Unofficial Mirth Connect Developer’s Guide

Shamil Nizamov 

Unofficial Mirth Connect v3.2 

Developer’s Guide* 

* - Preview Version

Copyright Page 

Copyright © 2013-2015 by Shamil Nizamov 

Cover image copyright © 2013 by Shamil Nizamov 

All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced or 

transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the author. 

Mirth Connect is a trademark of Mirth Corporation. HL7 and Health Level Seven are 

registered trademarks of Health Level Seven International. All other marks are property 

of their respective owners. 

Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved. 

The companies, organizations, products, domain names, email addresses, logos, people, 

places, and/or data mentioned herein in examples are fictitious. No association with any 

real company, organization, product, domain name, email address, logo, person, place, 

or data is intended or should be inferred. 

This book expresses the author’s views and opinions. The information contained in this 

book is provided without any express, statutory, or implied warranties. The author, Mirth 

Corporation, Health Level Seven International, resellers and distributors will NOT be held 

liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused either directly or indirectly by this 

book. 

This is a preview version of the book. 

Introduction 2

Contents 

PART 1 

MIRTH CONNECT BASICS 

Chapter 1 Getting Started ................................................................................................................. 15 

Installation ........................................................................................................................ 15 

Mirth Connect Administrator ........................................................................................... 16 

Chapter 2 What is a Channel? ........................................................................................................... 18 

Connectors ........................................................................................................................ 19 

Filters ................................................................................................................................ 19 

Transformers ..................................................................................................................... 20 

Scripts................................................................................................................................ 21 

Chapter 3 Creating a Channel ........................................................................................................... 23 

Source Connector ............................................................................................................. 24 

TMP, MSG and MESSAGE .................................................................................................. 25 

Destination Connectors .................................................................................................... 27 

Testing the Channel .......................................................................................................... 31 

Global Map, Global Channel Map, Channel Map ............................................................. 34 

Global Scripts .................................................................................................................... 36 

Code Templates ................................................................................................................ 38 

PART II 

GENERIC ELIGIBILITY SERVICE IMPLEMENTATION 

Chapter 4 Generic Eligibility Service Introduction ........................................................................... 41 

Eligibility Service Introduction .......................................................................................... 41 

Scenario Overview ............................................................................................................ 42 

Messages and Interactions Overview ............................................................................... 43 

Eligibility Query Channels Overview ................................................................................. 44 

Chapter 5 Query Sender Channel ..................................................................................................... 47 

Summary Tab .................................................................................................................... 47 


Destinations Connector ................................................................................................... 49 

Channel Implementation Verification .............................................................................. 53 

Chapter 6 HL7v2 to HL7v3 Transformer Channel ............................................................................. 55 

3 Introduction

Summary Tab .................................................................................................................... 55 




Scripts................................................................................................................................ 65 


Chapter 7 Data Logger Channel ........................................................................................................ 67 

Summary Tab .................................................................................................................... 67 






Chapter 8 HL7v3 Verification Channel .............................................................................................. 78 

Summary Tab .................................................................................................................... 79 





Scripts................................................................................................................................ 91 


Chapter 9 Response Sender Channel ................................................................................................ 93 

Summary Tab .................................................................................................................... 93 



Scripts................................................................................................................................ 99 

Channel Implementation Verification ............................................................................ 100 

Chapter 10 HL7v3 to HL7v2 Transformer Channel .......................................................................... 102 

Summary Tab .................................................................................................................. 102 

Source Connector ........................................................................................................... 103 

Destinations Connector ................................................................................................. 103 


Introduction 4

PART III 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IMPLEMENTATION 

Chapter 11 Acknowledgements Introduction .................................................................................. 109 

Scenario Overview .......................................................................................................... 109 

Acknowledgement Channels Overview .......................................................................... 110 

Chapter 12 HL7v3 ACK Channel ........................................................................................................ 112 

Summary Tab .................................................................................................................. 112 



Scripts.............................................................................................................................. 114 

Chapter 13 HL7v3 Verification ACK Channel .................................................................................... 116 


Code Templates .............................................................................................................. 119 

Scripts.............................................................................................................................. 120 


Chapter 14 HL7v2 to HL7v3 Transformer ACK Channel .................................................................. 122 


Code Templates .............................................................................................................. 125 

Scripts.............................................................................................................................. 126 



Chapter 15 Query Sender ACK Channel ........................................................................................... 129 




PART IV 

ADVANCING IN MIRTH CONNECT 

Chapter 16 Debugging JavaScript in Mirth Connect ........................................................................ 135 

Built in Logger function .................................................................................................. 135 

Rhino JavaScript Debugger in Standalone Mode ............................................................ 136 

Rhino JavaScript Debugger in Embedded Mode............................................................. 137 

Eclipse JSDT Debugger in Embedded Mode ................................................................... 142 

Console Input .................................................................................................................. 145 

5 Introduction

Chapter 17 Utilizing JMS (Java Message Service) ............................................................................ 147 


Sending Messages ........................................................................................................... 149 

Sending Objects .............................................................................................................. 156 

Channels Implementation Verification ........................................................................... 162 

Chapter 18 Polling Web Services ..................................................................................................... 164 


Summary Tab .................................................................................................................. 165 



Channels Implementation Verification ........................................................................... 171 

Chapter 19 Building Extensions ....................................................................................................... 173 

Creating Templates ......................................................................................................... 175 

Signing Extension ............................................................................................................ 180 

Deploying Extension ....................................................................................................... 181 

Extension Implementation Verification .......................................................................... 183 

Book Resources ........................................................................................................................................ 186 

PART V 

APPENDICES 

A: Eligibility Query Request (QUCR_IN200101) Template .............................................. 188 

B: Eligibility Query Results (QUCR_IN210101) Template ............................................... 189 

C: MS Access Log Database Structure ............................................................................. 190 

D: PostgreSQL Eligibility Database Structure .................................................................. 190 

E: XSLT to transform from HL7v3 to HL7v2 ..................................................................... 191 

F: JavaScriptTask.java ...................................................................................................... 193 

G: Archives Content ........................................................................................................ 195 

Introduction 6

7 Introduction 

This page is intentionally left blank

Introduction 

Introduction 

As Mirth Corporation says on their web-site, “Mirth Connect is the Swiss Army knife of 

healthcare integration engines, specifically designed for HL7 message integration. It 

provides the necessary tools for developing, testing, deploying, and monitoring interfaces. 

And because it’s open source, you get all of the advantages of a large community of users 

with commercial quality support.” 

In addition, “The 2014 HL7 Interface Technology Survey Results” show that Mirth Connect 

is one of the fastest growing healthcare messaging platforms due to its open source 

paradigm, and robust functionality for HL7 messaging and X12 documents. Mirth 

Connect also speeds up the development of interfaces for data exchange across different 

formats and diverse healthcare systems environment. 

This book describes version 3.x of Mirth Connect to the point that reader are confident 

enough to start building their own healthcare data exchange interfaces and transforming 

various versions of HL7 messages. 

As you read this book, you will be implementing a fictitious Eligibility Query Service. Each 

connection point (channel) is explained in a separate chapter, which in turn provides 

step-by-step instructions on how to create and code data transformation rules. 

This book is written using Mirth Connect 3.2.1.7650 version of the product. 

Consequently, other releases may include new features, or features used in this book 

may change or disappear. You may also notice some differences between screen shots 

provided in the book and those you see when using Mirth Connect. 

Who is this book for? 

I wrote this book primarily for application developers and system integrators who have 

found the online Mirth Connect documentation lacking and needed a guidebook that 

explains things in a more detailed and organized way. 

In a book of this size, I cannot cover every feature that Mirth Connect v3.x or previous 

versions have; consequently, I assume you already have some familiarity with Mirth 

Connect. 

Introduction 8

Assumption 

This book assumes that you are dealing with applications that use message-oriented 

middleware products and expects that you have at least a minimal understanding of 

Web service technologies including, but not limited to, XML, XML Schemas, XPath, XSL 

Transformation and SOAP/WSDL. 

Before you start reading this book, you should have a basic knowledge of JavaScript and 

Java; MS Access and PostgreSQL databases from a database administrator perspective; 

and are familiarity with operating system environment variables settings. 

You should also have basic knowledge of HL7, the standard that is being used to 

exchange healthcare data, both version 2 and version 3. 

Who should not read this book? 

As mentioned earlier, the purpose of this book is to provide the reader with a high-level 

overview of the capabilities and features associated with Mirth Connect v3.2. This book is 

not intended to be a step-by-step comprehensive guide or substitute of any kind to 

original training and certification programs provided by Mirth Corporation (Quality 

Systems, Inc.). 

This book is also not a tutorial on a specific messaging or middleware technology 

implementation. All examples included in this book are for illustrative purposes only. If 

you are interested in learning more about a specific technology or product, please refer 

to one of the many on-line resources. 

This book does not cover any specific installation, configuration, deployment or 

monitoring activities for system administrators. 

Errata and Book Support 

I have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this book and its companion content. 

If you find an error, please report through email - mirthconnect@isarp.com 

Warning and Disclaimer 

The purpose of this book is to educate and entertain. Every effort has been made to 

make this book as complete and as accurate as possible, but no warranty or fitness is 

implied. 

9 Introduction

The information is provided on an “as is” basis. The author shall have neither liability nor 

responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or 

alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book or 

from the use of software mentioned in this book. The information, methods and 

techniques described by the author are based on his own experience. They may not work 

for you and no recommendation is made to follow the same course of action. No 

representation is made that following the advice in this book will work in your case. 

The author is not an employee or representative of Mirth Corporation and never has 

been, and author’s views and opinions are not necessarily those of Mirth Corporation. 

This book is not based on trainings or certifications provided by Mirth Corporation. 

This book contains links to third-party websites that are not under the control of the 

author, and the author is not responsible for the content of any linked site. If you access 

a third-party website mentioned in this book, then you do so at your own risk. The 

author provides these links only as a convenience, and the inclusion of the link does not 

imply that the author endorses or accepts any responsibility for the content of those 

third-party sites. 

Furthermore, this book contains information on the subject only up to the published 

date. 

Acknowledgements 

Like most books, this guide has been a long time in the making. I would like to 

acknowledge everyone who has assisted in this project. I could not have done this 

without you. 

Nathan Blakley and Elliot Freedman volunteered to review early versions of a few 

chapters. Your feedback helped steer me in the right direction. I’d like to thank Philip 

Helger in making an active contribution to the development of the open source 

Schematron validator. 

My biggest thanks go to Wayne Zafft and David Sanders, who were incredibly gracious 

with their time and effort in reviewing the final version of the book. 

Introduction 10

Roadmap 

This book is divided into four parts: 

Part 1 provides an introduction to Mirth Connect and a high-level overview of channels. 

• Chapter 1, Getting Started 

Introduces Mirth Connect at a high level, and demonstrates how to download and 

install Mirth Connect Server and Administrator. 

• Chapter 2, What is a Channel 

Provides an overview of the channel architecture implemented in Mirth Connect. It 

also covers a channel’s major components such as connectors, filters, transformers 

and scripts. 

• Chapter 3, Creating a Channel 

Walks the reader through the creation and configuration of a simple channel. It 

covers some of the major points of the Mirth Connect channels implementation 

model such as tmp and msg variables, different types of maps and their visibilities. It 

also covers Global Scripts, channel scripts and Code Templates. 

Part 2 focuses on the implementation of an imaginary but complete eligibility service. 

• Chapter 4, Generic Eligibility Service Introduction 

Introduces the Eligibility Service as defined in the HL7v3 Normative Edition, presents 

the implementation plan and walks through the required components. 

• Chapter 5, Query Sender Channel 

Walks the reader through the implementation of the first channel in a chain that 

serves as an interface to send HL7v2 Eligibility Query messages. 

• Chapter 6, HL7v2-HL7v3 Transformer Channel 

Explains the implementation of a channel that plays the role of a conduit or broker. 

The chapter shows how to establish a MLLP connection to other channels, how to 

filter messages based on some criteria and transform messages from one format to 

another using different techniques that Mirth Connect provides. 

• Chapter 7, Data Logger Channel 

11 Introduction

Explains the implementation of a channel that uses a file and MS Access database as 

destinations. 

• Chapter 8, HL7v3 Verification Channel 

Walks the reader through the implementation of the XML Schema and Schematron 

validators using external Java classes. 

• Chapter 9, Response Sender Channel 

Provides insight into implementation of a database-facing channel that retrieves 

data, forms the message and passes it along using a SOAP connector. 

• Chapter 10, HL7v3 to HL7v2 Transformer Channel 

Concludes the implementation of the Eligibility service and provides a detailed 

explanation on configuring the SOAP connector and XSL Transformation. 

Part 3 is dedicated to the implementation of acknowledgements. 

• Chapter 11, Acknowledgements Introduction 

Provides introduction and presents the implementation plan of a message 

acknowledgement based on the Eligibility Service implemented in Part 2. 

• Chapter 12, HL7v3 ACK Channel 

Explains how to create another interim channel that receives routed HL7v3 messages 

and stores them in a file. 

• Chapter 13, HL7v3 Verification ACK Channel 

Explains how to expand functionalities of the already existing channel to send HL7v3 

MCCI acknowledgements. 

• Chapter 14, HL7v2 to HL7v3 Transformer ACK Channel 

Explains how to expand functionalities of the already existing channel to send HL7v2 

RSP^E45 acknowledgements back and intercept HL7v3 acknowledgements received 

from other channels. 

• Chapter 15, Query Sender ACK Channel 

Explains how to intercept HL7v2 acknowledgements received from one channel and 

route them to another channel. 

Introduction 12

Part 4 covers advanced topics. 

• Chapter 16, Debugging JavaScript in Mirth Connect 

Provides an in-depth explanation of such important topics as debugging filters and 

transformers JavaScript using built-in and external tools such as Rhino JavaScript 

Debugger and Eclipse JSDT Debugger. 

• Chapter 17, Utilizing JMS (Java Message Service) 

Introduces the JMS Sender and Listener connector configurations to pass messages 

and objects through a Message Broker such as Apache ActiveMQ. Provides insight 

into passing messages, and gives a detailed explanation of serialization / 

deserialization techniques to pass Java objects via the Message Broker. 

• Chapter 18, Polling Web Services 

Explains how to extend the functionality of the Web Server Sender connector to 

periodically poll data from external service providers. 

• Chapter 19, Building Extensions 

Provides an in-depth explanation of such confused topic as building the Mirth 

Connect extension using the example of building a JSON Writer Destination 

Connector. 

13 Introduction

PART I – MIRTH CONNECT BASICS 

Mirth Connect 

Basics 

CHAPTER 1 

CHAPTER 2 

CHAPTER 3 

Getting Started 

What is a Channel? 

Creating a Channel 

PART I – MIRTH CONNECT BASICS 14

CHAPTER 1 Getting Started 

Getting Started 

T 

his chapter outlines the Mirth Connect basic installation procedure. All examples in 

this book are based on the Windows version of Mirth Connect v3.2, available to 

download at - http://www.mirthcorp.com/community/downloads 

Make sure your computer meets minimum system requirements before you start: 

• Oracle JRE version 1.7 or higher; 

• 1 GB of RAM is recommended; 

• A web browser. 

Installation 

There are two possible ways to install Mirth Connect based on what package you have 

downloaded or what package is available on the website. In one case, the package is an 

archive of all files and classes that you need to run Mirth Connect on your computer. You 

simply unzip and copy the package to an appropriate folder, for example to the 

C:\Program Files\Mirth Connect\. In the other case, there is a GUI based installer 

that you just start and go through the steps in the installation wizard. The installation 

process itself is quite straight forward. 

In both cases what is installed are Mirth Connect Server, Mirth Connect Server Manager, 

Mirth Connect Administrator and Mirth Connect Command Line Interface. During the 

installation you have to decide which port will be used by the Mirth Connect Server. By 

default it is 8080 for unsecure communication and 8443 for the SSL connection. You can 

change it later using the Mirth Connect Server Manager. 

To verify the installation: 

• Launch the Mirth Connect Server either through the Mirth Connect Server Manager 

or the Mirth Connect Command Line; 

• Open the web browser and type localhost:8080 in the address bar; 

• Click the Access Secure Site button in Web Dashboard Sign In launch page; 

• Type admin for the user name and repeat admin as the password, click Sign in. 

If you see the Dashboard statistics page with, most likely, no channels available, you have 

successfully done the installation and ready to continue. If not, refer to Mirth Connect 3.0 

15 PART I – MIRTH CONNECT BASICS

User Guide written by “the same Mirth technical experts who developed the software” 

available at - http://info.mirth.com/Connect_Documentation_Download.html 

Configuration 

The Mirth Connect Server Manager can be used as a single point to launch Mirth 

Connect Service, configure ports, allocated memories, and database connections. 

However, a fully-fledged configuration description is beyond the scope of this book. 

Here is only a recommended step is to add a path to the \custom-lib folder to the 

operating system’s CLASSPATH environment variable. This is the folder where you put 

your Java classes, libraries and other required files. 

Versions 1 and 2 of Mirth Connect were using port 1099 for viewing statistics though the 

JMX (Java Management Extensions) and RMI (Remote Method Invocation) interfaces. 

This port is no longer used in version 3.x. Hence, if any of your applications or firewall is 

utilizing ports 8080 or 8443 you can either change Mirth’s ports using Mirth Connect 

Server Manager or manually modify the configuration file located in 

\conf\mirth.properties. Don’t forget to restart the Mirth Connect Server or Service for 

any changes to make effect. 

Mirth Connect Administrator 

The Mirth Connect Administrator is a Java application that is not explicitly installed on a 

local computer by default in a distributed environment. It is downloaded from the Mirth 

Connect Server. The reason for this is to ensure the Mirth Connect Administrator 

matches version of the Mirth Connect Server. 

To download the Mirth Connect Administrator: 

• Start Mirth Connect Server if it is not already running as a service; 

• Open the web browser; 

• Type localhost:8080 in the address bar; 

• Click Launch Mirth Connect Administrator in the Mirth Connect Administrator launch 

page; 

• Click Ok to open the webstart.jnlp; 

• Type admin for the user name and repeat admin as the password in the Mirth 

Connect Login pop-up window, then click Login. 

If everything is done correctly, each time you login, you will see the Dashboard as the 

initial screen. The Dashboard displays two information panels: 


• Channels status and statistics - the number of messages Received, Filtered, 

Queued, Sent, and Errored. The Dashboard Tasks area on the navigation bar on the 

left side has menu items essential for developing channels such as Refresh, Send 

Messages, and Remove All Messages. Same menu items can be accessed faster by 

right clicking on a channel row. 

• Logs – Server Log, Connection Log and Global Maps. The Server Log is used a lot to 

debug channels development. Double-clicking on a Server Log entry brings a pop-up 

window where you can view and copy the entire log entry content. The Server Log is 

stored by Mirth Connect Server in the database and therefore closing and opening 

the Mirth Connect Administrator brings back all entries not previously explicitly 

purged. To clear the Server Log click Clear Displayed Log under the Server Log or 

Connection Log area. 

Logging Level 

Channel’s log level can be configured manually by changing \conf\log4j.properties 

entries. Available options are: ERROR, WARN, INFO, DEBUG, and TRACE with DEBUG 

selected by default. Log levels may be configured separately for filters, transformers, 

postprocessors and other scripts that are explained later in this book. 

FIGURE 1-1 Mirth Connect Administrator window by default 

Familiarize yourself with other navigation items and tabs since this is the main tool used 

to develop channels throughout this book. 


CHAPTER 2 What is a Channel? 

What is a Channel? 

T 

he Channel is an essential part of Mirth Connect and can be seen as one-to-many 

abstract unidirectional pipes to decouple components from each other to transfer 

healthcare data between two or more applications. The channel architecture 

implemented in Mirth Connect can divide a large message processing task into a 

sequence of smaller independent steps. This affords developers the flexibility for 

dependency, maintenance and/or performance. Some of the processing tasks can even 

be external to Mirth Connect and developed independently. 

FIGURE 2-1 Mirth Connect abstract channel architecture 

In general, each channel consists of inbound and outbound Connectors, Filters and 

Transformers. The connector that receives inbound messages from the Sending 

Application is called the Source. Similarly, the connector that sends outbound messages 

is called the Destination. From the Source connector data is passed through the channel, 

where filters and transformers perform operations on the data, for example, routing a 

message to one or another Destination connector and transforming the data 

representation. Deciding channel’s tasks is when wearing an analyst's hat comes into 

play. 

Before you create a new channel, you need to elicit the following requirements: 

• Type of Application the channel reads data from (Source connector type); 

• Type of Application the channel sends data to (Destination connector type); 

• Type and format of the inbound message; 

• Type and format of the outbound message(s); 


• Mapping table(s) between inbound and outbound messages (Transformation). 

Connectors 

Filters 

In terms of Enterprise Integration, the connector is a Message Endpoint that specifies a 

particular way or, more accurately, a particular protocol Mirth Connect should use to 

communicate with an external application or another Mirth Connect channel. 

Mirth Connect supports sending and receiving messages over a variety of connectors 

listed here in no particular order: 

• TCP/MLLP; 

• Database (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, ODBC); 

• File (local file system and network shares); 

• PDF and RTF documents; 

• JMS; 

• HTTP (note that HTTPS is not supported in the free version); 

• SMTP; 

• SOAP (over HTTP). 

The connector that receives the data is called a Reader, for example the MLLP Reader. 

The connector that sends the data is called a Writer, the Database Writer is an example. 

Connector types are configured under the Source and Destinations tabs of the channel, 

which is explained later in this chapter. As should be obvious, some settings are common 

across all connectors while others are unique to a specific connector type. 

If you need a connector that is not shipped with the Mirth Connect installation package, 

you can develop your own one (such as a custom HTTPS connector). Some templates 

and developer’s level documentation for such development are in the chapter dedicated 

to Mirth extensions. 

In a real world scenario, when numerous applications and channels are connected, a 

channel may receive messages from several sources and these messages may have to be 

processed differently, based on the message type or other criteria. 

There are two paradigms for solving this problem, a Router and a Filter: 


• Router connects to multiple outbound channels. The key benefit of the Router is that 

the decision criteria for the destination(s) of a message are maintained in a single 

location. 

• Filter, this is what Mirth Connect uses, is built into a message processing mechanism 

and is responsible for determining whether the message should be processed or not. 

The Filter inspects message properties (segments or elements) without removing the 

message from the message queue. If the message cannot be consumed by this 

particular pipe, it is returned to the queue unchanged for another pipe to filter or 

process. 

Filters can be as simple as specific elements comparison against a hard coded value or as 

complex as JavaScript scripts and external Java classes. Filters can also be omitted 

allowing all messages to pass through. Some routing capabilities have been introduced 

in Mirth Connect v3.1 by using a "destinationSet". If a destination is removed from the 

destination set, this destination will not receive the message. 

If a single channel needs to process more than one type of messages, you can create any 

number of separate pipes – Destinations - and specify none, one or more filters for each 

of them. 

Transformers 

More often than not, messages are sent between legacy systems, custom applications 

and third-party solutions, each of which is built around a proprietary data model. Even 

systems that claim to support a single standard may place specific requirements on data 

format and content. If we could bring all legacy systems to a single format when a new 

business requirement is proposed, we would avoid conversion issues. Unfortunately, for 

most legacy systems, data format, content or data sequence changes are difficult and 

risky, and simply not feasible. 

How do we communicate data using different formats then? In Mirth Connect this is 

done by a message Transformer that translates one data format into another. As a result, 

a destination application expects to receive messages it understands which can be 

processed and stored in the application’s internal data format. 

Mirth Connect allows message translation to occur at different levels, and to chain 

message transformers to achieve a required result. 

Supported transformers are: 


Scripts 

• Message Builder maps segments of the inbound message to segments in the 

outbound message. 

• Mapper maps segments of the inbound message to internal Mirth Connect variables. 

These variables may be used later. 

• External Script, as the name suggests, employs external JavaScripts to transform or 

map the data. 

• XSLT Step utilizes the XSL transformation. 

• JavaScript, along with External Script, is where flexibility comes into play. Here any 

type of (Rhino) Java Script and Java code can be used. 

Channels also support unique features called Scripts to enhance the message processing 

logic. Scripts apply to a channel itself and all messages that are passing through. 

These scripts are: 

• Deploy script is executed each time Mirth Connect Server starts or a channel is 

redeployed. This is the best place to initialize variables or create class objects. 

• Attachment script deals with a message in a native format and allows extracting a 

part of the message to store as an attachment or to irrevocably modify a message. 

• Preprocessor script also allows handling each message in a native format before 

Mirth Connect starts translating it into the internal format, which is XML. 

• Filter & Transformer scripts are the main places where you handle the inbound and 

outbound messages. 

• Response script, as the name suggests, handles the response sent by a destination. 

• Postprocessor script is executed after the message has been successfully sent. 

• Undeploy script is launched each time Mirth Connect Server stops. This is the place 

to, for example, release memory that was allocated for the classes used by the 

channel. 

Scripts are performed in the following order: 

1. Global Deploy script; 

2. Deploy; 

3. Attachment script; 

4. Global Preprocessor script; 

5. Preprocessor script; 

6. Source connector Filters script; 

7. Source connector Transformer script or mapping; 

8. Destination 1 connector Filters script; 


9. Destination 1 connector Transformer script or mapping; 

10. Destination N connector Filters script; 

11. Destination N connector Transformer script or mapping; 

12. Response 1 Transformer script or mapping; 

13. Response N transformer script or mapping; 

14. Postprocessor script; 

15. Global Postprocessor script; 

16. Undeploy; 

17. Global Undeploy script. 

Deploy and Undeploy scripts are performed only once, when a channel is deployed or 

undeployed, respectively. It is important to note that Global Deploy and Deploy scripts 

are also executed every time any channel is redeployed. Same with Undeploy and Global 

Undeploy scripts, they are executed for every channel. All other scripts are performed 

every time a message is sent through a channel or an acknowledgement is received. 

Notice that the Global Preprocessor script is executed before the channel’s Preprocessor 

script is executed. Similarly, after the channel’s Postprocessor script completes, the 

Global Postprocessor script is run. 

If channels operate in series, the Attachment Script of the first channel is the first to 

perform. The Postprocessor Script of the same channel will be executed last, after all 

other scripts in all consequent channels. (see Figure 2-2) 

FIGURE 2-2 Scripts execution sequence 

Next, we will explore each of these steps in detail. 


This is a preview edition of the book. 

The complete version is available to download at 

http://mirthconnect.shamilpublishing.com 


Book Resources 

Book Resources 

Other titles you may be interested in: 

Unofficial Developer's Guide to CCD on Mirth 

Connect 

This book introduces readers to version 3.x of Mirth 

Connect to the point that they are confident enough 

to start building their own healthcare data exchange 

interfaces. 

By implementing an imaginary CCD Builder Server, 

this book covers topics on XSL Transformation, 

acknowledgements implementation, XML schema and 

Schematron validation. Each connection point 

(channels and destinations) is explained in a separate 

chapter, which in turn provides step-by-step 

instructions on how to create and code data 

transformation rules for ADT and ORU messages. 

The book is available to download at – 

http://ccdonmirth.shamilpublishing.com 

Unofficial Developer's Guide to HL7v3 Basics 

This book introduces readers to HL7 version 3 to the 

point that they are confident enough to start building 

their own healthcare data exchange interfaces. The 

book provides clear and easy to use, step-by-step 

guidance for learning the standard, with numerous 

examples covering many topics. 

This book may be interesting for those implementing 

the Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) or HL7 

Reference Information Model (aka RIM) based 

solutions. 

The book is available to download at – 

http://hl7basics.shamilpublishing.com 


APPENDICES 

Appendices 

A: Eligibility Query Request (QUCR_IN200101) Template 

B: Eligibility Query Results (QUCR_IN210101) Template 

C: MS Access Log Database Structure 

D: PostgreSQL Eligibility Database Structure 

E: XSLT to transform from HL7v3 to HL7v2 

F: JavaScriptTask.java 

G: Archives Content 

There are five archives provided with this book each of which contains a complete set of 

files required for Part II, Part III and Part IV implementations. 

Eligibility.NoACK 

Folder Files Comment 

Channels 

Code Template.xml 

Data Logger.xml 

Global Script.xml 

HL7v3 Verification.xml 

Query Sender.xml 

Response Sender.xml 

v2-v3 Transformater.xml 

v3-v2 Transformater.xml 

Channels, code templates and 

global scripts for Part II 

implementation. 

custom-lib 

DB 

HL7v2\Samples 

/coreschemas 

/schemas 

/schematron 

PostgreSQL-Eligibility DB.sql 

QBP_Log.accdb 

QBP_E22_Request.hl7 

RSP_E22_Error.hl7 

RSP_E22_Success.hl7 

RSP-45_Template.hl7 

QUCR-RSP.xslt 

Custom-lib folder for Mirth Connect 

Server installation. 

PostgreSQL patients database 

MS Access Log database 

HL7v2\Templates 

HL7v2\XSLT 

HL7v3 Schemas for HL7v3 messages 

HL7v3\- 

QUCR_IN200101UV01_Request_Annotated.xml Annotated Eligibility query response 

Samples_Annotated QUCR_IN210101UV01_Error_Annoteated.xml and request messages

HL7v3\Templates 

QUCR_IN210101UV01_Success_Annotated.xml 

QUCR_IN200101_Template.xml 

QUCR_IN210101_Template.xml 

Eligibility query response and 

request template messages with 

empty fields 

Eligibility.ACK-NACK 


Channels 

Code Template ACK.xml 

Data Logger.xml 

Global Script.xml 

HL7v3 ACK.xml 

HL7v3 Verification-ACK.xml 

Query Sender ACK.xml 

v2-v3 Transformer-ACK.xml 


global scripts for Part III 


custom-lib 

DB 

HL7v2\Samples 

/coreschemas 

/schemas 

/schematron 

PostgreSQL-Eligibility DB.sql 

QBP_Log.accdb 

ACK-A01_Negative.hl7 

ACK-A01_Positive.hl7 

Custom-lib folder for Mirth Connect 


PostgreSQL patients database 

MS Access Log database 

HL7v2 acknowledgement samples 

HL7v3 Schemas for HL7v3 messages 

HL7v3\Samples MCCI_IN000002UV01.xml HL7v3 acknowledgement sample 

HL7v3\- 

Samples_Annotated 

MCCI_IN000002UV01-Annotated.xml 

HL7v2 acknowledgement sample 

with annotations 

HL7v3\Templates MCCI_IN000002_template.xml HL7v2 acknowledgement template 

with empty fields 

Eligibility.JMS 


Channels 

Code Template.xml 

Data Logger JMS.xml 

Data Logger RAW.xml 


global scripts for Part IV 


HL7v3 Verification JMS.xml 

HL7v3 Verification RAW.xml 

Query Sender JMS.xml 

v2-v3 Transformer JMS.xml 

v2-v3 Transformer RAW.xml 

custom-lib faultmessage.jar Custom-lib folder for Mirth Connect 


Debugging 


JSDT JavaScriptTask.java Eclipse JSDT debugger in 

embedded mode. 

APPENDICES 26

Rhino Debugger JavaScriptTask.java Rhino JavaScript debugger in 

embedded mode. 

Polling.zip 


Channels Web Service Polling.xml Polling channel for Chapter 19 

Extension.JSON 


Deploy 

json/lib/org-json.jar 

json/destination.xml 

JSON Writer destination connector 

deployment package 

json/json-client.jar 

json/json-server.jar 

json/json-shared.jar 

jarsigner signjar.bat Batch file with command prompts 

to sign JARs 

Source\Client JSONWriter.java Client side extension template 

Source\Server destination.xml 

Server side extension templates 

JSONDispatcher.java 

JSONDispatcherProperties.java 

JSONWriterService.java 

Source\org.json JSONArray.java 

JSONException.java 

JSONObject.java 

JSONString.java 

JSONStringer.java 

JSONTokener.java 

JSONWriter.java 

XML.java 

XMLTokener.java 

XML to JSON library source code 

27 APPENDICES

Unofficial Mirth Connect Developer’s Guide

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