API Connector call returns data when call is initialized, but when it's used seems to return empty data

kevin4 · 2020-12-25T20:57:37.603Z

This is going to be kind of a long one, so please bear with me.

I’ve defined an API call using the API Connector. When I initialize it, I see that data is returned. However, when I use it as a workflow action, it seems that no data is returned.

I am not seeing what I’m doing wrong.

The API Call definition is below:

image823×651 15.4 KB
The “Reinitialize call” returns data:

image814×708 18.9 KB
Notice in the above screen shot that the returned data uses the email address being verified as part of the field name / object key.
Here is the raw data which shows this as well:

image769×421 6.94 KB
To make the field names more generic, the raw data is then edited from:

image717×471 9.81 KB
To:

image713×462 9.76 KB
Resulting in field names like this:

image811×712 18 KB
And the ability to run the API call as an action (step 6 below), then save the values returned to various fields with a DB record (step 9):

image1284×803 41.3 KB
The problem is after that workflow runs, the DB records that are created do not contain data in the fields within the subobject emailAddressDetails:

image1530×245 12.4 KB

And I have no clue why. Based on my understanding, that DB fields should contain value data returned by the API call, but don’t.

I would greatly appreciate someone who knows that area better than I do helping me understand what I’m doing wrong.

rico.trevisan · 2020-12-25T22:51:09.541Z

Hol’up! You can edit keys in the response (step 5 + 6) and the API Connector will still work?!

Also, this API’s response has a key that changes?! I can imagine a key appearing or not but changing?! That must certainly break everything, no?

Jici · 2020-12-25T23:00:43.087Z

This will work if the api match them. You cannot edit the response just to make it look the way you want. You need to fit the possible schema of the API service.

kevin4 · 2020-12-26T01:01:16.886Z

Yes, you can edit the object returned by an API Call initialization, but it’s something you want to do sparingly, only when needed. The reason is if you ever have to reinitialize the API Call, you need to reedit it exactly the way you did the first time, or something in your application will break.

In my case, I provide a variable to the API Call which is an email address, then the returned object within the JSON response uses that email address as the object name, which I consider to be both wrong, and something I can not change.

eli · 2020-12-26T04:48:30.746Z

Changing the name of the key will result in empty data as Bubble is looking for the data inside a key that doesn’t exist in the response.

Having said that, the email being used as the key will cause the same issue as it will be different each time.

You could set the response on the API call as text and use the Toolbox plugin to parse it and extract the data you need but that’s a bit of a hassle for something that should be straightforward.

kevin4 · 2020-12-26T05:23:32.049Z

Shoot! That makes sense. Bummer!