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JSON API Endpoints

This section lists the different API endpoints you can use to access or update Protogrid data. The respective http method is defined as [METHOD] following the endpoint in this documentation.

Response

Every request to such an API endpoint returns a JSON object. The returned JSON object always contains an error and a result object. If the request was successful, the result object contains the requested or updated data. When the request fails, the errors object contains the error messages which occurred when trying to execute the request.

Example successful response

{
  "errors": [], 
  "protogrid_environment_version": "1.3.9",
  "result":{
    "key": {},
    "key": [],
    "key": "data"
  }
}

Example failure response

{
  "errors": [
    {},
    {}
  ], 
  "protogrid_environment_version": "1.3.9",
  "result": {}
}

Field Types

In Protogrid there exist different types of fields such as numbers, text or dates.

Number Field

Text Field

Date Time Field

Protogrid always uses ISO 8601 standard in UTC timezone for storing date time values.

Relation Field

Role Field

Rich Text Field

Endpoints

The Protogrid JSON API offers the following API endpoints:

/api/v2/apps

[GET] Returns a list of all Applications to which the authenticated user has access to.

Example request:

https://example.protogrid.com/api/v2/apps

Example response:

{
  "errors": [], 
  "protogrid_environment_version": "1.3.9",
  "result":[
    {
      "app_id": "app_example_id", 
      "description": "Example App", 
      "logo_url": "", 
      "theme_color": "blue-dark", 
      "title": "Example App ", 
      "url": "/example", 
      "url_name": "example"
    },
    {
      "app_id": "appID",
      "description": "Your awesome app",},]
}

/api/v2/apps/<app_name>

[GET] Returns basic information about one Application.

Example request:

https://example.protogrid.com/api/v2/apps/example

Example response:

{ 
  "errors": [],
  "protogrid_environment_version": "1.3.9",
  "result": { 
    "app_id": "appID",
    "description": "Example App",
    "logo_url": "",
    "theme_color": "blue-dark",
    "title": "Example App ", 
    "url": "/example",
    "url_name": "example"
  }
}

/api/v2/apps/<app_name>/views

[GET] Returns a list of all view names in this Application. Details on what views are supported, see all available views.

Example request:

https://example.protogrid.com/api/v2/apps/example/views

Example response:

{
  "errors": [],
  "protogrid_environment_version": "1.3.9",
  "result": {
    "views": [
      {"view_name": "examples_by_id"},
      {}
    ]
  }
}

/api/v2/apps/<app_name>/views/<view_name>

Most of the API endpoints except you to specify App or Card IDs. At the time at which this data is requested, these ids therefore already need to be known. It is therefore necessary to have convenient ways of asking Protogrid about what ids are available based on different search criteria. Database views can be used to acquire collections of data based on sorting and filtering URL parameters.

[GET] Returns all the entries in the specified view. Please note that URL parameters must be URI encoded. URL Parameter:

  • start_key: [“proto_key”, “column_key”, “filter_value”, null], where column_key and filter_value are optional.
  • end_key: [“proto_key”, “column_key”, “filter_value”, {}], where column_key and filter_value are optional
  • keys: [“key1”, “key2”, “key3”, …], only returns the entries for the specified keys
  • page_number: Number of the desired page starting at 0 for the first page. Page length is determined by the 'limit' parameter (counted before filtering for read access rights).
  • limit: Accepts a number, which defines how many Cards are returned at most with the result object. Fewer Cards can be returned if not all Cards are visible due to read acces restrictions.
    • Example: limit=15
    • Default value: 10
  • descending: If set to true the results will be in descending order.
    • Example: descending=true
    • Default value: False
  • include_cards: If set to true the result contains the cards for the keys as well.
    • Example: include_cards=true
    • Default value: False
    • Please note that the “include_cards” parameter has a high cost in terms of performance. We therefore recommend using this functionality very economically, i.e. on as few view rows as possible.

Note: you may only use either keys or start_key and end_key.

Details: For more details about the URL parameters see the CouchDB documentation.

Full list of views can be found here.

Example request:

https://example.protogrid.com/api/v2/apps/example/views/example_view?start_key=["example_proto_key",null]&end_key=["example_proto_key",{}]&page_number=1&limit=2&descending=false

The URL parameters need to be URI encoded. So from the example above the start_key parameter would look like

start_key= %5B%22example_proto_key%22%2Cnull%5D

Example response:

{
  "errors": [],
  "protogrid_environment_version": "1.3.9",
  "result": {
    "next_card_key": "key",
    "rows": [
      {"key": "example_document_key"},
      {}
    ]
  }
}

/api/v2/apps/<app_name>/cards

[POST] Creates a new Card. It is necessary to specify a 'proto_key' denoting the Proto on which the new Card will be based. Initial values for the 'design_elements' can be sent along. Mandatory design elements must always be set. If a Card ID of an existing card is specified in the property '_id', Protogrid updates this Card with the provided data. If an array of Card objects is supplied in the POST request body, all of them will be created/updated as a bulk operation. Note that in bulk operation either all or none of the passed Cards will be saved. For example, out of 100 Cards, none will be saved if a single Card has caused validation errors. As response this endpoint returns a list of all created/updated Cards.

Example request:

https://example.protogrid.com/api/v2/apps/example/cards

In the POST request body, a JSON object needs to be sent as shown in the following example:

{ 
  "proto_key": "some_proto_key",
  "design_elements": [
    {
      "definition_key": "example_design_element_key",
      "value": "example_value"
    },]
}

Example response:

{
  "errors": [],
  "messages": [],
  "protogrid_environment_version": "2.1.5",
  "result": {
    "_id": "some_card_id",
    "_rev": "some_rev_id",
    "denormalized": {},
    "design_elements": {},}
}

Deprecated functionalities:

  • Specification of a user-defined Card ID for a new Card: In previous versions, it was possible to freely specify the Card ID for a new Card in the '_id' property. This functionality is deprecated and cannot be used in future releases. In particular, instead of relying on this feature to insert foreign IDs into Protogrid, we suggest using an additional auxiliary field containing the foreign ID.

/api/v2/apps/<app_name>/cards/<card_key>

[GET] Returns a specific Card identified by 'card_key'.

[DELETE] Logically deletes a specific Card identified by 'card_key'. Please note that the deleted Card will be still available, either through the API or the UI using the trash. The return value contains the newly deleted Card.

[POST] Updates an existing Card identified by 'card_key'. If the '_id' property is set in the JSON, it needs to match the 'card_key'. In addition, the 'proto_key' must match that of the existing Card.

Example request:

https://example.protogrid.com/api/v2/apps/example/cards/some_card_id

In the POST request body, a JSON object needs to be sent as shown in the following example:

{
  "_id": "some_card_id",
  "proto_key": "some_proto_key",
  "design_elements": [
    {
      "definition_key": "example_design_element_key",
      "value": "example_value"
    },]
}

Example response:

{
  "errors": [],
  "messages": [],
  "protogrid_environment_version": "2.1.5",
  "result": {
    "_id": "some_card_id",
    "_rev": "some_rev_id",
    "denormalized": {},
    "design_elements": {},}
}

/api/v2/apps/<app_name>/cards/<card_key>/attachments/<file_name>

[GET] Returns the attachment identified by 'file_name' of a Card identified by 'card_key'.

[PUT] Uploads the Form Data attachment with name 'attachment-upload' to the specified Card. If this Card already has an attachment with the specified file name, the existing attachment is replaced by the uploaded one.

Example GET request:

https://example.protogrid.com/api/v2/apps/example_app/cards/89e74e40-b0ef-4bc3-8e89-a43a43763087/attachments/Bildschirmfoto%202021-01-22%20um%2014.11.15.png

Example code for PUT request:

var HOST = "https://example.protogrid.com/";
var APP_NAME = "example_app";
var CARD_KEY = "89e74e40-b0ef-4bc3-8e89-a43a43763087";
 
function uploadFile(file, progressCallback, successCallback) {
    function createFormData(file) {
        var data = new FormData();
        data.append("Content-Type", file.type);
        data.append("attachment-upload", file);
        return data;
    }
 
    var attachment_base_url = HOST + "api/v2/apps/" + APP_NAME + "/cards/" + CARD_KEY + "/attachments/";
    var initial_file_name = file.name;
    var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
    xhr.open("PUT", attachment_base_url + initial_file_name, true);
    xhr.upload.addEventListener("progress", function(progress_event) {
        var progress = progress_event.loaded / progress_event.total * 66;		// We want the progress bar to show "loading" until the server response is back.
        progressCallback(progress);
    });
    xhr.addEventListener("load", function() {
        if (xhr.status == 200) {
            var saved_filename = initial_file_name;
            if (xhr.response && typeof(xhr.response) === 'string' && xhr.response !== '') {
                var response = JSON.parse(xhr.response);
                if (response && typeof(response) === 'object' && response.result && typeof(response.result) === 'object' && response.result.file_name && typeof(response.result.file_name) === 'string' && response.result.file_name !== '') {
                    saved_filename = response.result.file_name;
                }
            }
            progressCallback(100);
            successCallback({
                url: attachment_base_url + saved_filename
            });
        }
    });
    xhr.send(createFormData(file));
}

The corresponding Form Data:

------WebKitFormBoundarya04hDppsnTo2uPOR
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="Content-Type"

image/png
------WebKitFormBoundarya04hDppsnTo2uPOR
Content-Disposition: form-data; name="attachment-upload"; filename="Bildschirmfoto 2021-01-22 um 14.11.15.png"
Content-Type: image/png


------WebKitFormBoundarya04hDppsnTo2uPOR--

Example response after successful attachment upload:

{
  "errors": [], 
  "result": {
    "file_name": "Bildschirmfoto_2021-01-22_um_14.11.15.png"
  }
}

/api/v2/apps/<app_name>/protos

[GET] Returns a list of all protos of the specified application.

The following URL parameter can be used for paging:

  • limit: Defines how many proto keys are returned. Takes a number between 1 and 1000, default is 10.

The returned result contains a key “next_card_key” whose value is the next key not returned in this answer.

Example request:

https://example.protogrid.com/api/v2/apps/example/protos?limit=1

Example result:

{
  "errors": [],
  "protogrid_environment_version": "1.3.9",
  "result": {
    "next_card_key": "NextProtoKey"
    "protos": [
      {"key": "ExampleProtoKey"}
    ]
  }
}

/api/v2/apps/<app_name>/protos/<proto_key>

[GET] Returns detailed information about the specified Proto.

Example request:

https://example.protogrid.com/api/v2/apps/example/protos/example_proto_key

Example result:

{
  "errors": [],
  "protogrid_environment_version": "1.3.9",
  "result": {
    "key": "example_proto_key",
    "shortname": "Example Proto",
    "field_and_widget_keys": [
      {
        "allow_new_cards": true,
        "cardinality_setting": 2,
        "couchdb_viewname": "",
        "disable_label": false,
        "display_priority": 7,
        "element_type": "Relation",
        "grid_size_setting": 0,
        "help_text": "",
        "hidden": false,
        "label_multilanguage_key": "&&mlkey_design_elements",
        "multiple_values_setting": 1,
        "name": "card_design_elements",
        "parent_application_setting": "",
        "parent_entity_proto_setting": "DesignElementDefinition",
        "requirement_setting": 0,
        "show_card_type": true,
        "show_created_setting": false,
        "show_creator_setting": false,
        "show_modified_setting": false,
        "show_modifier_setting": false,
        "show_short_name_setting": false,
        "show_to_users": 0,
        "user_enabled_setting": 0,
        "value": [
          "design_element_key_1 ",
          "design_element_key_2",],
        "value_type": "key"
      },
      {},]
  }
}

/api/v2/apps/<app_name>/protos/<proto_key>/card-keys

[GET] Returns the keys for all Cards based on the specified proto.

The following URL parameter can be used for paging:

  • limit: Defines how many card keys are returned. Takes a number between 1 and 1000, default is 10.

The returned result contains a key “next_card_key” whose value is the next key not returned in this answer.

Example request:

https://example.protogrid.com/api/v2/apps/example/protos/example_proto/card-keys?limit=1

Example result:

{
  "errors": [],
  "protogrid_environment_version": "1.3.9",
  "result": [
    "card_keys":[
      "ExampleCardKey"
    ],
    "next_card_key": "NextCardKey"
  ]
}

/api/v2/apps/<app_name>/mailsend

[POST] Send an email using the provided data

The following JSON data fields or URL parameters can be used:

  • to: TO address (multiple addresses separated by comma)
  • cc: CC address (multiple addresses separated by comma)
  • bcc: BCC address (multiple addresses separated by comma)
  • replyto: ReplyTo address
  • subject: Subject in plain text
  • body: Body text in plain text format (URL encoded)
  • bodyhtml: Body text in HTML format (URL encoded). If both body and bodyhtml are specififed, only bodyhtml will be used

Combinations of JSON data fields and URL parameters are allowed, whereas JSON data fields take precendence over URL parameters

The mail will be sent according to the currently logged in user (mail address specified in user profile, and the fields “SMTP Server Hostname”, “SMTP Server Port” and “SMTP Server Password”). If Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is used for the particular mail domain, the Protogrid server must be added to the SPF record of this domain. For this purpose, please contact Protogrid Support.

The function will fist try to establish a TLS session to the specified mail server and authenticate using the supplied credentials. If TLS is not available it will try to connect using SSL. Finally if SSL is not available the function tries to connect using unsecured SMTP protocol.

The returned result will include a success message or details about the particular error.

Example client-side jQuery request using URL parameters:

$.post({
    url: "https://example.protogrid.com/api/v2/apps/example/mailsend?to=user1@example.com&cc=user2@example.com&bcc=user3@example.com&replyto=user4@example.com&subject=example&bodyhtml=%3Chtml%3E%0A%3Cbody%3E%0A%0A%3Ch1%3EMy%20First%20Heading%3C%2Fh1%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMy%20first%20paragraph.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%0A%3C%2Fbody%3E%0A%3C%2Fhtml%3E"
}).done(function (response) {
    alert("Data: " + JSON.stringify(response));
});

Example client-side jQuery request using JSON data fields:

$.post({
    url: "https://example.protogrid.com/api/v2/apps/example/mailsend",
    data: JSON.stringify({
		"to": "user1@example.com",
		"cc": "user2@example.com",
		"bcc": "user3@example.com",
		"replyto": "user4@example.com",
		"subject": "Test",
		"body": "This%20is%20a%20testmessage",
		}),
    contentType: 'application/json; charset=utf-8'
}).done(function (response) {
    alert("Data: " + JSON.stringify(response));
});

Example result:

{
   "errors" : [],
   "protogrid_environment_version" : "2.1.3",
   "result": {"success": true}
}
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