Preface

The "VA FileMan Programmer Manual" is designed to provide you, the VistA developer, with "how-to" information on writing programs using the VA FileMan APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) and using VA FileMan's developer tools. VA FileMan is VistA's database management system.

This manual is a full reference for all entry points in VA FileMan APIs:

• Classic VA FileMan API
• Database Server (DBS) API
• ScreenMan API
• Auditing API
• Browser API
• Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) API
• Data Access Control (DAC) API
• Import and Export Tools API
• Extract Tool API
• Filegrams API
• Meta Data Dictionary (MDD) API
• Create Sort Templates Silently API
• File Pointer Maintenance API
• Entity Mapping API

This manual shows how to use features of VA FileMan that are likely to be used by developers and system administrators. In most cases you must have Programmer access (DUZ(0)="@") to use these features:

• Global File Structure
• Advanced File Definition
• Trigger Cross-References
• ScreenMan Forms and using the ScreenMan Form Editor
• VA FileMan Functions
• DIALOG File
• ^DI: Programmer Access
• ^DIKCBLD: Build an M Routine that Makes a Call to CREIXN^DDMOD
• LANG^DIALOGZ: File Modification for Multiple Languages
• DIFROM
• Appendix A—VA FileMan Error Codes

Reviewed/Updated: May 2026