Conditional Nodes

Conditional nodes enable workflow branching based on data values, query results, and action outcomes.

Conditional Node Types

If - Single condition evaluation
Switch - Multi-way branching with case statements

If Nodes

If nodes execute their child nodes when a condition is true.

Basic Syntax

xml

<If field="FieldType" value="CompareValue">
  <!-- Nodes to execute if condition is true -->
</If>

Attributes

`field` (Required)

The type of field to evaluate.

Valid Values: CLIENT_HOST_NAME, PRINTED_FILE_NAME, QUERY_FOUND, QUERY_PARTIAL, TAG_VALUE, STORE_SUCCEEDED

`value` (Required)

The value to compare against.

`tag` (Optional)

For TAG_VALUE and STORE_SUCCEEDED field types, specifies the tag or action name.

Field Types

CLIENT_HOST_NAME

Compares the client hostname that submitted the print job.

xml

<If field="CLIENT_HOST_NAME" value="WORKSTATION-01">
  <!-- Execute for jobs from WORKSTATION-01 -->
  <Perform action="ProcessFromWorkstation01"/>
</If>

Use cases:

Route jobs differently based on source computer
Apply specific processing for certain workstations
Implement workstation-specific workflows

PRINTED_FILE_NAME

Compares the print job filename using exact string matching.

xml

<If field="PRINTED_FILE_NAME" value="Report.pdf">
  <!-- Execute for files named exactly "Report.pdf" -->
  <Perform action="ProcessReport"/>
</If>

The comparison uses exact matching - the value must match the complete filename.

xml

<If field="PRINTED_FILE_NAME" value="PatientData.pdf">
  <!-- Execute for files named exactly "PatientData.pdf" -->
  <Perform action="ProcessPDF"/>
</If>

<If field="PRINTED_FILE_NAME" value="scan001.jpg">
  <!-- Execute for files named exactly "scan001.jpg" -->
  <Perform action="ProcessImage"/>
</If>

Note: Use TAG_VALUE with appropriate DICOM tags if you need pattern matching or substring matching for filenames

QUERY_FOUND

Checks if a query action found matching results.

xml

<Perform action="QueryWorklist"/>

<If field="QUERY_FOUND" value="true">
  <!-- Query found a match -->
  <Perform action="ProcessWithPatientData"/>
</If>

<If field="QUERY_FOUND" value="false">
  <!-- No match found -->
  <Perform action="HandleNoMatch"/>
</If>

Valid Values: true, false

Common usage:

Execute actions only when patient data is found
Implement fallback processing for unmatched patients
Trigger alerts or manual review

QUERY_PARTIAL

Checks if a query returned multiple matches (partial/ambiguous results).

xml

<Perform action="QueryWorklist"/>

<If field="QUERY_PARTIAL" value="true">
  <!-- Multiple matches - needs manual selection -->
  <Perform action="NotifyMultipleMatches"/>
  <Suspend/>
</If>

Valid Values: true, false

Use cases:

Detect ambiguous patient matches
Trigger manual review for multiple results
Prevent incorrect patient matching

TAG_VALUE

Compares a DICOM tag value using regular expression matching.

xml

<If field="TAG_VALUE(0010,0040)" value="M">
  <!-- Male patient -->
  <Perform action="ProcessMalePatient"/>
</If>

<If field="TAG_VALUE(0010,0040)" value="F">
  <!-- Female patient -->
  <Perform action="ProcessFemalePatient"/>
</If>

Syntax:

field - TAG_VALUE(GGGG,EEEE) where GGGG is group and EEEE is element (1-4 hex digits each)
value - Regular expression pattern to match

Matching Behavior: Unlike other field types that use exact string comparison, TAG_VALUE uses regular expression substring matching. The value is treated as a regex pattern and matched against the tag's value using substring matching.

Examples:

Check modality (exact match):

xml

<If field="TAG_VALUE(0008,0060)" value="^CT$">
  <!-- CT images (exact match) -->
  <Perform action="ProcessCT"/>
</If>

Check patient ID exists (non-empty):

xml

<If field="TAG_VALUE(0010,0020)" value=".+">
  <!-- Non-empty patient ID -->
  <Perform action="ProcessWithID"/>
</If>

Check accession number pattern:

xml

<If field="TAG_VALUE(0008,0050)" value="^ACC\d+$">
  <!-- Accession number starting with "ACC" followed by digits -->
  <Perform action="SpecialProcessing"/>
</If>

Private Tags: Tags with odd group numbers are automatically treated as private tags and the private creator ID is set automatically.

Regular Expression Patterns:

xml

<!-- Match any CT or MR modality -->
<If field="TAG_VALUE(0008,0060)" value="^(CT|MR)$">
  <Perform action="ProcessCrossSectional"/>
</If>

<!-- Match patient IDs starting with "P" -->
<If field="TAG_VALUE(0010,0020)" value="^P">
  <Perform action="ProcessPrefixedID"/>
</If>

<!-- Check if tag contains specific text -->
<If field="TAG_VALUE(0008,0080)" value="General Hospital">
  <Perform action="ProcessGeneralHospital"/>
</If>

STORE_SUCCEEDED

Checks if a store action succeeded.

xml

<Perform action="SendToPrimaryPACS"/>

<If field="STORE_SUCCEEDED" tag="SendToPrimaryPACS" value="true">
  <!-- Store succeeded -->
  <Perform action="NotifySuccess"/>
</If>

<If field="STORE_SUCCEEDED" tag="SendToPrimaryPACS" value="false">
  <!-- Store failed - try backup -->
  <Perform action="SendToBackupPACS"/>
</If>

Attributes:

tag - Name of the Store action
value - true or false

Use cases:

Implement fallback destinations
Trigger notifications on failure
Conditional processing based on storage success

Multiple If Nodes

Multiple If nodes can be used for multi-way branching:

xml

<If field="TAG_VALUE(0008,0060)" value="^CT$">
  <Perform action="ProcessCT"/>
</If>

<If field="TAG_VALUE(0008,0060)" value="^MR$">
  <Perform action="ProcessMR"/>
</If>

<If field="TAG_VALUE(0008,0060)" value="^CR$">
  <Perform action="ProcessCR"/>
</If>

Note: All matching If nodes execute. This is different from Switch nodes where only one case executes.

Nested If Nodes

If nodes can be nested for complex conditions:

xml

<If field="QUERY_FOUND" value="true">
  <!-- Patient found -->
  <If field="TAG_VALUE(0010,0040)" value="^M$">
    <!-- Male patient -->
    <If field="TAG_VALUE(0008,0060)" value="^CT$">
      <!-- Male CT patient -->
      <Perform action="ProcessMaleCT"/>
    </If>
  </If>
</If>

Switch Nodes

Switch nodes provide multi-way branching where only the first matching case executes.

Supported Field Types

Important: Switch nodes only support these field types:

CLIENT_HOST_NAME
PRINTED_FILE_NAME

Switch does NOT support QUERY_FOUND, QUERY_PARTIAL, TAG_VALUE, or STORE_SUCCEEDED. Use multiple If nodes for those field types.

Basic Syntax

xml

<Switch field="FieldType">
  <Case value="Value1">
    <!-- Execute if field equals Value1 -->
  </Case>
  <Case value="Value2">
    <!-- Execute if field equals Value2 -->
  </Case>
  <!-- Default case (optional) -->
  <Case value="">
    <!-- Execute if no other case matches -->
  </Case>
</Switch>

Switch Example: Hostname Routing

xml

<Switch field="CLIENT_HOST_NAME">
  <Case value="CT-WORKSTATION">
    <Perform action="SendToCTPACS"/>
  </Case>
  <Case value="MR-WORKSTATION">
    <Perform action="SendToMRPACS"/>
  </Case>
  <Case value="CR-WORKSTATION">
    <Perform action="SendToCRPACS"/>
  </Case>
  <Case value="">
    <!-- Default case -->
    <Perform action="SendToGeneralPACS"/>
  </Case>
</Switch>

Only the first matching case executes. If none match, the default case (empty value) executes if present.

Switch vs Multiple If Nodes

Switch nodes:

Only first match executes
More efficient for mutually exclusive conditions
Cleaner syntax for multi-way branching

Multiple If nodes:

All matching conditions execute
Better for non-exclusive conditions
More flexible for complex logic

Common Patterns

Patient Match Workflow

xml

<Perform action="QueryWorklist"/>

<If field="QUERY_FOUND" value="true">
  <!-- Single match found -->
  <Perform action="AddMetadata"/>
  <Perform action="SendToPACS"/>
</If>

<If field="QUERY_PARTIAL" value="true">
  <!-- Multiple matches -->
  <Perform action="NotifyAmbiguous"/>
  <Suspend/>
</If>

<If field="QUERY_FOUND" value="false">
  <!-- No match -->
  <Perform action="NotifyNoMatch"/>
  <Suspend/>
</If>

Modality-Based Processing

xml

<If field="TAG_VALUE(0008,0060)" value="^CT$">
  <Perform action="CompressCT"/>
  <Perform action="SendToCTPACS"/>
</If>

<If field="TAG_VALUE(0008,0060)" value="^MR$">
  <Perform action="CompressMR"/>
  <Perform action="SendToMRPACS"/>
</If>

<If field="TAG_VALUE(0008,0060)" value="^US$">
  <Perform action="ConvertToStandardFormat"/>
  <Perform action="SendToUSPACS"/>
</If>

Note: Use multiple If nodes for TAG_VALUE matching since Switch doesn't support TAG_VALUE field type.

Filename-Based Routing

xml

<If field="CLIENT_HOST_NAME" value="STAT-WORKSTATION">
  <!-- STAT priority workstation -->
  <Perform action="SendToStatPACS"/>
  <Perform action="NotifyStatJob"/>
  <Perform action="PrintToFilm"/>
</If>

<If field="CLIENT_HOST_NAME" value="ROUTINE-WORKSTATION">
  <!-- Routine priority workstation -->
  <Perform action="SendToPACS"/>
</If>

Workstation-Specific Workflows

xml

<If field="CLIENT_HOST_NAME" value="ER-WORKSTATION">
  <!-- Emergency department -->
  <Perform action="HighPriorityProcessing"/>
  <Perform action="SendToERPACS"/>
  <Perform action="NotifyERStaff"/>
</If>

<If field="CLIENT_HOST_NAME" value="RADIOLOGY-01">
  <!-- Radiology department -->
  <Perform action="StandardProcessing"/>
  <Perform action="SendToRadiologyPACS"/>
</If>

Error Handling with Fallback

xml

<Perform action="SendToPrimaryPACS"/>

<If field="STORE_SUCCEEDED" tag="SendToPrimaryPACS" value="false">
  <!-- Primary failed - try backup -->
  <Perform action="SendToBackupPACS"/>

  <If field="STORE_SUCCEEDED" tag="SendToBackupPACS" value="false">
    <!-- Both failed - try tertiary -->
    <Perform action="SendToTertiaryPACS"/>

    <If field="STORE_SUCCEEDED" tag="SendToTertiaryPACS" value="false">
      <!-- All failed - suspend -->
      <Perform action="NotifyAllFailed"/>
      <Suspend/>
    </If>
  </If>
</If>

Patient Demographics Check

xml

<If field="TAG_VALUE(0010,0010)" value="^$">
  <!-- Empty patient name -->
  <Suspend/>
</If>

<If field="TAG_VALUE(0010,0020)" value="^$">
  <!-- Empty patient ID -->
  <Suspend/>
</If>

<If field="TAG_VALUE(0010,0030)" value="^$">
  <!-- Empty birth date -->
  <Perform action="NotifyMissingBirthDate"/>
  <!-- Continue processing -->
</If>

Complete Example

xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE DicomPrinter SYSTEM "config.dtd">
<DicomPrinter>
  <Actions>
    <ParseJobFileName name="ExtractPatientID">
      <Pattern>(\d+)_.*\.pdf</Pattern>
      <DcmTag tag="0010,0020" group="1"/>
    </ParseJobFileName>

    <Query name="FindWorklist" type="Worklist"
           calledAE="RIS" callingAE="PRINTER"
           host="192.168.1.200" port="104">
      <DcmTag tag="0010,0020">#{PatientID}</DcmTag>
    </Query>

    <SetTag name="AddMetadata">
      <DcmTag tag="0008,0020" value="#{Date}"/>
    </SetTag>

    <Store name="SendToCTPACS"
           calledAE="CT_PACS" callingAE="PRINTER"
           host="192.168.1.101" port="104"/>

    <Store name="SendToMRPACS"
           calledAE="MR_PACS" callingAE="PRINTER"
           host="192.168.1.102" port="104"/>

    <Store name="SendToGeneralPACS"
           calledAE="GENERAL_PACS" callingAE="PRINTER"
           host="192.168.1.100" port="104"/>

    <Store name="SendToBackupPACS"
           calledAE="BACKUP_PACS" callingAE="PRINTER"
           host="192.168.1.200" port="104"/>

    <Notify name="NotifyNoMatch" mandatory="false" onError="Ignore"/>
    <Notify name="NotifyMultipleMatches" mandatory="false" onError="Ignore"/>
  </Actions>

  <Workflow>
    <!-- Extract patient ID -->
    <Perform action="ExtractPatientID"/>

    <!-- Validate patient ID exists -->
    <If field="TAG_VALUE(0010,0020)" value="^$">
      <Discard/>
    </If>

    <!-- Query worklist -->
    <Perform action="FindWorklist"/>

    <!-- Handle query results -->
    <If field="QUERY_PARTIAL" value="true">
      <!-- Multiple matches - need manual selection -->
      <Perform action="NotifyMultipleMatches"/>
      <Suspend/>
    </If>

    <If field="QUERY_FOUND" value="false">
      <!-- No match - suspend for review -->
      <Perform action="NotifyNoMatch"/>
      <Suspend/>
    </If>

    <If field="QUERY_FOUND" value="true">
      <!-- Single match - process normally -->
      <Perform action="AddMetadata"/>

      <!-- Route by modality using If nodes -->
      <If field="TAG_VALUE(0008,0060)" value="^CT$">
        <Perform action="SendToCTPACS"/>
      </If>

      <If field="TAG_VALUE(0008,0060)" value="^MR$">
        <Perform action="SendToMRPACS"/>
      </If>

      <!-- Default: send to general PACS if not CT or MR -->
      <If field="STORE_SUCCEEDED" tag="SendToCTPACS" value="false">
        <If field="STORE_SUCCEEDED" tag="SendToMRPACS" value="false">
          <Perform action="SendToGeneralPACS"/>

          <If field="STORE_SUCCEEDED" tag="SendToGeneralPACS" value="false">
            <!-- All stores failed - try backup -->
            <Perform action="SendToBackupPACS"/>
          </If>
        </If>
      </If>
    </If>
  </Workflow>
</DicomPrinter>

DICOM Capacitor

Configuration

Filters

DICOM Printer 2

Configuration

Actions

Workflow

Conditional Nodes

Conditional Node Types

If Nodes

Basic Syntax

Attributes

`field` (Required)

`value` (Required)

`tag` (Optional)

Field Types

CLIENT_HOST_NAME

PRINTED_FILE_NAME

QUERY_FOUND

QUERY_PARTIAL

TAG_VALUE

STORE_SUCCEEDED

Multiple If Nodes

Nested If Nodes

Switch Nodes

Supported Field Types

Basic Syntax

Switch Example: Hostname Routing

Switch vs Multiple If Nodes

Common Patterns

Patient Match Workflow

Modality-Based Processing

Filename-Based Routing

Workstation-Specific Workflows

Error Handling with Fallback

Patient Demographics Check

Complete Example

Configuration

Filters

Configuration

Actions

Workflow

Conditional Nodes ​

Conditional Node Types ​

If Nodes ​

Basic Syntax ​

Attributes ​

field (Required) ​

value (Required) ​

tag (Optional) ​

Field Types ​

CLIENT_HOST_NAME ​

PRINTED_FILE_NAME ​

QUERY_FOUND ​

QUERY_PARTIAL ​

TAG_VALUE ​

STORE_SUCCEEDED ​

Multiple If Nodes ​

Nested If Nodes ​

Switch Nodes ​

Supported Field Types ​

Basic Syntax ​

Switch Example: Hostname Routing ​

Switch vs Multiple If Nodes ​

Common Patterns ​

Patient Match Workflow ​

Modality-Based Processing ​

Filename-Based Routing ​

Workstation-Specific Workflows ​

Error Handling with Fallback ​

Patient Demographics Check ​

Complete Example ​

Related Topics ​

Conditional Nodes

Conditional Node Types

If Nodes

Basic Syntax

Attributes

`field` (Required)

`value` (Required)

`tag` (Optional)

Field Types

CLIENT_HOST_NAME

PRINTED_FILE_NAME

QUERY_FOUND

QUERY_PARTIAL

TAG_VALUE

STORE_SUCCEEDED

Multiple If Nodes

Nested If Nodes

Switch Nodes

Supported Field Types

Basic Syntax

Switch Example: Hostname Routing

Switch vs Multiple If Nodes

Common Patterns

Patient Match Workflow

Modality-Based Processing

Filename-Based Routing

Workstation-Specific Workflows

Error Handling with Fallback

Patient Demographics Check

Complete Example

Related Topics