FunctionLibrary

Visual Mashup Builder

AppliBuilder User Documentation

AppliBuilder Function Library

AppliBuilder supports import of functions from the function library, which is an extensible library of functions to make it easier to script pages. It is a convenient catalog of functions you can import and use on your page.

The library import takes care of importing the files required to use a function, but the rest is up to you. One the function is imported, it can be used anywhere on the page where you use Javascript. You will need to invoke these library functions from your widget events or from your own functions.

Catalog of Functions

The function library is designed to be a growing collection of reusable functions. The following types of functions are provided.

Global Functions

The following global functions are always present in generated pages, loaded from imported Javascript files present in every AppliBuilder page.

getWidgetByName(element_name) Use this function to get an element by its name. For example
```
var mybutton = getWidgetByName('Button3');
```

getInputValue(element_name) This function returns the value of the input element with the given name on the current page. Returns a value string in case of: textbox, textarea, radiobutton. Returns an Array of strings in case of: select, checkbox.

translateRelativePath(type, path) Use this function to get a fully qualified path from a relative path. The type is 'builder' or 'application', which determines the root path. For example
```
var mypath = translateRelativePath('builder', 'someurl');
```

setWidgetValue(element_name, value) Use this function to set the value of a named widget and reload the widget so the new value is displayed. It applies only to widgets where a value can be set, including basic HTML input elements, form elements, date input, etc.

Core Functions

The following core functions are always present in generated pages, loaded from imported Javascript files present in every AppliBuilder page.

AppliLoader(): (AJAX Loader) new AppliLoader(url,onload,method,params,contentType): Use this function to load files and data from URLs, from any server on the web.
getURLParameters() Use this function to get the URL parameters from a page. The parameters are returned as an object with attributes, where each attribute name is a parameter name.

positionElementVisible(): To ensure an overlay popup frame is within the visible window of the browser.
xmlRESTService(svcurl, params, callback) Used to invoke remote web services and return a response as XML data. The svcurl is the URL of the remote web service. params are the list of parameters to be passed to the service as a URL parameter string. callback if the name of your callback function to handle the results.

htmlRESTService(svcurl, params, xslurl, callback) Used to invoke remote web services and return a response as HTML or other text data. This is typically used along with an XSL transform on the server. Arguments are (). You can use the File Manager to create an XSL file on the server, and use that XSL file for your transformation. The svcurl is the URL of the remote web service. params are the list of parameters to be passed to the service as a URL parameter string. xslurl is the URL of the XSL Transform to be supplied if XSL transformation on the server is desired. callback if the name of your callback function to handle the results.
getXMLColumnValue(rowNode, columnTag, separator): This is a convenience function to help in processing the XML document returned with a web services call. This is useful when rendering a page, see the Amazon book search example. This method searches the sub-tree under the rowNode DOM node, and picks up all values for the columnTag, and concatenates them using the specified separator. It returns a string value.

Basic Functions

Dont ask us to define the difference between core and basic functions. But here are additional functions that aree commonly needed. In this case, functions must be imported via the function library before they can be used on a page.

popupPage(page_path, popup_header, width, height): Open Another Page in a Popup Inline Frame Use this function to bring up another page (or any URL for that matter) as an Inline frame that looks like a dialog. Use the following steps
- Import the popupPage function from the function library
- In your function or widget event action, use the following to bring up the IFrame
new Applibase.Basic().popupPage('your_page_path', "My Frame Header", 300, 400);
where the last two arguments are optional width and height parameters.

openUrlInPopup(url,x,y,callbackfn, header): Use this function to open the content of a URL in an overlay div that can be positioned. In this case, the content cannot be a complete page, rather it must be only an HTML snippet, without headers. Use new Applibase.Basic().openUrlInPopup(...) to execute the function.

openUrlInIFrame(url,x,y,callbackfn, header, wid, ht): Use this function to open the content of a URL in an overlay Inline Frame, with specified posiion and width and height. In this case, the content may be an independent and complete HTML page with headers. Use new Applibase.Basic().openUrlInIFrame(...) to execute the function.

Database Functions

Database functions are found in the dbfunctions.js file, which is imported when you choose any of the following functionf from the function library.

Named Query: query(named_query_name, , parameters, isAsync, callback): This method is used to execute named queries on the server. A Named Query is an SQL statement or server-side Jython script, which is setup on the server via the AppliBuilder online interface. The browser Javascript invokes the query by name, limiting what queries can be executed by the browser client. You setup named queries and use them from the browser Javascript, much like SQL prepared statements. Use new Applibase.db.AjaxDb().query(...) to execute the function.
SQL Query: sqlquery(query_string, isAsync, callback): Using arbitrary SQL queries from the browser is normally disabled. irect SQL access is useful for development and testing, and possibly a few other situations where data security is not a concern. This access can only be turned on for authenticated users of your applications. Use new Applibase.db.AjaxDb().sqlquery(...) to execute the function.
Display Query Result: renderResultTable(resultSet, container): This is a convenience function is provided to display the resuls of a query table. The container is optional, and can be any HTML element to which a table can be added, e.g. a HTML Block Element. Don't specify a container to display the results of a query at the end of your page. Use new Applibase.db.AjaxDb().renderResultTable(...) to execute the function.