JSON Templates

Every template can also be submitted as a JSON document instead of a spreadsheet or text file. This suits teams that generate submissions from code. The JSON templates are defined with JSON Schema (draft-04). If JSON Schema is new to you, start with Understanding JSON Schema.

• Schemas: in the json-templates folder of the all-templates zip, or linked from each row of the Template Catalog.
• Worked example: example_human_study_json_package.zip is a ready-to-submit package of several templates in JSON.
• Field names: each template's field page lists the JSON attribute and type for every column, for example subjectId (string).

How the schema files fit together

A template's top-level schema describes the document. Its data array refers to a Datum schema for one record. Templates with result columns split each record further into metaData and resultData. subjectHumans is a good representative example:

flowchart LR
    A[subjectHumans.json] -->|data items| B[subjectHumans.Datum.json]
    B -->|metaData| C[subjectHumans.MetaData.json]
    B -->|resultData items| D[subjectHumans.ResultData.json]

Schema file	Defines	Required properties
subjectHumans.json	The document: which template and version, plus an array of records	fileName, name, schemaVersion, templateType, data
subjectHumans.Datum.json	One record: one metaData object plus one or more resultData objects	metaData, resultData
subjectHumans.MetaData.json	Subject demographics. Dropdown fields are enum strings; free text has maxLength	subjectId, armOrCohortId
subjectHumans.ResultData.json	Immune exposure, captured for HIPC and other consortium studies	exposureProcessReported

Simpler templates have only the top-level and Datum files. Compound templates such as basic_study_design.json refer to one schema per section (for example basic_study_design.armOrCohort.json).

Example: two human subjects

{
  "templateType": "combined-result",
  "fileName": "subjectHumans.json",
  "name": "subjecthumans",
  "schemaVersion": "3.37",
  "validationLevel": "1",
  "data": [
    {
      "metaData": {
        "subjectId": "Subject_2000_A",
        "sex": "Male",
        "minSubjectAge": "10",
        "maxSubjectAge": "10",
        "ageUnit": "Years",
        "ageEvent": "Age at enrollment",
        "subjectPhenotype": "Normal",
        "subjectLocation": "US: Maryland",
        "ethnicity": "Hispanic or Latino",
        "race": "White",
        "description": "Test Subject A",
        "armOrCohortId": "TestStudyArm2000A"
      },
      "resultData": [
        {
          "exposureProcessReported": "administering substance in vivo",
          "exposureMaterialReported": "Hepatitis B virus vaccine ; VO_0000644",
          "diseaseReported": "acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ; DOID:635",
          "diseaseStageReported": "Chronic"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "metaData": {
        "subjectId": "Subject_2000_B",
        "sex": "Female",
        "minSubjectAge": "20",
        "maxSubjectAge": "20",
        "ageUnit": "Years",
        "ageEvent": "Age at enrollment",
        "subjectPhenotype": "Normal",
        "subjectLocation": "US: Maryland",
        "ethnicity": "Not Hispanic or Latino",
        "race": "Black or African American",
        "description": "Test Subject B",
        "armOrCohortId": "TestStudyArm2000B"
      },
      "resultData": [
        {
          "exposureProcessReported": "administering substance in vivo",
          "exposureMaterialReported": "Hepatitis B virus vaccine ; VO_0000644",
          "diseaseReported": "acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ; DOID:635",
          "diseaseStageReported": "Chronic"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Validate locally first

Any JSON Schema draft-04 validator can check your document against the downloaded schemas before you upload. schemaVersion must match the current template version (rule R-04).