About this FHIR Resource Viewer
FHIR resources are often exchanged as JSON or XML documents that contain nested arrays, objects, and extensions. This viewer helps you inspect the structure by flattening the payload into paths and values, which is useful when you need to trace a field without building a full parser around it.
Who this calculator is for
- FHIR developers, analysts, and testers reviewing resource payloads from APIs or interface middleware.
- Teams comparing how nested fields, arrays, and attributes are represented in JSON versus XML resources.
- Anyone needing a quick structural view of a Patient, Observation, Bundle, or similar resource.
When to use it
- Use it when you need to inspect where a field lives inside a deeply nested FHIR resource.
- Use it to flatten a Bundle during API troubleshooting or mapping work.
- Use it as a quick viewer before writing code that targets specific paths in a resource.
How to use this calculator
- Paste your FHIR content (JSON or XML) into the input box.
- The tool automatically detects the format.
- View the Path (e.g., `name[0].family`) and Value in the table below.
Key assumptions
- This viewer focuses on structure only and does not validate conformance to FHIR profiles, implementation guides, value sets, or terminology bindings.
- JSON parsing uses the browser parser and XML parsing uses DOM traversal, so the output reflects the payload structure rather than business meaning.
- Flattened arrays are shown with positional indexes, which is useful for inspection but does not guarantee how another application will map or persist those paths.
Accuracy and testing
Review formula sources, default test cases, assumptions, unit handling, rounding rules, and changelog for this calculator.
How this calculator works
The parser recursively traverses the JSON object or XML DOM. For arrays (like multiple names or identifiers), it adds index numbers (e.g., `[0]`) to the path so you can distinguish between them.
Recursive traversal of JSON object or XML DOM.
Inputs explained
FHIR Content
The raw payload from a FHIR API response. Can be a single Resource or a Bundle.
Understanding your results
The Path column helps you write code to access specific data points (e.g. `patient.name[0].given[0]`).
Example scenarios
Patient JSON
`{"resourceType": "Patient", "active": true}` -> Path: `active`, Value: `true`.
Key Features
- Supports JSON and XML
- Flattens arrays and nested objects
- Type detection
Things to Keep in Mind
This is a structural viewer, not a profile validator. It does not check if the resource adheres to US Core or other implementation guides.
Tips & Best Practices
- Use the browser's Find (Ctrl+F) to search the table for specific fields like 'MRN' or 'birthDate'.
- Local browser processing reduces exposure, but you should still scrub or minimize real PHI whenever possible before pasting payloads into troubleshooting tools.
Glossary of Terms
- Resource
- The basic unit of data exchange in FHIR (e.g. Patient, Medication, Appointment).
- Bundle
- A container for a collection of resources.