The Household element is the main root element that all elements derive from. The minimum requirements are:
- Organization
- HouseholdMembers
This basic structure is represented as:
<Household uuid=""> <Organization uuid="" /> <HouseholdMembers> </HouseholdMembers> </Household>
Every household should have a unique UUID (see UUID Requirements and Format), without a UUID data exchange will not be possible.
The organization is an empty element containing only the UUID. This represents the owner of this household i.e. the location that first registered the household or member. The organization UUID must be one of the values defined in the XSD from an existing Agency in your portal (see XML Schema Definition).
In addition to these basic elements the Household allows for a range of data to be defined:
- Activities (visits)
- HouseholdExpenses
- HousingStatus
- Location
- Notes
- Creator
All these elements are optional and if there is no data they should not be added (including empty element references).
Household Expenses
Household expenses allows per household expenses to be recorded. The expense format is shared with ClientExpenses in the Person element.
An expense has the following basic format:
<Expense type="medical"> <Value currency="USD">0.00</Value> </Expense>
The "type" attribute must contain one of the valid types defined by your network in the XSD. These should have been setup in advance. If your Network does not track expenses, there will not be any types available and expenses should not be added to the XML.
There are two additional elements for an Expense:
- OtherDescription
- Creator
OtherDescription allows a long text description for the expense. This should be used in conjunction with an "other" type.
Please see Creator Element for a discussion concerning the Creator element.
Note: while there is no restriction on expense types, a particular type should only be used once per household. For example: total all the household medical expenses and have a single entry.
Housing Status
Housing Status reflects the current status of the household. These values are defined in the XSD as: HousingStatusType. The range of choices are governed by the portal country and in some circumstances a Network choice. Only these values should be used.
As housing status is optional, if it is not known or tracked - please leave the element out entirely.
Reserved for Link2Feed
The following elements are reserved for Link2Feed usage and should not be used:
- MaxVisits
- PreferredLanguage
- Vouchers