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What does max/min mean on the root element of a resource or extension?

<element>
  <path value="Patient" />
  <min value="0" />
  <max value="*" />
  ...snip...
</element>

The cardinality allowed in a containing structure like Bundle? Doesn't make sense to me....

Chris Grenz
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1 Answers1

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For a resource, it doesn't mean anything. For an extension, it places constraints on what the cardinality is allowed to be for a slice instantiating that constraint in a profile. For example, if an extension has a cardinality of 1..5, then if that extension is referenced inside a profile, the minimum cardinality of that constraint element must be at least 1 and the maximum no more than 5. Most of the time this will just be used to indicate whether the extension will be allowed to repeat or not.

Lloyd McKenzie
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  • What happens if I use the same extension in two different named slices? Is the cardinality constrained per slice? Or for the whole resource? – Chris Grenz Oct 09 '15 at 13:02
  • The cardinality is constrained in terms of its appearance within a particular node. An extension is already a slice (on extension). If you sub-slice an extension, that doesn't impact the total number of times the extension can appear. – Lloyd McKenzie Oct 09 '15 at 17:02