This page explains how EZLogger manages configuration files, loads document properties into views, and dynamically populates controls like ComboBoxes from JSON files.

• Managing Configuration Files with ConfigHelper
  • Key Responsibilities
  • Important Paths
  • Core Functions
  • Example Local Config
• Loading Word Document Properties into Forms
  • General Workflow
  • Example Mapping Pattern
• Populating ComboBoxes from JSON
  • Example JSON Structure
  • Loading Values into ComboBoxes
  • Troubleshooting Common Issues
• Best Practices

The ConfigHelper module handles the creation, reading, and updating of configuration files used by EZLogger.

• Ensures the existence of the local configuration file (local_user_config.json).
• Prompts the user to select a global configuration file (global_config.json) if necessary.
• Provides helper functions to retrieve paths and structured data for use throughout the app.

{
  "status": "created",
  "created_at": "2025-04-17T21:01:00",
  "sp_filepath": {
    "global_config_file": "C:\\Users\\lunde\\Documents\\EZLogger\\global_config.json"
  }
}

EZLogger uses a consistent pattern for pulling Word CustomDocumentProperties into form controls.

flowchart TD
    A[User Clicks Button] --> B[Form Calls ViewHandler]
    B --> C[Handler uses DocumentPropertyHelper]
    C --> D[Reads property from active Word document]
    D --> E[Assigns property value to form control]

Create a dictionary of document property keys and form actions:

Dim fieldMap As New Dictionary(Of String, Action(Of String)) From {
    {"Patient Number", Sub(val) view.TxtPatientId.Text = val},
    {"Patient Name", Sub(val) view.LblPatientName.Content = val},
    {"Program", Sub(val) view.LblProgram.Content = val}
}

Load properties dynamically:

For Each pair In fieldMap
    Dim value = DocumentPropertyHelper.GetPropertyValue(pair.Key)
    If Not String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(value) Then
        pair.Value.Invoke(value)
    End If
Next

This method avoids hardcoding property assignments and allows scalable mapping.

Dropdown lists in EZLogger (e.g., opinions, report types) are populated dynamically from the global_config.json.

{
  "listbox": {
    "opinions": ["Competent", "Not Yet Competent", "Malingering"],
    "report_type": ["PPR", "1370(b)(1)"]
  }
}

For opinions:

Imports EZLogger.Helpers

Public Class OpinionView
    Private Sub OpinionView_Loaded(sender As Object, e As RoutedEventArgs) Handles Me.Loaded
        OpinionCbo.ItemsSource = ConfigHelper.GetOpinionList()
    End Sub
End Class

For report types:

ReportTypeCbo.ItemsSource = ConfigHelper.GetReportTypeList()

• Ensure correct file paths in local_user_config.json.
• Confirm control names match (OpinionCbo, ReportTypeCbo).
• Remove any hardcoded <ComboBoxItem> entries from XAML when binding dynamically.

• Always validate JSON paths before using them.
• Handle missing or malformed JSON gracefully using Try/Catch.
• Keep mappings clean by using dictionaries rather than hardcoded assignments.
• Keep local user settings separate from shared organizational settings.
• Use centralized Helpers (ConfigHelper, DocumentPropertyHelper) to avoid duplicate code.

• Architecture Overview
• Task List and Alerts System

Last Updated: April 28, 2025