyElement". Forge will now assign the default name "MyModel" to newly created logical models.

  • Some improvements to the New StructureDefinition dialog window:

    • Update canonical url and filename after name change If the user modifies the generated new profile name, then Forge will automatically update the generated canonical url and filename accordingly.
    • Display current search text The list of resources/datatypes supports text search by name (when focused); Start typing to quickly select the first item (if any) with a matching name prefix. Forge now displays the current search text (when searching) above the list.
    • Display root element definition Forge now displays the root element definition of the selected resource, equal to the introduction text of each resource page on the official FHIR specification website.
  • Initialize default discriminator path expression for selected types
    When you select a specific discriminator type, Forge now automatically initializes the associated default discriminator path expression:

    Discriminator type Default path
    Type $this
    Profile resolve()
  • Validate discriminator fhir path expressions
    Forge now validates discriminator.path constraints to verify that the specified values are valid FHIR path expressions.

  • Enable Http Compression
    Forge now supports Http response compression when connecting to a FHIR server or Simplifier. By default, Forge will accept compressed responses. You can toggle Http Compression via the Options menu.

Bug fixes

  • Restore broken Simplifier integration
    Under some circumstances, the Publish to Simplifier and Import from Simplifier commands fail and display an error message, due to some small variations in the capability statement of our Simplifier environment. This release implements a workaround that restores Simplifier connectivity.

  • Immediately expand child elements of newly created BackBoneElement slices
    In the previous release, when the user adds a new named slice of a BackBoneElement, Forge would not immediately expand the (complex) child elements of the new slice, until the user saves and reloads the profile. This has now been fixed. When you add a new named slice, Forge now immediately expands all child elements of the new slice.

  • Support type profiles for elements with datatype Reference
    Forge now supports resolving and expanding references to external profiles on datatype Reference (i.e. expand children of elements with ElementDefinition.code="Reference" and ElementDefinition.profile non-empty). This allows you to author a custom user profile on datatype Reference, and then constrain generic Reference elements in other profiles by linking to the custom Reference profile. With this improvement, Forge now fully supports all combinations of element type profiles (profile on value element; profile on reference element and/or profile on reference target).

  • Force delete binary disk cache after update
    Forge internally generates a binary cache of all core resource and datatype structures, to accelerate resource resolving and application startup. In some circumstances, the binary cache could become obsolete after updating the application to a newer version. Therefore, Forge now always recreates the binary cache during the first launch after the installation of an application update.

Happy Profiling!

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