│ Grooper Help - Version 25.0
25.0.0017 2,127
  • Overview
  • Help Status

Field Container Instance

Data Element Instance Grooper.Core

Defines an instance which may contain field objects as descendants.

Remarks

The Field Container Instance class is the abstract base for all data instance objects that can contain Field Instance descendants within a document. It provides the core structure and logic for organizing, validating, and managing collections of fields, as well as supporting complex document schemas with nested sections, tables, and repeated groups.

Role in Grooper

Field Container Instances are created automatically during extraction and validation, representing logical groupings of fields within a document. They enable Grooper to support both simple and complex document layouts, including single-instance fields, repeating sections, and tabular data.

This class is inherited by concrete types such as Section Instance, Section Instance Collection, Table Instance, and Document Instance, each of which represents a specific kind of container in the data model hierarchy.

Usage and Configuration

  • Field Container Instances are managed by Grooper’s extraction engine and are not created or configured directly by end users.
  • They are visible in the Data Review UI, where users can review, validate, and edit grouped field values, including fields within sections and tables.
  • Advanced users may interact with Field Container Instances via expressions, custom code, or API integrations for automation, validation, or custom export scenarios.

Hierarchy and Structure

  • Field Container Instances organize their children according to the Data Model, supporting arbitrarily complex and nested document structures.
  • Children may include Field Instances, Section Instances, Table Instances, and other containers, enabling flexible modeling of real-world documents.
  • The class provides methods for navigating, querying, and manipulating the hierarchy of contained fields and containers.

Extraction, Validation, and Review

  • Field Container Instances are created and populated during the Extract activity, using the extraction logic defined in the Data Model.
  • Validation is performed recursively on all child elements, ensuring that all required data is present and correct.
  • The Field Container Instance tracks validation status, error messages, and change tracking for its entire subtree.
  • In the Data Review UI, the Field Container Instance provides a single point of access for reviewing and editing all grouped field values.

Integration with Other Grooper Features

  • Field Container Instances support advanced features such as recursive validation, dynamic section/table management, error reporting, and change tracking.
  • They are used in workflows for data extraction, validation, review, and export, ensuring that grouped data is processed as a unit.
  • The class provides utility methods for finding, inserting, or removing fields, as well as for traversing all contained containers or fields.

Diagnostics and Audit Trails

  • Field Container Instances participate in diagnostic logging and audit trails for extraction, validation, and review activities.
  • Diagnostic artifacts may include logs of field creation, validation errors, and user or automated changes to grouped data.
  • Error messages and validation status are tracked at both the container and field level, supporting robust quality control and exception handling.

Properties

NameTypeDescription
General
Document Reference

Derived Types

There are 5 implementations of Field Container Instance.

Document Instance Represents the entire content of a document, and serves as the root of the Data Element Instance hierarchies generated by the Extract activity.
Section Instance Represents the extracted content associated with a Data Section.
Section Instance Collection Represents the value of a multi-instance Data Section object.
Table Instance Represents an instance of a Data Table object on a document.
Table Row Instance Represents a table row in a Table Instance.

See Also

Rectangle

Notification