The Library editor displays the hierarchical structure of a message. It labels each structural element with an icon. The following table describes the icons the editor uses to display HIPAA messages:

The HIPAA standard defines the meaning of these elements and how they are nested. For example, a segment can contain composites and data elements. A composite contains data elements.

The icons and structure elements differ for other industry standards. In some standards, the elements have names such as message, record, and field instead of transaction, segment, and data element. Some standards define additional logical constructs such as options or alternatives.