GENRAL General purpose message (D18A)

This is the standard EDIFACT D18A spec, with 8 loops and 19 segment positions, as OpenEDI JSON, an ediFabric C# template and an ediFabric Native model. To change it for a trading partner, customize it in the EDI Spec Builder.

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The spec as an OpenAPI 3 schema with x-openedi-* extensions, for ediFabric Native, ediFabric Cloud and the EDI Spec Builder. Download OpenEDI (44 KB) Generate classes

The ediFabric .NET template, class TSGENRAL. It needs the common segments, composites and codes of EDIFACT D18A, one download for every transaction in the version. Download C# (1 KB) Common files (69 KB)

The intermediary model ediFabric Native loads with set_map. Native supports X12 today, and EDIFACT is coming. Download Native (1 KB)

Use the GENRAL spec in your code

ediFabric .NET

Add the C# template and its common files to your project, or reference the template NuGet package, and read GENRAL files into TSGENRAL objects. See ediFabric .NET.

ediFabric Native

Native supports X12 today, and EDIFACT is coming. When it's available, map version D18A to this Native model with set_map to parse GENRAL files to JSON from Python, Java, C or C#. See ediFabric Native.

OpenEDI

Select Customize in Spec Builder to copy the spec under your own name, change it for your partner, and parse files against it in EdiNation, ediFabric Native or ediFabric Cloud. Read about OpenEDI.

Generate GENRAL classes in Python, Java, Node.js, Go, Rust or C

The OpenEDI file describes each GENRAL as JSON. To work with GENRAL data as typed objects, generate classes from the OpenEDI file in your language; the root class is TSGENRAL. The classes keep the loops, segments, lengths and code lists, but not the EDI data formats. Read more in Generate a class from OpenEDI.

Python: datamodel-code-generator. Node.js: openapi-typescript. Java, Go, Rust and C: OpenAPI Generator.

GENRAL structure

Loops and segments of the standard GENRAL, with their usage and maximum repeats.

ID	Name	Usage	Max use
UNH	UNH	Mandatory	1
BGM	BGM	Mandatory	1
DTM	DTM	Optional	1
Loop RFF	RFF	Optional	10
RFF	RFF	Mandatory	1
DTM	DTM	Optional	10
Loop NAD	NAD	Optional	2
NAD	NAD	Mandatory	1
LOC	LOC	Optional	5
Loop RFF	RFF	Optional	10
RFF	RFF	Mandatory	1
DTM	DTM	Optional	10
Loop CTA	CTA	Optional	5
CTA	CTA	Mandatory	1
COM	COM	Optional	9
Loop FTX	FTX	Optional	100
FTX	FTX	Mandatory	1
Loop NAD	NAD	Optional	100
NAD	NAD	Mandatory	1
LOC	LOC	Optional	5
Loop RFF	RFF	Optional	10
RFF	RFF	Mandatory	1
DTM	DTM	Optional	10
Loop CTA	CTA	Optional	5
CTA	CTA	Mandatory	1
COM	COM	Optional	5
UNT	UNT	Mandatory	1