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Segment Terminator

 

In EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) technology, a segment terminator refers to a specific character used to signal the end of a segment within EDI messages. This character is used to mark the boundary between consecutive segments and indicates to the EDI processing system that the current segment has ended and a new segment is about to begin.

The use of a segment terminator is crucial for the accurate interpretation of EDI messages and ensuring proper message structure. This special character serves as a reference point for dividing messages into individual segments and facilitates automated processing and precise interpretation of business information.

Use case:

An example use case for a segment terminator can be found in the process of electronic order exchange between a supplier and a retailer. The segment terminator, typically represented by the symbol “~” or “*CRLF” (carriage return and line feed), is used to mark the end of each order segment, ensuring clear delimitation of information such as product code, quantity, and price between the corresponding segments.

Example of script code:

import ediconnect

# Create a new EDI message
edi_message = ediconnect.EDIMessage()

# Add segments to the message
edi_message.add_segment(‘ORD’, [‘OrderNumber’, ‘Customer’, ‘TotalAmount’])
edi_message.add_segment(‘LIN’, [‘LineNumber’, ‘ProductCode’, ‘Quantity’, ‘UnitPrice’])
edi_message.add_segment(‘CTT’, [‘TotalLineItems’])

# Set the segment terminator
edi_message.set_segment_terminator(‘~’)

# Get the formatted EDI message content
formatted_message = edi_message.get_formatted_message()

# Send the EDI message using EDIconnect
edi_connection = ediconnect.Connection(username=’username’, password=’password’, endpoint=’https://www.ediconnect.com’)
response = edi_connection.send_message(edi_message)

# Check the response
if response.success:
print(“EDI message sent successfully!”)
else:
print(“Error sending the EDI message:”, response.error_message)

Best practices: