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DataDictionaryEntity

id: py-DataDictionaryEntity​

DataDictionaryEntity

A DataDictionaryEntity represents a single node in your data dictionary hierarchy — either an intermediate structure (like a record type) or a leaf field. You use these entities as type-safe accessors when reading from or writing to Message fields.

Think of it as a typed pointer: it tells the Message exactly which field to access and what type to expect.

At a Glance​

# DataDictionaryEntity is the bridge between your dictionary and message data
name_field = dataDictionary.type.Customer.Detail.NAME

# Use it with Message methods
customer_name = message.getString(name_field)
message.setString(name_field, "Acme Corp")

Understanding the Hierarchy​

Given a data dictionary structure like:

Customer
├── Header
│   ├── RECORD_TYPE
│   └── TIMESTAMP
└── Detail
    ├── RECORD_TYPE
    ├── FIRST_NAME
    ├── LAST_NAME
    └── EMAIL

You navigate it through dataDictionary.type:

# Intermediate nodes (structures)
customer_type = dataDictionary.type.Customer           # Customer root
detail_type   = dataDictionary.type.Customer.Detail    # Detail record

# Leaf nodes (fields) — these are DataDictionaryEntity instances
first_name_field = dataDictionary.type.Customer.Detail.FIRST_NAME
email_field     = dataDictionary.type.Customer.Detail.EMAIL

Working with Messages​

Reading Fields​

first_name = message.getString(dataDictionary.type.Customer.Detail.FIRST_NAME)
age       = message.getInt(dataDictionary.type.Customer.Detail.AGE)

Writing Fields​

message.setString(dataDictionary.type.Customer.Detail.FIRST_NAME, "John")
message.setInt(dataDictionary.type.Customer.Detail.AGE, 42)

Checking Existence​

# Check if a structure exists in the message
if message.exists(dataDictionary.type.Customer.Detail):
    # Detail record is present
    pass

# Check if a specific field exists
if message.exists(dataDictionary.type.Customer.Detail.EMAIL):
    email = message.getString(dataDictionary.type.Customer.Detail.EMAIL)

Type Checking​

# Check if message matches a specific type
if message.isType(dataDictionary.type.Customer.Detail):
    # Process detail record
    pass

See Also​

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