Result builder

This is the official documentation of the @forestadmin/agent Node.js agent.

Actions can be configured to achieve different results in the GUI.

Most actions will simply perform work and display the default notification, however, other behaviors are possible:

• Displaying a notification with a custom message

• Displaying HTML content in a side panel

• Generating a file download

• Redirecting the user to another page

• Calling a webhook from the user's browser (for instance to trigger a login in a third-party application)

• Setting up response headers

• Invalidating related data

Default behavior

The default behavior, when no exception is thrown in the handler is to display a generic notification.

agent.customizeCollection('companies', collection =>
  collection.addAction('Mark as live', {
    scope: 'Single',
    execute: async context => {
      // Not using the resultBuilder here will display the generic success
      // notification (as long as no exception is thrown)
    },
  }),
);

Custom notifications

When customizing the notification message, you can use the resultBuilder to generate different types of responses.

agent.customizeCollection('companies', collection =>
  collection.addAction('Mark as live', {
    scope: 'Single',
    execute: async (context, resultBuilder) => {
      const isLive = false; // Company is not live

      if (!isLive) {
        // The success method will display a success notification.
        return resultBuilder.success('Company is now live!');
      } else {
        // The error method will display an error notification.
        return resultBuilder.error('The company was already live!');
      }
    },
  }),
);

HTML result

You can also return an HTML page to give more feedback to the user who triggered the Action.

agent.customizeCollection('companies', collection =>
  collection.addAction('Charge credit card', {
    scope: 'Single',
    execute: async (context, resultBuilder) => {
      /* ... charge the credit card ... */
      const wasCharged = true; // the credit card was successfully charged

      if (wasCharged) {
        return resultBuilder.success('Success', {
          html: `
            <p class="c-clr-1-4 l-mt l-mb">
              \$${record.amount / 100} USD has been successfuly charged.
            </p>
            <strong class="c-form__label--read c-clr-1-2">Credit card</strong>
            <p class="c-clr-1-4 l-mb">**** **** **** ${record.source.last4}</p>
          `,
        });
      } else {
        return resultBuilder.error('An error occured', {
          html: `
            <p class="c-clr-1-4 l-mt l-mb">
              \$${record.amount / 100} USD has not been charged.
            </p>
            <strong class="c-form__label--read c-clr-1-2">Credit card</strong>
            <p class="c-clr-1-4 l-mb">**** **** **** ${record.source.last4}</p>
            <strong class="c-form__label--read c-clr-1-2">Reason</strong>
            <p class="c-clr-1-4 l-mb">
              You can not charge this credit card. The card is marked as blocked
            </p>
          `,
        });
      }
    },
  }),
);

File generation

Because of technical limitations, Smart Actions that generate files should be flagged as such with the generateFile option.

This will cause the GUI to download the output of the action, but will also prevent from being able to use the resultBuilder to display notifications, errors, or HTML content.

Smart actions can be used to generate or download files.

The example code below will trigger a file download (with the file named filename.txt, containing StringThatWillBeInTheFile using text/plain mime-type).

collection.addAction('Download a file', {
  scope: 'Global',
  // This option is required to trigger the file download.
  generateFile: true,

  execute: async (context, resultBuilder) => {
    const random = Math.random();

    if (random < 0.33) {
      // Files can be generated from JavaScript strings.
      return resultBuilder.file(
        'StringThatWillBeInTheFile',
        'filename.txt',
        'text/plain',
      );
    } else if (random < 0.66) {
      // Or from a Buffer.
      const buffer = Buffer.from('StringThatWillBeInTheFile');
      return resultBuilder.file(buffer, 'filename.txt', 'text/plain');
    } else {
      // Or from a stream.
      const stream = fs.createReadStream('path/to/file');
      return resultBuilder.file(stream, 'filename.txt', 'text/plain');
    }
  },
});

Redirections

To streamline your operation workflow, it could make sense to redirect to another page after an Action has successfully been executed.

It is possible using the redirectTo function.

The redirection works both for internal (\*.forestadmin.com pages) and external links.

Internal link

agent.customizeCollection('companies', collection =>
  collection.addAction('Mark as live', {
    scope: 'Single',
    execute: async (context, resultBuilder) => {
      return resultBuilder.redirectTo(
        '/MyProject/MyEnvironment/MyTeam/data/20/index/record/20/108/activity',
      );
    },
  }),
);

External link

agent.customizeCollection('companies', collection =>
  collection.addAction('Mark as live', {
    scope: 'Single',
    execute: async (context, resultBuilder) => {
      return resultBuilder.redirectTo(
        'https://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/track?trackNumber=ZW924750388GB',
      );
    },
  }),
);

Webhooks

After an action you can set up an HTTP (or HTTPS) callback - a webhook - to forward information to other applications.

Note that the webhook will be triggered from the user's browser, so it will be subject to CORS restrictions.

Its intended use is often to perform a login on a third-party application or to trigger a background job on the current user's behalf.

agent.customizeCollection('companies', collection =>
  collection.addAction('Mark as live', {
    scope: 'Single',
    execute: async (context, resultBuilder) => {
      return resultBuilder.webhook(
        'http://my-company-name', // Webhook URL.
        'POST', // Webhook method (typically a POST).
        {}, // Webhook headers if needed.
        { adminToken: 'your-admin-token' }, // Webhook body (only JSON is supported).
      );
    },
  }),
);

Please note that the webhook function and the setHeader function operate independently and do not modify the same HTTP call. Webhook headers will be sent along with the webhook call, while setHeaders will modify directly the Action response headers.

Response headers

Sometimes you may want to setup custom response headers after action execution, the setHeader function is here to reach out this goal.

Before executing any end function described above, you should be able to add headers to the action response like the exemple below.

agent.customizeCollection('companies', collection =>
  collection.addAction('Mark as live', {
    scope: 'Single',
    execute: async (context, resultBuilder) => {
      return resultBuilder
        .setHeader('myHeaderName', 'myHeaderValue')
        .redirectTo(
          'https://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/track?trackNumber=ZW924750388GB',
        );
    },
  }),
);