Version: Next

ApiConnectActivity

Category: Common Steps Namespace: CMS.Plugin.FlowManagement.Domain.FlowBusiness.Activitys Base Class: BusinessActivity Module: FlowManagement.Domain

Overview

ApiConnectActivity (Request API) is a node used to directly send HTTP requests in a flow. Unlike ApiCallActivity, it does not rely on pre-configured APIs in System Interconnection, but instead directly configures all details of the HTTP request, including URL, request method, headers, Query parameters, Body parameters, etc. This makes it more flexible and suitable for quick integration of external interfaces or testing API connections.

ApiConnectActivity supports GET, POST, PUT, DELETE methods, supports dynamic parameter retrieval from flow context, and can parse JSON response data to extract specified fields into the flow context.

Business Scenarios

Applicable Scenarios

Quick Integration: Directly call external APIs in the flow without configuring in System Interconnection
API Testing: Test connectivity and response of external APIs
Dynamic URL: Dynamically build request URLs based on flow data
RESTful API: Call standard RESTful API interfaces
Temporary Integration: Temporary API calls that do not require long-term maintenance

Role in the System

ApiConnectActivity acts as a flexible HTTP client in the LMES flow system:

Sends HTTP requests directly to external systems
Supports multiple HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)
Dynamically builds request parameters
Parses JSON response data
Handles request exceptions

Collaboration with Other Nodes

BusinessActivity: Prepare parameters before API request and process response after request
ApiCallActivity: Similar function, but ApiCallActivity uses pre-configured APIs
Other Nodes: Can chain multiple API requests to implement complex integration scenarios

Configuration Instructions

Basic Configuration

Property Name	Type	Required	Default Value	Description
HttpMethod	FlowHttpMethod	Yes	-	Request Method (GET/POST/PUT/DELETE)
Url	string	Yes	"http://"	Request URL
RequestTimeOut	int	Yes	30	Request Timeout (seconds)
Query	HttpParameterModels	No	Empty Collection	Query Parameters
Body	HttpParameterModels	No	Empty Collection	Body Parameters
BodyContext	string	No	-	Body Flow Context Key
Headers	HttpParameterModels	No	Empty Collection	Header Parameters
Response	HttpParameterModels	No	Empty Collection	Response Parameter Configuration
ExceptionContext	string	No	-	Request Exception Flow Context Key

Configuration Details

HttpMethod

Description: HTTP request method, determines which HTTP verb to use.

Value Range:

HttpGet: GET request, used for querying data
HttpPost: POST request, used for creating data
HttpPut: PUT request, used for updating data
HttpDelete: DELETE request, used for deleting data

Notes:

GET and DELETE requests do not support Body parameters
Body of POST and PUT requests will be sent in JSON format

Url

Description: Target URL address. Supports placeholders {ParameterName} in the URL, which will be automatically replaced by Query parameter values.

Value Range: Valid HTTP/HTTPS URL

Notes:

Can be dynamically obtained from flow context: Flow.DataItems["NodeName_Url"] (NodeName is the value of the Name property)
Supports URL templates: http://api.example.com/users/{userId}
Query parameters will be automatically appended to the URL

RequestTimeOut

Description: Request timeout in seconds. Throws timeout exception if no response received within this time.

Value Range: Integer greater than 0

Notes:

Default 30 seconds, adjust based on actual API response time
Timeout throws an exception which needs to be handled in the flow

Query

Description: Query parameter collection, appended to the URL as a query string.

Parameter Model:

ParameterName: Parameter name
ParameterValue: Parameter value (supports flow context retrieval)
Description: Parameter description

Notes:

If parameter name exists as a placeholder in URL, it replaces the placeholder instead of appending
Parameter values are automatically URL encoded

Body

Description: Body parameter collection, sent as JSON request body (POST and PUT only).

Parameter Model:

ParameterName: Parameter name
ParameterValue: Parameter value (supports flow context retrieval)
Description: Parameter description

Notes:

Only valid for POST and PUT requests
Parameters are serialized as JSON object
Content-Type automatically set to application/json

BodyContext

Description: Body flow context identifier. If set, priority is given to getting data from flow context as request body instead of using Body parameter configuration.

Value Range: Key name in flow context

Notes:

Higher priority than Body parameter configuration
If value is string, used directly as request body
If value is object, serialized to JSON

Headers

Description: Request header parameter collection.

Parameter Model:

ParameterName: Header name (e.g., Content-Type, Accept)
ParameterValue: Header value
Description: Parameter description

Notes:

Common headers: Content-Type, Accept, User-Agent, etc.
Authorization can be set via flow context {NodeName}_Authorization

Response

Description: Response parameter configuration, defines how to extract data from API response.

Parameter Model:

ParameterName: Field path in response data (supports dot notation)
WriteParameterName: Key name to write to flow context
Description: Parameter description
DataType: Data type

Notes:

Only supports JSON format response
Supports nested field extraction (e.g., "data.user.name")
If response is array, automatically takes first element

ExceptionContext

Description: Request exception flow context identifier. Exception message is written to this key when request fails.

Value Range: Key name in flow context

Notes:

Default uses {NodeName}_Exception if not set
Can check this key in subsequent nodes to determine if exception occurred

Flow Context

Input Parameters

Parameter Name	Type	Description
{NodeName}_Url	string	Dynamically set request URL
{NodeName}_Authorization	string	Dynamically set authorization info
Query Parameter Value	any	Flow context value referenced in Query config
Body Parameter Value	any	Flow context value referenced in Body config
BodyContext	any	Complete request body data

Output Parameters

Parameter Name	Type	Description
{NodeName}_StatusCode	int	HTTP response status code
{NodeName}_Response	string	Complete response content
{NodeName}_Exception	string	Request exception message (if occurred)
{NodeName}_Url	string	Actual request URL (including Query params)
Custom Parameters	any	Extracted fields defined in Response config

Usage Examples

Basic Example: GET Request

{
  "Type": "ApiConnectActivity",
  "Name": "Get User Info",
  "Alias": "GetUser",
  "HttpMethod": "HttpGet",
  "Url": "https://api.example.com/users/{userId}",
  "RequestTimeOut": 30,
  "Query": [
    {
      "ParameterName": "userId",
      "ParameterValue": "{UserId_Value}"
    }
  ],
  "Response": [
    {
      "ParameterName": "data.name",
      "WriteParameterName": "UserName_Value",
      "DataType": "String"
    },
    {
      "ParameterName": "data.email",
      "WriteParameterName": "UserEmail_Value",
      "DataType": "String"
    }
  ]
}

Advanced Example: POST Request

{
  "Type": "ApiConnectActivity",
  "Name": "Create Order",
  "Alias": "CreateOrder",
  "HttpMethod": "HttpPost",
  "Url": "https://api.example.com/orders",
  "RequestTimeOut": 60,
  "Headers": [
    {
      "ParameterName": "Content-Type",
      "ParameterValue": "application/json"
    },
    {
      "ParameterName": "X-API-Key",
      "ParameterValue": "{ApiKey_Value}"
    }
  ],
  "Body": [
    {
      "ParameterName": "customerId",
      "ParameterValue": "{CustomerId_Value}"
    },
    {
      "ParameterName": "productId",
      "ParameterValue": "{ProductId_Value}"
    },
    {
      "ParameterName": "quantity",
      "ParameterValue": "{Quantity_Value}"
    }
  ],
  "Response": [
    {
      "ParameterName": "data.orderId",
      "WriteParameterName": "OrderId_Value",
      "DataType": "String"
    },
    {
      "ParameterName": "data.status",
      "WriteParameterName": "OrderStatus_Value",
      "DataType": "String"
    }
  ]
}

Notes

⚠️ Timeout Setting: Set reasonable timeout based on API response time
⚠️ Exception Handling: API request failure does not interrupt flow, check exception key or status code
⚠️ JSON Format: Response parameter extraction only supports JSON format
⚠️ Request Body: POST and PUT request bodies are sent as JSON
⚠️ URL Encoding: Query parameters are automatically URL encoded
⚠️ Placeholders: URL placeholders must be defined in Query parameters
⚠️ BodyContext Priority: Body parameter config is ignored if BodyContext is set

ApiCallActivity: Call configured API
MethodCallActivity: Call C# Method
ScriptCallActivity: Call Script

Update History

Date	Version	Description
2025-11-28	1.0	Initial version

Last updated: 2025-11-28

Overview​

Business Scenarios​

Applicable Scenarios​

Role in the System​

Collaboration with Other Nodes​

Configuration Instructions​

Basic Configuration​

Configuration Details​

HttpMethod​

Url​

RequestTimeOut​

Query​

Body​

BodyContext​

Headers​

Response​

ExceptionContext​

Flow Context​

Input Parameters​

Output Parameters​

Usage Examples​

Basic Example: GET Request​

Advanced Example: POST Request​

Notes​

Related Nodes​

Update History​

Overview

Business Scenarios

Applicable Scenarios

Role in the System

Collaboration with Other Nodes

Configuration Instructions

Basic Configuration

Configuration Details

HttpMethod

Url

RequestTimeOut

Query

Body

BodyContext

Headers

Response

ExceptionContext

Flow Context

Input Parameters

Output Parameters

Usage Examples

Basic Example: GET Request

Advanced Example: POST Request

Notes

Related Nodes

Update History