Open URL Node

Owned by Sarah Gibson (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Mar 25, 2024 by Zoe Baldwin

This page is for application designers who need to configure functionality for components or events. It explains the properties for the open URL node, which is part of an actionflow.

Overview

Use a  Open URL node in an actionflow to open a URL in a new tab once the actionflow has completed. The node can also be used to send emails and call telephone numbers.

Examples

Opening a Web Page

To open a webpage the open URL node needs a valid URL to be mapped to the URL attribute. The format of the URL must be:

'https://www.url.com'

If you want the application user to provide the URL, use a calculate node ensure the URL has the correct format. For example, the following  expression uses a switch statement to prepend https://www.

//for URL's to open correctly they must start with https://www.

switch(
    [startsWith(in.URL, "https://"),
        in.URL
    ],
    [startsWith(in.URL, "www."),   
        "https://" + in.URL
    ],
    
    "https://www." + in.URL
    
)


The following video shows how an application user types a URL into a field, and the web page then opens.

The underlying actionflow includes an Open URL node, as follows:

Sending an Email

Use the open URL node to send an email. A valid email address must be mapped to the URL attribute in the format:

'mailto:' + in.EmailAddress

The function 'mailto:' causes the browser to open an appropriate email web client and sets the email address to the one provided.

Provide different URL expressions to populate the email:

  • subject
  • cc
  • bcc
  • body text

Subject

'mailto:' + in.EmailAddress + "?subject=" + in.Subject

//or

'mailto:' + in.EmailAddress + "?subject=Email Subject"

CC

'mailto:' + in.EmailAddress + "?cc=" + in.cc1 + "," + in.cc2

//or

'mailto:' + in.EmailAddress + "?cc=someoneelse@email.com, another@email.com"

BCC

'mailto:' + in.EmailAddress + "?bcc=" + in.cc1 + "," + in.cc2

//or

'mailto:' + in.EmailAddress + "?bcc=someoneelse@email.com, another@email.com"

Body Text

'mailto:' + in.EmailAddress + "?body=" + in.Body

//or

'mailto:' + in.EmailAddress + "?body=This is the body of the email."

Adding Body Text Lines

The body is by default one line, that will wordwrap according to the email client settings. In order to split the body over multiple lines or paragraphs, use: %0d%0a

For example, to generate t he following email body text:

This is the body of the email.

This is the second line of the body of the email.

specify:

// use %0d%0a to start a new line

'mailto:' + in.EmailAddress + "?body=This is the body of the email.%0d%0aThis is the second line of the body of the email."

Combining Fields

The following expression shows how to create all the different email fields using one expression:

"mailto: " + in.EmailAddress + "?cc=" + in.cc1 + "," + in.cc2 + "&bcc=" + in.bcc + "&subject=" + in.Subject + "&body=" + in.Body

Calling a Telephone Number

Use the Open URL node to make a VoIP call to a telephone number. Map a valid telephone number to the URL attribute as follows:

'callto:' + in.TelephoneNumber

The function 'callto:' causes the browser to open an appropriate VoIP client, such as Microsoft Teams. The VoIP client then calls the number provided. This is illustrated in the following video.

 Properties Tab

Property Pane Toolbar

For information about the toolbar options, see the Common Properties page, Toolbars and Controls section.

Parent Details

If this item is within or belongs to another, its parent name is shown here. See the Parent Details section on the Common Properties page for more details.

Basic Settings

FieldDescription
NameEnter the name for the action node.
Show in the Repository

An application can have many actionflows, and an individual actionflow can have many nodes. This can lead to many items being listed under Actionflow in the repository. Use this option to omit the node from the repository.

 to display this node in the repository.

 to omit this node from the repository.

Attributes

Each open URL node has the following attributes which can be mapped to.

AttributeTypeDescription
NameString

Optionally specify the browser window, <iframe> or tab into which to load the specified resource. If no name is provided, PhixFlow opens a new browser window.

This name must not contain whitespace.

FeaturesString

Optionally specify a comma-separated list of window features in the form:

  • name=value
  • for boolean features, just name. 

These features include options such as:

  • the window's default size and position
  • whether or not to open a minimal popup

For details about specifying window features, see the developer.mozilla.org page Window.open() .

URLStringSpecify the URL of the resource to be opened. This can also be the mailto: and callto: functions, as shown in the examples above.

Description

We recommend that you always enter a description to explain the purpose of this item.

 Audit Tab

Audit Summary

See the Common Properties page, Audit Summary section.


Sections on this page

Learn More

For links to all pages in this topic, see Understanding Actionflows. 


Terminology changes in progress

As part of the redesign of PhixFlow, we are changing the following terms:

dashboard → screen   
stream → table
stream attributes → attributes
stream item → record
stream set → recordset
stream view → view
stream item action → record-action 
stream action → table-action
driver class → database driver