URGENT: Custom Content-Type for "Return Data from API"

Idea
1

It is currently only possible to return data as either structured JSON or as a Plain text (Content-Type: Text). This is a debilitating limitation that makes it impossible to interact with API’s that require other content-types for responses, such as XML.

Bubble is already giving us the ability to send an unstructured response body (when you select plain-text), so its a tiny thing to add a Content-Type field above the plain text box (that defaults to “text”) that can be changed to a different content-type. This would solve so many problems and greatly increase the flexibility of the return data from API action.

This has been requested numerous times on the forum already and has been ignored up to this point:

BUBBLE, PLEASE ADD THIS!!

6 Likes
2

Thanks for bringing this up again. I have been a member since 2017 and created a bubble plugin for Asana that has over 1,000 users and growing. Unfortunately I don’t maintain that plugin as I lost interest in bubble specifically because of this feature not being available. I have requested this feature through the forum and email more than 4 times, but seems this will never be planned.

I have even upgraded bubble in 2018 I think, thinking it might be on those plans only but was informed later it’s not available. Since that day I have never used bubble again as my apps are all based on webhooks that need this feature.
(Only updated the Asana plugin upon request from @allenyang @emmanuel during the Covid days cuz they wanted to publish the plugin in the blog etc, but don’t know it’s status at present)

So good luck convincing such a small and simple feature request that seems will never happen.

1 Like
3

@josh anyway we can push this through? So incredibly simple but a real issue.

1 Like
4

I surely hope so. Last communication I received from support was:

“It looks like you posted on the forum regarding Asana webhooks which is the right approach and are still working through a few suggestions with other users. Let’s continue the conversation there and we can step in if required”

Maybe cuz there wasn’t much response from other members so they haven’t taken it seriously. However now I see others like @trygumball @aj11 @anthony.schanen looking for the same feature.

So we need to collectively request it in one topic. But what’s the recommended workflow? Should it be in bugs, idea, help ?

1 Like
5

Let’s just keep it here for now. Some others that might have a vested interest in seeing this pushed through: @keith @Jici @boston85719

1 Like
6

What’s frustrating is how small of a feature this really is. The functionality of the existing action is not changing, we just need to have a field, that when filled, overrides the default “text” content-type when plain-text is selected.

1 Like
7

Eu estou com o mesmo problema. O Twilio espera uma resposta XML, mas o bubble envia somente em JSON

image
image1650×668 55.9 KB

1 Like
9

Did this ever get resolved by bubble? @josh , if not, is this something we can expect any time soon? I am also trying to do exactly what @contato11 is doing with the same error message.

If this isn’t something that bubble will implement, I’ll have to create a django jump server just to change the header which is a bunch of extra work and will increase lag time.
Thanks
Paul

1 Like
10

It’s a simple thing to add that would solve tons of problems. I worry there’s just not enough of us running into those problems for this to get attention.

11

I emailed bubble support and they responded saying they’ve had a bunch of requests and “hopefully this is something they will implement soon”

1 Like
12

@josh @emmanuel Any updates on this functionality? Hit another wall with another API due to this tonight so brought it to my attention again.

13

I think this is something that will require a custom plugin. Unfortunately my javascript skills aren’t good enough

14

I don’t think this is even possible with a custom plugin. Bubble can only return objects that is in JSON and it’s very limited in that regards too

In the past we used a Cloudflare worker to intercept and reformat or convert the data to the desired content-type or format

Bubble should add this and support for more complex JSON schemes

2 Likes
15

@paul29 You are correct Ali, this is tied into Bubble’s API system and can’t be handled by a custom plugin.

2 Likes
16

You can POST from a custom plugin. Why not? You don’t need to use bubbles api connector either. All done in js and you could accomplish this task, no?

1 Like
17

You can post maybe? But you can’t return data from a backhand workflow using a plugin

2 Likes
18

You would have to completely rebuild the entire API Connector functionality inside the custom app. For my part, I have 100s of hour into building integrations between my app and 10+ other APIs all through the API connector. Building and then switching over to a completely custom version of the API connector does not make any sense.

All we need is to be able to change the Content-Type value from application/json to the value of our choice. It does not make sense to reinvent the whole wheel when this is such a laughably simple add to the existing plugin.

Also, as @AliFarahat has pointed out, I don’t think you can return data with custom content-type data even via customer plugin. So might not even be possible.

1 Like
19

Ahh. Must’ve missed this part. Hell no you can’t. Real pain in the ass. I’ve turned to google cloud functions when I need to return custom data types. Another real pain in the ass.

1 Like
20

Yeah, I’ve looked at Introgremat for it, but I just can’t wrap my head around paying for a whole other service just so I can relay returned content with a different content type.

Like seriously, they already allow you to switch the content type to “Plain/Text” with the “Send plain text” checkbox, all we’re asking is to allow us to type in our own value instead (or just give us more options at least).

3 Likes
21

Yeah I don’t understand how this is not there in 2022…

1 Like