What is an API Endpoint?

API endpoints can be setup to enable external systems to make calls to PhixFlow. API endpoints can be seen in the Repository for your application under  API Endpoints and on the  Actionflow homepage with the  icon.

Creating an API Endpoint

API endpoints must be made using the specific option on the  Actionflow homepage to ensure a URL is generated and a set of predefined input parameters are configured on the incoming connection point.

 

1. Create a new  API Endpoint on the  Actionflow homepage using the  option
   1.   
2. Set a unique name and provide a useful description
   1. If you have made your API Endpoint via the  Repository, right-click on the API Endpoint name and choose Display
3. The API Endpoint  Properties will open on the right - for the full Properties list, see API Endpoint Properties
4. Configure the API to perform the required tasks, for example return all company data , or pass in a date and return all companies onboarded after this date
   1. See Worked Example below for an example setup

Input Parameters

 API Endpoints have fixed parameters set on the input node (body, headers, contentType and url), and the output node (body, headers, contentType and statusCode) which can be mapped to.

On the Input Connection Point, additional Input Parameters can be created to facilitate query string parameters being passed into the API via the URL.

1. Click on the  input node
2. The  Properties will open on the right and in the Input Parameters section, click the  icon to create a new attribute
3. Enter a Name and Default Value (optional)

The Name set on the  input must match the parameter name in the URL, e.g. if an Input Parameter, "field" is created, and the request URL is https://server/phixflow/api/1/action/App/Api/trigger?field=abc then the value "abc" will be used as a parameter. When calling APIs using query string parameters in the URL, care should be taken to ensure that the values are appropriately URL encoded to prevent unexpected behaviour. See HTTP Action Configuration.

If a parameter is missing then it will be marked as unavailable, unless a Default Value has been configured. 

URL & URL Alias

URL and URL Alias can be found on the API Endpoint  Properties.

• Copy the URL and save it locally, to be used later when calling the API

   Url Structure

  The default structure of the URL (i.e. with no URL Alias set) is as follows:

  https://<<Server Name>>/phixflow/api/1/action/<<Application Name>>/<<Actionflow Name>>/trigger

  Parameter	Description
  <<Server Name>>	URL of the server e.g. app.phixflow.com
  phixflow	the name of the instance, typically this is phixflow
  <<Application Name>>	The name of the application where the Actionflow resides.
  <<API Name>>	The name of the API. Note: If the API Name contains a space, this is replaced with %20. For example "My API" becomes, "My%20API".

• Use URL Alias to modify the URL for the API
  • When set, instead of the URL being constructed using the API Endpoint name and application name, it will use the alias instead
  • Any special characters will be translated, such as, spaces to their URL encoded form (%20)

URL Alias Example

If the API URL is, https://server.phixflow.com/phixflow/api/1/action/My%20App/My%20API%20Endpoint/trigger and a URL Alias of Company Data is set, then the API URL will change to, https://server.phixflow.com/phixflow/api/2/Company%20Data

API Mode

API Mode can be found on the API Endpoint  Properties.

Choose an API Mode:

• Wait for result (Synchronous) (Default): The API waits for the results or the timeout to occur
  • Note: If the timeout occurs the command is aborted
• Poll for result (Asynchronous): The API is called and a response is returned immediately including the process ID
  • Subsequent API calls can be made using the process ID to fetch the status of the action
  • The asynchronous mode can be thought of as “fire and forget”

Authorisation

Allow Anonymous Connections can be found on the API Endpoint  Properties.

If Allow Anonymous Connections is enabled:

This allows anyone with the URL for the API to call it. The audit trail records the system as running performing the API call.

Note: Adding authorisation is covered on API Authentication and Secret Keys.

Timeout

Timeout can be found on the API Endpoint  Properties.

Set a Timeout (optional):

• Specify a maximum time in milliseconds that the API will wait for before the command is aborted

• When a Timeout value is set, it overrides the default timeout, which is 60 seconds where API Mode is Synchronous and 500 milliseconds where API Mode is Asynchronous

  • However, if a timeout parameter has been provided in the URL calling this API, that will override both this Timeout value and the default value

API Status Check (Poll for Result)

• If calling a PhixFlow Asynchronous API only, a result will be immediately returned which includes a Process ID for that run
• The Process ID is returned on the path:
  • $.processId
  • This can be accessed in an Output attribute using, _result.value
• The Process ID can be used to call the following URL which will return the current state of the run:
  • https://<<Server Name>>/phixflow/api/1/action/<<Application Name>>/<<Actionflow Name>>/poll/<<processID>>

Calling a PhixFlow API

HTTP Method

This is set on the  HTTP action on the Actionflow calling the API.

• To call a PhixFlow API use the HTTP Method GET or POST:
  • GET simply calls the API with data passed in the body of the request
  • POST calls the URL and sends data in the body of the request. The body data is passed into the body attribute of the API as an Input Connection point

See HTTP Action Configuration.

Returned Data JSON Path

If your API has been configured to return data the path will be in the format:

$.data.<<Output Name>> 

Where <<Output Name>> is the Output connection point.

Server Console Responses

The item calling the API endpoint will receive the Response from the API endpoint stating whether it has run successfully (Success) or not (Fail). Responses can be customised to return specific messages.

The response recorded in the  System Console:

If you are making the call using PhixFlow the Responses can be access as follows:

1. Click the Actionflow entry
   1. 
2. In the Messages section which is opened below, double-click the lines that begin Response
   1. 
3. Click the Message Details tab to see the response

API Endpoint Results

To see the results of the API Endpoint processing in the  System Console:

1. Click the Actionflow entry for the API Endpoint
2. In the Messages section which is opened below, double-click any of the Messages to see more details
3. If you are using a debug() statement these will appear here

Failures

An API Endpoint will fail if the logic in the Actionflow fails or if the error() function is used to force a failure.

If records are passed to the API Endpoint individually a failure will only impact the specific record being processed.

Error Codes

200

• Occurs if the output of an API Endpoint is not connected

• Occurs if the output is connected and a record is returned 

400

• Occurs if the output is connected but no record is returned 

Worked Example

Here's a worked example using the Company Data (available from the Learning Centre).

In this example, we are using:  

• A Company Call API screen containing a fixed drop down list of industries, a string fields for the API Status and a multi-line string field for the Results - this screen was created using the Tile with Buttons template

Example 1: Passing Out Data

In this example, we'll configure an API Endpoint that passes out Company ID, Company Name and Industry data from our Companies data.

Create API Endpoint

In this example, we'll set up an API Endpoint to pass out company data.

1. Create a new  API Endpoint on the  Actionflow homepage using the  option
   
   1. Name: API Company Data
   2. Click Create
2. The API Endpoint canvas will display, with the  Properties open on the right
   1. In the Basic Settings section, enable Allow Anonymous Connections
   2. Copy the URL and save it locally, to be used later
   3.  Apply your changes

Construct JSON

1. Create a  Calculate action
   1. Name: GetDataAndConstructJSON
2. Connect the input to the Calculate action

3. From the  Calculate action, create a lookup to the Companies data
   

    How?

   1. Hover over the Calculate action and select Add lookup
      1. Name: getCo
   2. On the Create View window:
      1. Name: CompanyData
      2. Table: Companies
      3. Output Attributes Selection: drag CompanyID, CompanyName and Industry into the Output Attributes section of the View Action properties
      4. Return (Outgoing) Mappings: map across CompanyID, CompanyName and Industry

   
   

4. On the Calculate action, create an attribute where the JSON will be constructed
   1. Name: JSON
   2. Type: Structured Data

   3. Expression: 

      1. toJson(getCo)

   4.  Apply and Close

Configure the Output

1. Drag the  output connection node onto the Calculate node

2. Map the JSON attribute from the Calculate action to the body attribute 

Example 2: Passing in Parameters

In this example, we'll retrieve data from our Companies API and pass in an industry parameter (e.g. "Telecoms") to filter the results to just companies in that industry.

API End Point Setup

1. On the API End Point, create a  JSON action to receive the parameter
   1. Name: GetIndustry
      1. Input Expression: in.body
      2. Path: $
      3. Create an Output Attribute on the JSON action
         1. Name: IndustryReceived
         2. Type: String
         3. Expression: _result.Industry
   2. Insert the   JSON action between the  input and  Calculate nodes
   3. On the Mappings between the  input and  JSON nodes, map across body, contentType, headers and url
   4. On the lookup connector, getCo, map the IndustryReceived attribute as an Incoming Mapping
   5. On the   View action, add a filter:
      1. Name: ByIndustry
      2. Filter Details:  

Call API Actionflow Setup

1. On the screen, Company Call API, add an Actionflow to the Call API button
   1. If you have completed 2.13 HTTP Action Configuration and 2.14 JSON Action Configuration you will recognise the similar Actionflow setup
   2. On the input connection point, map in the Industry drop down field
   3. Create a  HTTP action:
      1. Name: Call API
   4. Connect the input to the HTTP action and map across the attribute, Industry
      1. HTTP Method: POST
      2. URL: the URL from the API End Point you copied earlier

      3. Body: 

         [{
             "Industry": "${in.Industry}"
         }]

      4. Log Traffic: 
         
         

          Checkpoint

         

   5. Create a  JSON action 

      1. Name: ReturnedCompanies

      2. Input Expression: in.body

      3. Path: $.getCo

      4. Create 2 Output Attributes on the JSON action

         1. Name: CoName
            1. Type: String 
            2. Expression: _result.1.CompanyName
         2. Name: CompanyID
            1. Type: Integer 
            2. Expression: _result.1.CompanyID
   6. Hover over the HTTP action and choose out, then connect it to the JSON action
   7. On the Mappings between the HTTP action and JSON action, map the attributes:
      1. body
      2. status
   8. Create an  output connection point back to the screen
   9. Connect the JSON action to the output, and configure the following mappings:
      1.  
   10. Then map the following attributes back to the screen on the output connection point:
       1. 

Testing

1. On the screen, Company Call API, click the Call API button to see the results of the Actionflow

System Console Response

On the HTTP action, Call API, the option to Log Traffic was enabled allowing the API response to be seen in the  System Console.

1. The results of the API call can also be seen in the  System Console via the  Administration option
   1. Navigate to the Completed Tasks tab
   2. Find the Actionflow calling the API and click on it
   3. In the Messages tab in the bottom half of the screen, double-click the message, Response from URL
   4. Click on the Message Detail tab in the Log Message window to see the API output