HL7 GTS General Timing Specification
HL7 datatype components GTS components from HL7 v2.5.1 Hide components
These are the generated components for the version selected at the top of the page. The article stays practical, and this panel follows the chosen HL7 version.
Components
GTS is a general timing specification. It is compact and powerful, but it is also easy for receivers to implement only partially. In real interfaces, be very clear about which timing patterns the receiver supports.
In this guide, GTS appears in RPT. That used-by list is a good reality check: the datatype is only half the story, and the field that uses it tells you the workflow.
The component panel above is expanded by default because most datatype pages are used as quick lookup pages. Start there for the exact HL7 v2.5.1 shape, then use the notes below for the practical gotchas.
The Value
GTS is primitive in this v2.5.1 reference data, so there are no caret-separated components to expand. The whole field value is the datatype value. That makes it quick to read, but it also means validation has to happen at the field level: the datatype will not give you extra components to explain what the value means.
Practical Notes
The safest habit is to populate only the components the receiving profile actually uses, and to keep each meaning in its own component. Empty components are better than a compact display string that a receiver has to reverse-engineer.
In HL7 Soup Web, click a field that uses GTS to see the field meaning beside the raw value. For primitive datatypes, that quick field-level check is usually more useful than looking for components that do not exist.
Official and Reference Notes
For formal reference, compare the generated HL7 v2.5.1 panel above with the HL7 v2.5.1 datatype list and the HL7 Terminology data type code system. Local implementation guides can narrow allowed values, tables, and component usage.