Direct Customization of Encounter XML / Sharing Templates

First & foremost, understand that the Encounter is designed to allow customization via the ECLIPSE user interface.

• Any attempt to directly customize your Encounter templates in an XML editor is simply not supported by us (nor should you need any help from us in the event you have extensive experience with XML).
• Sharing templates is also possible, but caveats abound.

Both options are discussed below…

Note, the information below is not a tutorial — such concepts simply don’t apply to the internal workings of ECLIPSE. Regardless, for those who intend to tinker & insist on sharing or editing our templates manually, please be aware of the following:

• ECLIPSE has 3 integrated types of templates.
• First, there are base templates (e.g. Cervical.xml or Custom1.xml). These are provided by & routinely updated by us.
• Next, there are templates that contain custom rows (e.g. Cervical_CustomRows.xml or Custom1_CustomRows.xml) created automatically via the existing user interface when you add or edit rows.
• Finally, there are templates that contain custom data (e.g. alternate dropdown list selections) for placement in existing rows (e.g. Cervical_custom.xml or Custom1_custom.xml).
• Each template has its own structure, is parsed accordingly and ultimately merged. (NOTE: If you’re not familiar with the concept of parsing, please reconsider what you’re attempting.)

Sharing

• In the section above, the blue bullets refer to the fact that customizations reside in two types of files.
• Is it possible to share these files? Yes… but they weren’t designed with sharing in mind. All customizations from any office reside in like-named files on your computer system. If someone shares their customizations with you, you will lose any & all prior customizations when you save their shared file on top of yours (your original file will be replaced). You will also lose any previous variables you created & patient data associated with hose variables will be inaccessible. 
• The easiest way to share entirely custom templates is by sharing a previously blank custom template. And note… if you already use, for example, “Custom 2” — and that’s the template that’s being provided to you — renaming the file is not a solution! If any variable name (e.g. “MyROM”) within the file exists in more than one template, your data will be compromised. In the event you intend to do this, we strongly suggest you speak with our Help Desk first.
• Important to remember: Keep in mind that your Encounter data helps comprise a legal document! Improperly edited templates can cause problems with your stored patient Encounter data. And we cannot magically fix problems that result. (And we may charge you for our time.)

Manual Customization

• You should never customize base templates. We may overwrite them during program updates.
• Carefully review the template’s structural hierarchy. If you break that hierarchy by making assumptions & creating your own structure, ECLIPSE will almost certainly not function properly. For example, ECLIPSE looks for “Subjective” and other top level XML tags by name. If you create your own top level tags, ECLIPSE will simply ignore them during parsing of the final note.
• To observe what you *can* do, create some rows and add data within ECLIPSE. Then, examine the resulting structures in each file. Remember, if you violate the expected hierarchy, ECLIPSE can’t parse your data. Pay careful attention to the tags before preceding on your own.
• If you update existing formats (e.g. by inserting columns in a grid) you may destroy the integrity of previously saved data.
• Within a template, all ECLIPSE variable names follow the same naming convention. Each name is preceded by a common prefix. The only exception is today’s date. As a result, the “date” variable is shared among all templates. When you don’t follow this convention, you risk data from one template overwriting same-named variables in another template.
• Important to remember: Keep in mind that your Encounter data helps comprise a legal document! Improperly edited templates can cause problems with stored patient Encounter data. And we cannot magically fix problems that result.

Finally, our Help Desk personnel are not computer programmers & cannot help troubleshoot your xml edits. We suggest that you take the time to review existing video documentation for the Encounter by clicking here & work within the  boundaries of the user interface.