Convert between EDI and JSON Last updated: 2026-09-30

Download the 837P model

Open 837P in the EDI spec library. In the JSON view, choose Download, then As ediFabric Native. That saves en-837P-efnative.json.

That file is the intermediary the engine loads. It is not the JSON your application reads or writes. It holds the compiled layout under Messages, Segments, Groups, Elements, Composites, Codes, Terms and Rules. The message entry:

{
  "Messages": {
    "837P_EdiNation.X12.HIPAA.005010": {
      "Format": "X12",
      "Model": "EdiNation.X12.HIPAA.005010",
      "Type": "837P",
      "Version": "005010X222A1"
    }
  }
}

As OpenEDI JSON saves the OpenAPI definition, en-837P-openedi.json. Edit models in OpenEDI, then download As ediFabric Native again to refresh the file the engine loads. The extensions are documented in OpenEDI format.

Load the model

Put en-837P-efnative.json in a directory next to your program and map version 005010X222A1 to it. Call set_map once, after set_serial and before parse. In Python:

import json
import edifabric_x12 as ef

serial = "YOUR_SERIAL_KEY"
ef.load_library()
ef.set_serial(serial)
ef.set_map(json.dumps({
    "default": None,
    "maps": {
        "837:005010X222A1": {
            "type": 1,
            "name": "en-837P-efnative.json",
            "location": "models"
        }
    }
}))

type: 1 loads a local file from location/name. default is the serial key when you want unmapped transactions to use the online model service. It is null here because this map already names the 837P. The same JSON is passed to setMap in the Java bindings and to ef_set_map in the C bindings. There are also C# bindings.

Read an 837P file

parse with ParseMode.JSON_VALIDATE writes the transaction JSON, then a validation report. The offset is where the report starts. Everything before it is the 837P JSON:

edi = open("Claim.txt", "rb").read()
output, offset = ef.parse(edi, ef.ParseMode.JSON_VALIDATE)
transactions = output[:offset]
report = json.loads(output[offset:])
print(transactions)
print(report["errors_count"])

ParseMode.JSON returns the transaction JSON only, and the offset is 0. Operation modes are in the Native introduction.

The JSON

The transaction JSON uses the names from the EDI template and the OpenEDI schema. ST element 143 is TransactionSetIdentifierCode_01. See how an EDI template names each element and how OpenEDI names the same element.

{
  "ST": {
    "TransactionSetIdentifierCode_01": "837",
    "TransactionSetControlNumber_02": "0021",
    "ImplementationConventionPreference_03": "005010X222A1"
  },
  "BHT_BeginningOfHierarchicalTransaction": {
    "HierarchicalStructureCode_01": "0019",
    "TransactionSetPurposeCode_02": "00",
    "SubmitterTransactionIdentifier_03": "244579",
    "TransactionSetCreationDate_04": "20061015",
    "TransactionSetCreationTime_05": "1023",
    "TransactionTypeCode_06": "CH"
  }
}

The rest of this claim, through the service lines, is on the 837P transaction page.

Write the JSON back to EDI

build takes the transaction JSON from parse, or JSON your application built in that shape, and returns X12. postfix is written after each segment terminator.

transactions = open("Claim.json", "rb").read()
edi = ef.build(transactions, postfix="\r\n")
print(edi)

Java calls EdiFabricX12.build, and C calls ef_build. Both take the same transaction JSON.