This document provides examples of the Action Syntax used to define actions in Form Builder.
The Nobel Prize organization exposes a REST API. We would like to create a form that queries that API to return the 2023 Nobel Prize winners, and show these details in a table.
To do this, we start by creating a simple form with a nested repetition:
- a repeated section for the Nobel Prizes
- a nested repeated grid for the laureates
Here is how the form looks like in Form Builder:
We then also create an HTTP Service endpoint:
It points to the following API endpoint:
https://api.nobelprize.org/2.1/nobelPrizes?nobelPrizeYear=2023
This returns data in JSON format (with ...
to indicate omitted parts):
{
"nobelPrizes": [
{
"awardYear": "2023",
"category": {
"en": "Chemistry",
...
},
...,
"laureates": [
{
"id": "1029",
"knownName": {
"en": "Moungi Bawendi"
},
...,
"motivation": {
"en": "in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by the discovery of the laws of chemical dynamics and osmotic pressure in solutions",
...
}
},
...
],
...
}
],
"meta": ...,
"links": ...
}
Form Runner operates on an XML view of JSON data so that you can use XPath formulas. You can see it directly in the "XML Response Body" of the HTTP Service Editor. Here is what that view looks like:
<json type="object">
<nobelPrizes type="array">
<_ type="object">
<awardYear>2023</awardYear>
<category type="object">
<en>Chemistry</en>
...
</category>
...
<laureates type="array">
<_ type="object">
<id>1029</id>
<knownName type="object">
<en>Moungi Bawendi</en>
</knownName>
...
<motivation type="object">
<en>for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots</en>
...
</motivation>
...
</_>
...
</laureates>
</_>
</nobelPrizes>
...
<meta type="object">
...
</meta>
<links type="object">
...
</links>
</json>
Finally, we write, using the Form Builder's Action Syntax, an action that:
- runs upon form load
- calls the
get-nobel-prizes
service - clears the
prizes
repeat - iterates over the Nobel Prizes (
/*/nobelPrizes/_
), and for each entry- adds iterations to the
prizes
repeat - sets values in the controls
year
andcategory
from theawardYear
andcategory/en
fields in the data - clears the
laureates
repeat - iterates over the laureates (
laureates/_
), and for each entry- adds iterations to the
laureates
repeat - sets values in the controls
known-name
andmotivation
from theknownName
andmotivation/en
fields in the data
- adds iterations to the
- adds iterations to the
There is a nested iteration due to the nested repeats. here is what the complete listener and action look like:
<fr:listener version="2018.2" events="form-load-after-controls" actions="my-action"/>
<fr:action name="my-action" version="2018.2">
<fr:service-call service="get-nobel-prizes"/>
<fr:repeat-clear repeat="prizes"/>
<fr:data-iterate ref="/*/nobelPrizes/_">
<fr:repeat-add-iteration repeat="prizes" at="end"/>
<fr:control-setvalue value="awardYear" control="year" at="end"/>
<fr:control-setvalue value="category/en" control="category" at="end"/>
<fr:repeat-clear repeat="laureates"/>
<fr:data-iterate ref="laureates/_">
<fr:repeat-add-iteration repeat="laureates"/>
<fr:control-setvalue value="knownName" control="known-name" at="end"/>
<fr:control-setvalue value="motivation/en" control="motivation" at="end"/>
</fr:data-iterate>
</fr:data-iterate>
</fr:action>
When you test or run the deployed form, you see the Nobel Prize winners for 2023: