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FHIRPath Engine

The fhir_r4_path library provides a Dart implementation of the FHIRPath specification, allowing you to query and manipulate FHIR resources using standardized expressions. This library follows the official HL7 FHIRPath specification and integrates seamlessly with the fhir_r4 package.

Installation​

dependencies:
  fhir_r4_path: ^0.4.3
  fhir_r4: ^0.4.1

Basic Usage​

There are two main approaches to using the FHIRPath engine:

1. Simple Approach: walkFhirPath (async)​

The walkFhirPath function provides a straightforward way to evaluate a FHIRPath expression against a FHIR resource without having to manage an engine instance yourself:

import 'package:fhir_r4/fhir_r4.dart';
import 'package:fhir_r4_path/fhir_r4_path.dart';

void main() async {
  // Create a patient resource
  final patient = Patient(
    name: [
      HumanName(
        family: 'Doe'.toFhirString,
        given: ['John'.toFhirString],
        use: HumanNameUse.official,
      ),
    ],
  );

  // Evaluate a FHIRPath expression
  final result = await walkFhirPath(
    context: patient,
    pathExpression: "Patient.name.where(use = 'official').family",
  );

  // The result will be a List<FhirBase>
  print(result.map((e) => e.toString()).join(', ')); // Outputs: Doe
}

Parameters for walkFhirPath:

  • context: The FHIR resource to query (required)
  • pathExpression: The FHIRPath expression to evaluate (required)
  • resource: The resource that contains the original node (defaults to context if null)
  • rootResource: The container resource (if applicable)
  • environment: A map of environment variables (keys must start with %)

2. Engine Approach: FHIRPathEngine (preferred for performance)​

When you have multiple FHIRPath expressions or you need to evaluate many resources in a loop, the recommended approach is to create a reusable FHIRPathEngine instance. This is more efficient because you only parse expressions once and can share internal structures.

Creating the Engine​

Because the engine initialization is asynchronous, you'll use the static create(...) factory method:

import 'package:fhir_r4/fhir_r4.dart';
import 'package:fhir_r4_path/fhir_r4_path.dart';

void main() async {
  // Create the FHIRPath engine (async)
  final fhirPathEngine = await FHIRPathEngine.create(WorkerContext());

  // Parse the expression once (can be reused)
  final node = fhirPathEngine.parse("Patient.name.where(use = 'official').family");

  // Create some resources to test against
  final patient1 = Patient(
    name: [
      HumanName(
        family: 'Smith'.toFhirString,
        given: ['Jane'.toFhirString],
        use: HumanNameUse.official,
      ),
    ],
  );

  final patient2 = Patient(
    name: [
      HumanName(
        family: 'Brown'.toFhirString,
        given: ['Charlie'.toFhirString],
        use: HumanNameUse.official,
      ),
    ],
  );

  // Evaluate against different patients
  final result1 = await fhirPathEngine.evaluate(patient1, node);
  final result2 = await fhirPathEngine.evaluate(patient2, node);

  print(result1); // [Smith]
  print(result2); // [Brown]
}

Evaluating Expressions​

Once you have the FHIRPathEngine instance:

  • parse(String expression): Parses and returns an ExpressionNode.
  • evaluate(FhirBase? base, ExpressionNode node): Evaluates the parsed expression against the base resource.
  • evaluateWithContext(...): Allows you to provide additional context/resources or environment variables.
final result3 = await fhirPathEngine.evaluateWithContext(
  null,      // appContext (any object, e.g., a custom context or null)
  patient1,  // focusResource
  null,      // rootResource
  patient1,  // base (the immediate context for evaluation)
  node,
  environment: {
    '%var1': [42.toFhirInteger],
    '%var2': ['test'.toFhirString],
  },
);

Common FHIRPath Expressions​

Here are some examples of common FHIRPath expressions:

Basic Navigation​

// Access a field
Patient.active

// Access an array element
Patient.name[0]

// Access a field in an array
Patient.name.family

// Access a field with a specific value
Patient.name.where(use = 'official')

Functions​

// Count elements
Patient.name.count()

// Check if telecom exists
Patient.telecom.exists()

// Filter with conditions
Patient.telecom.where(system = 'phone')

// First/last elements
Patient.name.first()
Patient.name.last()

Operators​

// Equality
Patient.gender = 'male'

// Comparison
Patient.name.count() > 1

// Logical operators
Patient.active = true and Patient.deceased = false

Environment Variables​

FHIRPath supports environment variables, which must be prefixed with %:

final environment = {
  '%pi': [3.14159.toFhirDecimal],
  '%today': [FhirDateTime('2023-01-01')],
};

final result = await walkFhirPath(
  context: patient,
  pathExpression: "Patient.birthDate < %today",
  environment: environment,
);

Advanced Features​

Resource Cache​

For advanced scenarios, the library provides a ResourceCache abstract class to cache canonical resources (like CodeSystem, ValueSet, StructureDefinition), potentially saving time on repeated lookups:

abstract class ResourceCache {
  Future<T?> getCanonicalResource<T extends CanonicalResource>(
    String url, [String? version]
  );
  
  Future<void> saveCanonicalResource(CanonicalResource resource);
  
  // ...
}

Canonical Resource Manager​

The CanonicalResourceCache extends ResourceCache to provide version-aware storage and retrieval of resources:

import 'package:fhir_r4/fhir_r4.dart';
import 'package:fhir_r4_path/fhir_r4_path.dart';

// Create a manager
final manager = CanonicalResourceCache();

// Store a canonical resource
final valueSet = ValueSet(
  url: 'http://example.org/fhir/ValueSet/my-codes'.toFhirUri,
  version: '1.0.0'.toFhirString,
  name: 'MyCodes'.toFhirString,
);
manager.see(valueSet);

// Retrieve by URL
final retrieved = await manager.getCanonicalResource<ValueSet>(
  'http://example.org/fhir/ValueSet/my-codes'
);

// Retrieve by URL and version
final specificVersion = await manager.getCanonicalResource<ValueSet>(
  'http://example.org/fhir/ValueSet/my-codes',
  '1.0.0'
);

Key features of CanonicalResourceCache:

  • Version-aware storage and retrieval
  • Compatibility with semantic versioning
  • Optional lazy loading through proxies
  • Integration with HTTP clients for remote resource fetching

Error Handling​

The FHIRPath engine throws specific exceptions that give detailed information about evaluation issues:

try {
  final result = await walkFhirPath(
    context: patient,
    pathExpression: "Patient.invalid.expression",
  );
} on PathEngineException catch (e) {
  print('Expression error: ${e.message}');
  print('Expression: ${e.expression}');
} on PathEngineError catch (e) {
  print('Engine error: ${e.message}');
  print('Expression: ${e.expression}');
}

Performance Considerations​

For optimal performance in large-scale or batch operations:

Reuse Parsed Expressions​

Parse the expression once with fhirPathEngine.parse() and then evaluate repeatedly on different resources.

Use a Dedicated Engine​

Instead of walkFhirPath(), create and reuse a single FHIRPathEngine instance (via the async create(...) method).

Leverage the Resource Cache​

If your workflow requires repeated lookups of canonical resources, use CanonicalResourceCache to avoid redundant fetching or parsing.

Integration with FHIR Mapping​

The FHIRPath engine is also used by the FHIR Mapping engine (fhir_r4_mapping), which implements the FHIR Mapping Language for transforming FHIR resources or converting between FHIR and other data formats.

import 'package:fhir_r4/fhir_r4.dart';
import 'package:fhir_r4_mapping/fhir_r4_mapping.dart';

// Transform a resource using a StructureMap
final transformedResource = await fhirMappingEngine(
  source,
  structureMap,
  resourceCache,
);

FHIRPath Specification Reference​

For a complete reference of the FHIRPath language, see the official specification.

The implementation supports:

  • Basic types (Boolean, String, Integer, Decimal, DateTime)
  • Path selection and navigation
  • Basic operators (equality, comparison, logical)
  • Functions with and without arguments
  • Environment variables

Currently not fully supported:

  • Trace functionality
  • Complete reflection capabilities
  • System namespaces

Appendix: Legacy Access Methods​

While the new FHIRPathEngine.create(...) approach is recommended for most cases, the package includes a "legacy" or "simple" convenience method, walkFhirPath(). This is often sufficient for quick, single-use evaluations:

final result = await walkFhirPath(
  context: patient,
  pathExpression: '`Patient`.name.`given`[0]',
);

Under the hood, walkFhirPath uses the same engine but without exposing the details. This makes it easier for one-off expressions but less optimal for repeated operations.

Happy coding with FHIRPath in Dart!