---
title: Delimiters
summary: API reference for Delimiters.
status: draft
owner: SAIF Doc Gen
last_reviewed: 2026-09-15
library: SAIF.Framework.Common.Files
reference_type: package
---

# Delimiters

`Delimiters` duplicates, as publicly-accessible constants, the same three X12 delimiter characters that are otherwise exposed only as protected instance fields on `EdiRecordBase`. It exists so code outside an `EdiRecordBase`-derived type — such as `EdiSegment.ToString()` and `EdiRecordBuilder`, which are not themselves `EdiRecordBase` subclasses — can reference the delimiter characters without needing an `EdiRecordBase`-derived instance.*

## Purpose
- Provides `const char` access to the segment, data-element, and composite delimiters for callers that build or parse X12 text outside the `EdiRecordBase` inheritance chain.
- Keeps the delimiter literals (`~`, `*`, `:`) defined in exactly one place alongside the `EdiRecordBase` protected fields, so both call paths agree on the same characters.

## Context
- Namespace: `SAIF.Common.Files.Edi`
- Assembly/package: `SAIF.Framework.Common.Files`

## Public members
| Member | Signature | Purpose |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Segment | `public const char Segment = '~'` | The tilde character used to terminate/separate X12 segments; used by `EdiSegment.ToString()` to append the segment terminator. |
| DataElement | `public const char DataElement = '*'` | The asterisk character used to separate X12 data elements within a segment; used by `EdiRecordBuilder` when building and trimming element text. |
| Composite | `public const char Composite = ':'` | The colon character used to separate sub-elements within a composite X12 data element ([BR-019](../../business-rules.md#br-019-colon-containing-elements-become-composite-elements)); used by `EdiRecordBuilder.BuildCompositeDataElementValue` ([BR-026](../../business-rules.md#br-026-composite-element-values-joined-with-colon)). |

> **Note:** Statements marked with `*` were inferred from code structure, naming
> conventions, or contextual evidence where direct confirmation was not available
> in source artifacts.

## Sources
- Common\SAIF.Common.Files\Edi\enums.cs