wardle / terminology

SNOMED CT Protocol Buffers

terminology

SNOMED CT Protocol Buffers

This defines the application programming interface (API) for a SNOMED-CT terminology service.

It uses Protocol Buffers version 3 (proto3) as the Interface Definition Language (IDL) to define the API interface and the structure of the payload messages.

terminology's Issues

Fallback fuzzy matching in SearchRequest message should be inverted

In the SearchRequest message use_fallback_fuzzy_matching is described as "use fuzzy matching only if no results at all without fuzzy, default true" this presents a logical issue when parsing the message as Protocol Buffers don't allow for 3 state bool values and so a value of false is assigned to unset bool fields[1].

Therefore it is impossible to determine if the field has intentionally been set to false form the default state of true or if the field is unset (and so should be in default state of true).

I propose that this field be inverted (so as to have a default state of false but still default to enabling fallback fuzzy matching). I would suggest a new name of suppress_fallback_fuzzy_matching with a default of false and a description of "Prevent the automatic use of fuzzy matching if no results at all without fuzzy, default false".