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What is a HTTP Action?

HTTP actions perform HTTP(S) requests to external APIs and return the response.

Creating HTTP Actions


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titleWhat is an API?

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Creating HTTP Actions

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  1. Click and drag the 
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     icon from the toolbar onto the canvas
  2. Enter a name for the HTTP action, then select Create Action
  3. In the HTTP action 
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     on the right, populate the following details:
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FieldDescriptionExample Value
NameName given to the HTTP Node. This will be displayed on the Actionflow canvas.BankHolidays
HTTP MethodThe HTTP method. A drop-down field containing: GET, POST, GET or POST,
HEAD
DELETE, OPTIONS, PUT,
DELETE, other. If other is specified a text box will allow the entering of a custom value which is not empty and contains only uppercase letters.
PATCH.Get
URL Template

A template that computes the URL of the request.

Expects literal values or expressions encapsulated within ${} syntax, for example ${in.MyValue}.

If using the URL to pass across parameters, care should be taken to ensure that the values are appropriately URL encoded.  

https://www.gov.uk/bank-holidays.json


https://server/phixflow/api/1/action/App/Api/trigger?field=abc

Body Template

Optional.

If this is provided then it is used to carry the HTTP request data. If a body is provided then usually Content-Type and Content-Length headers lines specify the nature of the body associated.

In PhixFlow if this evaluates to whitespace only then it is not included in the request.

The body expects literal values, or expressions encapsulated within ${} syntax, for example ${in.MyValue}.

//JSON Example
{
    "Industry": "${in.Industry}"
}
Error Expression

Optional.

A JEP expression to determine if the response is an error and if so

sent

, send on the

error output

Error Output Connection Point. The expression will have access to the input record (in) and the mapped output response (_result).

_result.isError
Log Traffic

Toggle on 

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 to logs

to log the response of the HTTP request in the System Console, e.g. see an error returned, or see the output before specifying a path.

Use this when testing but switch off once testing is completed.

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Maximum HTTP Log Length

Available if Log Traffic is toggled on 

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.

Restricts the size of the log traffic.

1000
Use Raw URL

Toggle on 

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 to send the URL Template value in exactly the format it is provided to the HTTP Node.

If toggled off 

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PhixFlow will transpose values to form a valid URL, such as replacing spaces with %20.

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HTTP ConfigurationSee HTTP Configuration


4. 

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 all settings

5. Hover over the 

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 action on the canvas to see the output connection points

Output Connection Points

A HTTP action has two outputs. A HTTP request will be triggered for each input record and generate one output record, which will be sent on either the out or error output. 

The response from the server (headers and body) will be treated as the result record..

Output Connection PointDescription
OutContains the resulting record of the request. 
ErrorContains the resulting record of the request where it satisfies the error expression specified on the HTTP Node. 

The output records contain the attributes specified by the output connection point, successful . Successful records are passed down the out connection point and records containing an error are passed down the error connection point. The structure of the records by default are as follows:

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  • body: The content returned by a successful request, for example, JSON content

  • contentType: The type of response provided by the target HTTP request, for example, application/json; charset=utf-8
  • status: The returned status code, for example, 200
status message
  • statusMessage: The returned status message, for example, OK

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Adding and Editing

To add a new output connection point, click the 
  • cookies: Returns an array of cookie name, domain, etc.
  • isError: Returns true if the response contains a 400+ error code
  • headers: Returns an array of header values
  • statusFamily: Returns the status family code, for example if status returns 202, then statusFamily will return 200
  • transmissionError: Returns true if the request failed, e.g. timed out

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Parameters

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http_parameter
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addIconAttributesContains the attributes which hold the values returned by the Output Connection Point. Result values are obtained using the keyword _result followed by the attribute name. _result.status

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 icon, see Connection Points

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Configuration

The configuration of each output connection point is identical: 

FieldDescriptionExampleNameName of the outputoutOutput TypeA drop-down field containing: String, Raw Data, JSON. StringSkip Invalid RecordsSkip attributes which are considered invalid.enabledDefault CharsetA drop-down field containing character set options including utf-8.utf-8PathThe JSON path to apply. If empty this will default to '$' which matches the entire object. 

// $ returns everything, this syntax traverses down two levels using two full // stops.

$..events

JSON LenientWhen enabled this removes JSON specification restrictions, allowing for a degree of leniency in malformed JSON data. When disabled the JSON will be treated strictly.enabled

s are used to transmit values within a URL. They are automatically added to the end of the URL the HTTP action is calling, with the format: ?param1Name=param1Value&param2Name=param2Value

  • The Parameter values are automatically encoded into a format suitable for passing via a URL
  • Refer to attributes mapped into the HTTP action using the syntax: ${ConnectorName.AttributeName} in the Expression
  • The parameter names must match those set on the API
    • See below example where an Actionflow HTTP action is calling a PhixFlow API Endpoint
Section


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 Action

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 Input Parameters

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Note

If a “timeout” parameter is required, this can be set on the HTTP action but is not needed as an Input Parameter on the API Endpoint. This is because it is a reserved value. See API Endpoint Properties and Setting up an API Endpoint.

Headers

Headers are typically used to specify information for the request, such as character sets, session tokens or passwords. Headers can make use of the reference Secret Key Details, see below, using the syntax ${_datasource.SecretKey}

For example,

  • Name: AuthValue Authorization
  • Expression: ${_datasource.MyKey}


Tip

When sending an authorisation header to a PhixFlow API Endpoint, the Name must be Authorization. See Setting up an API Endpoint.


Secret Key Details

Secret Keys allow sensitive data, such as passwords or security tokens, to be encrypted and stored in the PhixFlow Database.

Secret keys can be referenced by their name using the syntax: ${_datasource.keyName}.

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See Secret Key and Local Secret.

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Running HTTP Actions

Individual

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action nodes can be run in isolation from the rest of the Actionflow, using the
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option, found under the
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menu on the HTTP action's Properties. See Running Actions and Actionflows.

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Worked Example

You may notice that right-clicking the button does not display the option to add an Actionflow. The Actionflow must be created using an event handler. See 2.01 Connecting Actionflows to Events.

Open the  for the button and click on the 
  • In the Action Settings section, choose an Action Method of Actionflow
    • Create a new Actionflow

    HTTP Action Setup

    1. Select Click to Connect and

      button 

    2. Select Click to Connect and choose On Click

    3. Drag a 

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    nameExample

    Here is a worked example using the Shop the Retail Data (available from the Learning Centre) and JSON data from the UK government website (https://www.gov.uk/bank-holidays.json).

    In this example, we are using:  

    • A Shop Shipping screen containing a grid of Orders data, a grid of Order Lines data, an area containing a Date form field and buttons  - this screen was created using the Multi-Tile template
    • A Shop Shipping Popup screen containing a grid of the bank holiday data  - this screen was created using the Tile no Buttons template
    Tip

    If you are completing this chapter as part of the Actionflow course and using a training instance, the data and screens have already been pre-loaded into the Actionflow Intermediate Application. For these example, we'll be working on the Search button on the Shop Shipping screen, and the Shop Shipping Popup screen. 

    GIF/SCREENSHOT OF FINISHED RESULT 

     

    Identify Bank Holiday Dates

    In this example, we'll create an Actionflow that retrieves bank holiday dates in the UK from the government website in JSON format and map this onto a screen in a grid. 

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    Select shipment date date field (date picker), then press Ship Date which changes the status of the order and order lines to completed.
    Area underneath showing upcoming bank holidays

    Table Setup

    1. Create a new
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       on your
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       to save the bank holiday data to, and ensure it contains the following attributes:
      1. Name: UID
        1. Type: String
        2. Length: 50
        3. Expression: _NULL
      2. Name: Name
        1. Type: String
        2. Length: 200
        3. Expression: _NULL
      3. Name: Date
        1. Type: Date
          1. Leave the Expression field blank
      4. Name: Country
        1. Type: String
        2. Length: 50 
          1. Leave the Expression field blank
    Initial Configuration

    HTTP Action Setup

    1. On the Shop Shipping screen, add an Actionflow to the  button  ("GetDates")

      Add an Actionflow to the button that is triggered by the button click

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     action onto the canvas and give it a suitable name - this will be used to retrieve the bank holidays from the government JSON URL

  • Drag the 

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     connection point node onto the
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     action

  • Click on the 

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     action to open its Properties

    1. HTTP Method: GET
    2. URL: https://www.gov.uk/bank-holidays.jsonLog Traffic:  Insert excerpt_toggle_on_toggle_onnopaneltrue
    3. Maximum HTTP Log Length: 100000


  • Drag a 
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     action onto the canvas and give it a suitable name - this will be used to convert the JSON data into data suitable for our bank holiday table
  • Connect the out connector from the HTTP node to the JSON node
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      1. Map across all attributes

      1. Map across attribute, body

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    JSON Action Setup

    1. Click on the 
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       action to open its Properties
      1. Input Expression: in.body
      2. Path: $..events

      3. Output Attributes:

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        _result.^.^.division


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        titleName: Date, Type: Date
        toDate(_result.date, "yyyy-MM-dd")


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        titleName: ID, Type: String
        toString(_result.date, "yyyyMMdd") + substring(_result.^.^.division, 1,1)


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        titleName: Title, Type: String
        _result.title


    2. Hover over the JSON action and select out
    3. Create a
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       actionClick on the connector between the JSON action and the Save action
      1. Primary Table: Shop Bank Holidays

    Save Action and Open Screen Action Setup

      1. The Bank Holidays table you created earlier
      2. Map across the JSON attributes to their relevant attributes on the Save action


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    2. Hover over the Save action and choose out

    3. Create an 

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       action to open the Shop Shipping Popup screen

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    Screen Setup

    1. Open the Shop Shipping Popup screen
    2. Click on 
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       in the toolbar, then select the Bank Holidays table you created earlier
    3. In the Available Attributes selector, select all attributes and drag them onto the screen, then choose to display the data as a 
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    Testing

    1. Close all open screens and reopen the Shop Shipping screen
    2. Click the  button to run the Actionflow
    3. If the Actionflow is working, the Shop Shipping Popup screen should open containing all of the bank holiday data from the government website

    Background Filter and Default Sort Order

    Tidy up your Shop Shipping Popup screen by hiding the UID column on the grid, adding a Default Filter to show only bank holidays in the future, and Default Sort Order to show the most recent bank holidays first.


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    1. Right-click on the grid and choose,
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    2. In the Data Retrieval Options section of the Properties:
      1. For Background Filter, select the 
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         icon to create a new background filter
      3. For Default Sort Order, select the 
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         icon to create a new sort order


    1.02 Actionflow PrinciplesImage Added