Main Menu

Daily using/supporting

Get Firefox browser!
Get Thunderbird!
Get Opera browser!
Get The Gimp!
Get Inkscape!
Get LibreOffice!
Get Videolan!
Get Linux!
Get Mandriva!
Get Joomla!
Hacker Emblem

Popular Tags

Archives

Which topics would you like us to cover more?

Latest comments

Home Architecture, security and coding Implementing MLLP in C#
Implementing MLLP in C#
Written by Division by Zero   
Saturday, 13 February 2010 10:15

The MLLP (Minimal Lower Layer Protocol) protocol, which most HL7 communications use, is quite easy to implement in C#. Here's an example of how it can be done. The following code snippet is another way to "pack" and "unpack" MLLP messages. This needs to be done just after receiving and before sending a message over a TCP socket.

/// 
 /// This helper class supports the Minimum Low Layer Protocol
 /// 
 public abstract class MLLPHelper
 {
 #region Private constants
 private const int MLLP_START_CHARACTER = 11; // HEX 0B
 private const int MLLP_FIRST_END_CHARACTER = 28; // HEX 1C
 private const int MLLP_LAST_END_CHARACTER = 13; // HEX 0D
 #endregion

 #region Public static methods
 /// 
 /// Validate MLLP message
 /// 
 ///
 
Stringbuilder containing the message
 public static void StripMLLPContainer(StringBuilder sb)
 {
 // Strip the message of the MLLP container characters
 sb.Remove(0, 1);
 sb.Remove(sb.Length - 2, 2);
 }

 /// 
 /// Validate the MLLP message containing the HL7 message
 /// 
 ///
Message
 /// true if valid
 public static bool ValidateMLLPMessage(StringBuilder sb)
 {
 bool result = false;

 if (sb.Length > 3)
 {
 if (((int)sb[0] == MLLP_START_CHARACTER))
 {
 if (((int)sb[sb.Length - 2] == MLLP_FIRST_END_CHARACTER) && ((int)sb[sb.Length - 1] == MLLP_LAST_END_CHARACTER))
 result = true;
 }
 }

 return result;
 }

 /// 
 /// Create a MLLP message
 /// 
 ///
Original message
 /// MLLP message
 public static string CreateMLLPMessage(string p)
 {
 StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(p);
 sb.Insert(0, (char)MLLP_START_CHARACTER);
 sb.Append((char)MLLP_FIRST_END_CHARACTER);
 sb.Append((char)MLLP_LAST_END_CHARACTER);

 return sb.ToString();
 }

 /// 
 /// Test if the character equals the start message character
 /// 
 ///
Character to test
 /// True if matches
 public static bool IsStartCharacter(char start)
 {
 return (start == MLLP_START_CHARACTER);
 }
 #endregion
 }
 
 
Tags:

Related Articles
 

Comments  

 
0 # Mayura 2012-05-07 16:12
I have used SSL stream to secure the MLLP transaction. Can you point me to any documentation to show how to set up the client and server certificates for the same?
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
 
 
0 # Bas 2012-05-08 08:08
Hi Mayura,

I'm not sure I understand your question correctly. Do you want to use SSL as a client or a server? Do you use .Net?

If so, maybe these two posts will help you. They show how to use a server certiciate and a client certificate. In the comments (see the code examples) is shortly explained how to install/import a certificate in order to let the software work.

Here's the post on certificates on a server:
dib0.nl/.../...

here's the post on client-side certificates:
dib0.nl/.../...
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
 

Add comment


Security code
Refresh

Professionals built the Titanic. Amateurs the ark. - Unknown


© 2009 - 2013, Division by Zero

Template based on the empire template by joomlashack 

 Creative Commons License
This work by Division by Zero is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Netherlands License.