Internal Data JSON Methods

Objectives

This guide will help you to quickly use JSON data files (.json) as a data source in ixHello.

Pre-requisites

1. An ixHello account

For steps to create an ixHello account, follow the steps here

1. A valid JSON data file

You will need a valid JSON file containing some data. If you do not have this, you can also create a new one with the sample data provided below. Open Notepad, paste the following sample data, and save the file as Sample.json: { "Contacts": [ { "name": "Martin", "contactnumber": "0123456789", "country": "US" }, { "name": "Bob", "contactnumber": "1230456789", "country": "US" }, { "name": "James", "contactnumber": "1230456789", "country": "Canada" } ] }

These instructions will use this sample data.

Steps

To proceed with these steps, you will need Studio Mode access in ixHello.

Step 1 Create content from JSON file

1. Log in to the ixHello portal at https://bots.ixhello.com

2. From the left menu, Navigate to the Content > Content. You should see a page with a list of contents (if any) and a button to add a new content as shown in below screenshot.

1. Create new content by clicking on ADD NEW CONTENT. Once clicked, you should see a screen to provide new content details. Fill in a Content ID, Content Name, Category, and Text.

1. Scroll down and select Media Or Data. This will open up some more fields. Set the Media Type to JSON. To load the sample JSON file, select Upload File, click on Choose File, and browse to the Sample.json file created earlier. When finished, press Add.

The file you use must be a valid JSON file with JSON contents else the platform will not allow you to upload it.

1. Once uploaded, you should see a success notification and added contents as shown below.

Step 2 Create a new connection for the Internal Data

1. From the left menu, navigate to the Integration > Connect System. You should see a list of all the connections that you have already created.

2. To create a new connection, click on Add New Connection.

1. On the popup, choose Internal Content as Connection and name the System Instance. Press Next.

1. You should see a newly created connection as shown in below screenshot.

Now the connection is ready to use with the app.

Step 3 Create an App to utilize internal data

1. To create an app, browse to Apps > Custom Apps and click New Custom App

1. A small screen pops up. Populate the fields and press Save.

Input	Information
Name	You can give any value of your choice.
Custom App Type	Select Search
Category	Please use the same category that you have used for the Internal Data. Note: If category do not match then methods in this app may not be able to access the JSON data.
Make this app as shared…	Select this if you want to share this app with other users in your organization.

Step 4 Create a Data Source

A Data Source connects the app with the integration.

1. Once you have an App created, open the Data Sources tab and press Create New Data Source.

1. In the screen that opens, give it a name and choose Internal Content: My Contacts.

1. If you want to make this connection as private to you, select the available option “Consider as a Personalized Data Source”. If selected, other users in your organization will not be able to use it.

2. Click on Save. Once a data source is created, you are ready to start creating various methods and use JSON Data.

Step 5 Create Methods

By using Methods, you will be able to access JSON data as well as add new data to the same JSON.

1. To access Methods, click on the Methods tab.

As of the publication date of this document, ixHello supports following methods for JSON Data:

1. GetJSONContents

2. AddRecord

3. AddRecordToNode

Method: GetJSONContents

You can use this method to pull the contents of your JSON file. The method requires just one parameter as explained below.

Parameters:

Parameter	Sample Value	Info
ContentID	Contacts01	This parameter is used to uniquely identify the content (JSON file) used in Internal Data

Other than these two parameters, you need to provide following standard inputs

Parameter	Info
Method Name	You can give any name. This name will be displayed in the methods list.
Request Type	GetJSONContents This is the method that you are using
Parameters	As explained in the previous table
Record Limit	Numeric value (e.g. 10) If Method is returning larger number of records, then you can limit this result by providing this value.
Record JsonPath	Each method returns data in JSON format and to pick any specific information from the JSON, we need to specify the Record JsonPath so ixHello platform will pick that data in consideration while displaying results. Example: $.[*] This selects all the records that is returned.
Record Template	Let’s assume that the following json represents one record. { "attributes": { "type": "Contact", "url": "/services/data/v47.0/sobjects/Contact/0032w000002GFOVAA4" }, "Id": "0032w000002GFOVAA4", "FirstName": "John", "LastName": "Bond", "Phone": "[phone]" } In this example, Phone is at root level and can be accessed by {{Phone}} So record template can be written as Phone number of {{FirstName}} {{LastName}} is {{Phone}} So, when a method is executed, this will be displayed as, Phone number of John Bond is [phone] Note: Anything written in between {{ }} is represented as a json field and it’s case-sensitive. {{Phone}} is not same as {{phone}}
Result Template	This indicates how method results should be represented. Here you go, {{Records}} Here, {{Records}} represents one or more records separated by a separator.

Sample Response:

{ "Contacts": [ { "name": "Martin", "contactnumber": "[phone]", "country": "US" }, { "name": "Bob", "contactnumber": "[phone]", "country": "US" }, { "name": "James", "contactnumber": "[phone]", "country": "Canada" } ] }

Method: AddRecordToNode

This method is useful for adding new records in existing JSON that you have uploaded in the Contents section on the ixHello platform.

This method requires following parameters:

Parameter	Sample Value	Info
ContentID	Contacts01	This parameter is used to uniquely identify the content (JSON file) used in Internal Data
NodePath	$.Contacts	NodePath determines the path or location within the JSON to insert the record.
Record	{ "name": "Joe", "contactnumber": "[phone]", "country": "US" }	The record in valid JSON format
RecordPosition	First Last	You can select value for dropdown. It determines the position of the newly inserted record in the original JSON.

Sample Response:

{"result":"success"}

Method: AddRecord

This method is useful for adding new records in existing JSON that you have uploaded in the Contents section on the ixHello platform. The method is like the previous one with a difference that, it does not require NodePath. It is useful when you have a very simple JSON (just key value pairs).

This method requires following parameters:

Parameter	Sample Value	Info
ContentID	Contacts01	This parameter is used to uniquely identify the content (JSON file) used in Internal Data
Record	{ "name": "Joe", "contactnumber": "[phone]", "country": "US" }	The record in valid JSON format
RecordPosition	First Last	You can select value for dropdown. It determines the position of the newly inserted record in the original JSON.

Sample Response:

{"result":"success"}}