Playlist User Guide

Playlist is a tool to visualize an Orchestra XML file and reduce it to a subset exported into a new Orchestra XML file. Playlist is not a FIX validation tool, i.e. it relies on the correctness of the input file and the FIX knowledge of the user. For example, it is the responsibility of the user to ensure the proper selection of fields required by FIX, i.e. the tool will not complain if the user only selects stop order types but fails to select the StopPx(99) field. The only exception to this rule is that StandardHeader and StandardTrailer do not have to be selected and will automatically be added to each of the selected messages when creating the new Orchestra XML file. This includes the pre-selection of required fields in the StandardHeader component (BeginString(8), BodyLength(9), MsgType(35),…) for the tag=value encoding.

Access to Playlist requires you to register and login to the FIX Trading Community website, and your confirmed affiliation with a FIX member firm. Once you are confirmed to be affiliated with a FIX member firm you can request access to Playlist, please contact the FIX Program Office (fix@fixtrading.org) for access. There is no explicit function to logout of Playlist, i.e. you can just close your browser tab.

The file name for the new Orchestra XML file defaults to “myorchestra.xml” but you can easily change it by clicking into the field. The button “Create Orchestra file” is accessible as soon as you have read in an input file and made a selection. Playlist does not require the selection to include a FIX message, i.e. you can also create a subset of the input file that only includes a single group or component. Fields depend on being automatically enabled in the context of a message, group or component and cannot be selected independently. The download of the Orchestra XML file is preceded with a screen showing the number of elements included from each type (messages, groups, components, standard fields, code sets, codes, datatypes).

The repository is shown in six different sections described below. Entire sections and their elements (message, repeating group, component, field, code set, code value) can be expanded (click on “+”) or collapsed (click on “-“), with each element having its own check box. All check boxes have two settings:  selected and not selected. A third setting, partially selected, is possible for elements containing other elements. The user can only select or deselect a check box, partial selections are the result of Playlist indicating that some but not all of the nested elements have been selected.

Some of the check boxes are read-only as they are automatically set by Playlist. For example, selecting the check box of a message enables all of its groups, components and fields. Selecting a single field within a message will result in Playlist showing the message as partially selected. Selecting a partially selected check box changes it to being deselected, and changing it to being fully selected requires selecting the check box again for a second time.

Alphabetical list of messages can be expanded to show its groups, components, and fields. These are also sorted alphabetically to ease searching in large messages. The fields are shown with their name, tag number and datatype or code set with its base type (if applicable). The groups and components can be expanded to the first nesting level. StandardHeader and StandardTrailer of messages are not shown but will automatically be added to each of the selected messages when creating the new Orchestra XML file.

Alphabetical list of all repeating groups (regardless of nesting level) can be expanded to show its nested groups, components, and fields. These are also sorted alphabetically to ease searching in large groups. The fields are shown with their name, tag number and datatype or code set. The nested groups and components cannot be expanded in place but are part of the single list of repeating groups or components (see next section). The fields with NumInGroup datatype for fields of repeating groups are shown as read-only and will automatically be selected when at least one element of the repeating group is selected.

Alphabetical list of all components (regardless of nesting level) can be expanded to show its nested groups, components, and fields. These are also sorted alphabetically to ease searching in large components. The fields are shown with their name, tag number and datatype or code set. The nested groups and components cannot be expanded in place but are part of the single list of repeating groups (see previous section) or components.

Fields are a read-only section, i.e. they are automatically shown as selected when enabling them in a message, group or component and vice-versa when disabled again. Fields are grouped by tag numbers into groups of 1,000 tags at a time and sorted by tag number. The tag ranges can be expanded to show individual fields. These are shown with their name, tag number, datatype, union datatype (if applicable) and base datatype (only for code sets).

Code sets (a.k.a. enumerated values) are independent elements in the Orchestra Technical Standard. They have a name that is derived from the main FIX field that uses its values and are listed alphabetically with their name and datatype. The individual codes are shown with their value and symbolic name (shown in FIXimate inside square brackets).

The code sets themselves are read-only and automatically shown as (partially) selected when enabling a field in a message, group or component that uses them. The code set will be deselected when there is no more selected field that uses it. The individual codes can be selected or deselected as long as at least one code has been selected. Once (partially) selected, deselecting a code set requires the user to deselect all fields using that code set from messages, groups and components.

Datatypes are a read-only section as they are automatically shown as selected when enabling a field with this datatype in a message, group or component. They are automatically disabled if no field with this datatype is selected.