HTTP Node
- Anthony George
- Zoe Baldwin
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}
.
Field | Description | Example Value |
---|---|---|
Name | Name given to the HTTP Node. This will be displayed on the Actionflow canvas. | BankHolidays |
HTTP Method | The 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 | 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 ${} syntax, for example | //JSON Example [{ "Industry" : "${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 Configuration | See 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 Point | Description |
---|---|
Out | Contains the resulting record of the request. |
Error | Contains 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:
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: 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 return200
- transmissionError: Returns true if the request failed, e.g. timed out
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
Field | Description |
---|---|
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. |
Learn More
- Understanding Actionflows
- Creating Actionflows
- Wiring Actionflows
- Authenticating for an API
- Secret Key and Local Secret
For links to all pages in this topic, see Understanding Actionflows.