HTTP Node

Overview

Use a  HTTP to make HTTPS requests to external APIs;

 Properties Tab

Basic Settings

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


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, 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.Get
URL Template

A template that computes the URL of the request.

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

https://www.gov.uk/bank-holidays.json
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, send on the 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  to log the response of the HTTP request, e.g. see an error returned, or see the output before specifying a path.

Maximum HTTP Log Length

Available if Log Traffic is toggled on .

Restricts the size of the log traffic.

1000
Use Raw URL

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

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

HTTP ConfigurationSee HTTP Configuration

Input Connection Points

Can Accept a single  Driving input connection point.

The grid contains a list of all input connection points and their type.

  • To add a new input connection point, in the section toolbar click  Add New to open a new input connection point and set its properties; see Input Connection Points.
  • To edit an existing input connection point, double-click it in the list to open its properties.
  • To remove an input connection point, select one and in the section toolbar click  Delete.

Output Connection Points

The grid contains a list of output connection points, by default this will be out and error.

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. 

Output Record

An HTTP Node has two output connection points out and error. An HTTP Node is triggered for each input record and will generate one output record which will be sent on either the out or error output. 

The resulting record contains the attributes specified by the output connection point, successful records are passed down the out connection point and records containing an error are passed down the error connection point. The stricture of the records by default is as follows:

  1. body: The content returned by a successful request. For example, JSON content.

  2. contentType: The type of response provided by the target HTTP request. For example, application/json; charset=utf-8.
  3. status: the returned status code. For example, 200.

  4. status message: the returns status message. For example, OK.


Additional attributes are available by default on all output connections in PhixFlow v11.1.1+

  • 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

Connect to a JSON Node or XML Node to the output connection to interpret the response into individual records.

Headers

Are typically used to specify information for the request such as character sets, session tokens or passwords. Headers can make use of the Secret Key Details see below. For more information see HTTP Header

For example,

  • Name: Content-Type
  • Value:  text/xml; charset=UTF-8

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 have a name which they can be referenced by using the syntax ${_datasource.keyName}. For full details on secret keys see Secret Key and Local Secret.

Description

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

Advanced

FieldDescription
Connection Timeout (s)The maximum time to wait to while attempting to create a connection, measured in seconds. The default for this is set to 300 seconds.
Response Packet Timeout (s)The maximum time to wait between responses from the data packets, measured in seconds. The default for this is set to 180 seconds.
Prioritise throughput over ordering

When this option is ticked records are processed in parallel to optimise performance. This means the order records are processed is nondeterministic.

When unticked (default), records are processed in the order they are provided.