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FHIR Questionnaire troubleshooting

FHIR enableWhen references a missing linkId: trace the source before the rule.

An enableWhen condition does not contain the source question itself. It points to another Questionnaire item by linkId, so a rename, punctuation change, or stale copied rule can sever the relationship.

FormPath’s translated model reports the missing linkId as a structural broken-reference finding and marks the source dependency unsupported. That is deliberately different from a finite-domain reachability proof: without the referenced item, there is no trustworthy answer domain to solve.

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Diagnostic checklist

Work from the stored answer outward.

  1. 01

    Read the question reference literally

    Compare enableWhen.question with item.linkId values exactly. Similar text, labels, and punctuation do not repair a different identifier.

  2. 02

    Search nested items too

    Questionnaire items can be nested. Confirm whether the expected linkId exists anywhere in the retained item hierarchy.

  3. 03

    Check for duplicate identifiers

    A repeated linkId makes the intended source ambiguous and should be resolved before interpreting dependent conditions.

  4. 04

    Re-run after renaming

    Once the reference and source agree, inspect the source's answer type and values before treating the condition as reachable.

Example

One character breaks the reference

The hyphenated question reference does not identify the underscored source item. FormPath can establish that the reference is broken in the supplied resource, but it does not manufacture a finite-domain proof about the branch until a supported source and answer domain are available.

Condition points to an absent linkId
{"linkId":"triage_status","type":"choice"}
{"linkId":"details","enableWhen":[{"question":"triage-status","operator":"=","answerString":"urgent"}]}
Condition points to the retained source
{"linkId":"triage_status","type":"choice"}
{"linkId":"details","enableWhen":[{"question":"triage_status","operator":"=","answerString":"urgent"}]}

Honest boundary

What this guide and analyzer do not establish.

  • FormPath does not resolve linkIds or Questionnaire fragments from external resources.
  • It does not infer the intended source from similar labels, text, or identifier spelling.
  • Resource conformance and rendering behavior still require a FHIR validator and the target implementation.

Keep debugging

Related FHIR Questionnaire guides.

FHIR enableWhen answer-code mismatchFHIR enableBehavior all or any

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Ask which supported answer states are actually possible.

FormPath runs locally and exports each finding, how it was checked, and any important limits as JSON or Markdown.

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