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JSON Connector

Version 23.4.8839

JSON Connector

JSON connectors support converting XML data into JSON and JSON data into XML.

Overview

The JSON connector enables conversion between JSON and XML without requiring much configuration. The connector automatically detects whether input files are JSON or XML, and then the connector translates the file to the other format. The connector supports configurable syntax for distinguishing attributes and ensuring that the output is valid XML or JSON.

Connector Settings

This section contains all of the configurable connector properties.

Settings Tab

Connector Settings

Settings related to the core operation of the connector.

  • Connector Id The static, unique identifier for the connector.
  • Connector Type Displays the connector name and a description of what it does.
  • Connector Description An optional field to provide a free-form description of the connector and its role in the flow.
  • Root Element Name When converting from JSON to XML, this value is used as the name of the root element in the resulting XML document. This ensures that the output XML has a single root element regardless of the structure of the input JSON.
  • Attribute Prefix The prefix is used to identify attributes in JSON. When converting from JSON to XML, the connector interprets values with this prefix as attributes in the resulting XML. When converting from XML to JSON, the connector adds this prefix to attribute values in the resulting JSON. See the Examples section for more information.
  • Text Property Name When a JSON object has attribute values and a non-attribute value, this name identifies the non-attribute value. When converting from JSON to XML, values associated with this name are set in the text of the resulting XML element. When converting from XML to JSON, the text in the element is set as the value for this name. See the Examples section for more information.
  • Minify When enabled, this option instructs the connector to reduce the whitespace in the resulting XML or JSON document. This option conserves space, but it can make the output more difficult for humans to read.

Other Settings

  • Invalid XML Name Prefix When a JSON element has a name that would not be valid XML, the connector adds this prefix to the beginning of the XML element name.
    For example, a JSON element named 10price must be modified to translate it to XML. Although a JSON element name can start with a number, XML element names cannot. If you set this field to num, the 10price JSON element becomes num10price in the XML output.
  • Processing Delay The amount of time (in seconds) by which the processing of files placed in the Input folder is delayed. This is a legacy setting. Best practice is to use a File connector to manage local file systems instead of this setting.

Message

Message settings determine how the connector searches for messages and manages them after processing. You can save messages to your Sent folder or you can group them based on a Sent folder scheme, as described below.

  • Save to Sent Folder A toggle that instructs the connector to keep a copy of sent messages in the Sent folder.
  • Sent Folder Scheme Instructs the connector to group files in the Sent folder according to the selected interval. For example, the Weekly option instructs the connector to create a new subfolder each week and store all sent files for the week in that folder. The blank setting instructs the connector to save all files directly in the Sent folder. For connectors that process many transactions, using subfolders can help keep files organized and improve performance.

Logging

  • Log Level The verbosity of logs generated by the connector. When you request support, set this to Debug.
  • Log Subfolder Scheme Instructs the connector to group files in the Logs folder according to the selected interval. For example, the Weekly option instructs the connector to create a new subfolder each week and store all logs for the week in that folder. The blank setting tells the connector to save all logs directly in the Logs folder. For connectors that process many transactions, using subfolders helps keep logs organized and improves performance.
  • Log Messages Check this to have the log entry for a processed file include a copy of the file itself. If you disable this, you might not be able to download a copy of the file from the Input or Output tabs.

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous settings are for specific use cases.

  • Other Settings Enables you to configure hidden connector settings in a semicolon-separated list (for example, setting1=value1;setting2=value2). Normal connector use cases and functionality should not require the use of these settings.

Automation Tab

Automation Settings

Settings related to the automatic processing of files by the connector.

  • Send A toggle that instructs the connector to automatically send files when they are ready.

Performance

Settings related to the allocation of resources to the connector.

  • Max Workers The maximum number of worker threads consumed from the threadpool to process files on this connector. If set, this overrides the default setting on the Settings > Automation page.
  • Max Files The maximum number of files sent by each thread assigned to the connector. If set, this overrides the default setting on the Settings > Automation page.

Alerts Tab

Settings related to configuring alerts and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

Connector Email Settings

Before you can execute SLAs, you need to set up email alerts for notifications. Clicking Configure Alerts opens a new browser window to the Settings page where you can set up system-wide alerts. See Alerts for more information.

Service Level Agreement (SLA) Settings

SLAs enable you to configure the volume you expect connectors in your flow to send or receive, and to set the time frame in which you expect that volume to be met. CData Arc sends emails to warn the user when an SLA is not met, and marks the SLA as At Risk, which means that if the SLA is not met soon, it will be marked as Violated. This gives the user an opportunity to step in and determine the reasons the SLA is not being met, and to take appropriate actions. If the SLA is still not met at the end of the at-risk time period, the SLA is marked as violated, and the user is notified again.

To define an SLA, click Add Expected Volume Criteria.

  • If your connector has separate send and receive actions, use the radio buttons to specify which direction the SLA pertains to.
  • Set Expect at least to the minimum number of transactions (the volume) you expect to be processed, then use the Every fields to specify the time frame.
  • By default, the SLA is in effect every day. To change that, uncheck Everyday then check the boxes for the days of the week you want.
  • Use And set status to ‘At Risk’ to indicate when the SLA should be marked as at risk.
  • By default, notifications are not sent until an SLA is in violation. To change that, check Send an ‘At Risk’ notification.

The following example shows an SLA configured for a connector that expects to receive 1000 files every day Monday-Friday. An at-risk notification is sent 1 hour before the end of the time period if the 1000 files have not been received.

Examples

Examples of converting between XML and JSON with the JSON connector are below.

XML to JSON

XML input:

<Fable>
  <Author alive="false">Aesop</Author>
  <Title>Tortoise and the Hare</Title>
  <Characters>
    <Character id="1" slow="true">Tortoise</Character>
    <Character id="2" slow="hardly">Hare</Character>
  </Characters>
  <Moral>Persistence over speed</Moral>
</Fable>

JSON output:

{
  "Fable": {
    "Author": {
      "@alive":"false",
      "#text":"Aesop"
    },
    "Title":"Tortoise and the Hare",
    "Characters": {
      "Character": [
        {
          "@id":"1",
          "@slow":"true",
          "#text":"Tortoise"
        },
        {
          "@id":"2",
          "@slow":"hardly",
          "#text":"Hare"
        }
      ]
    },
    "Moral":"Persistence over speed"
    }
}

JSON to XML

JSON input:

{ 
  "Catch": [
    {
      "type": "salmon",
      "quantity": "2",
      "weight": "20.2 lbs"
    },
    {
      "type": "pike",
      "quantity": "21",
      "weight": "521 lbs"
    }
  ],
  "Lake": "Boulder",
  "Weather": "Clear",
  "808s": "Loud" 
}

XML output:

<Items>
  <Catch>
    <type>salmon</type>
    <quantity>2</quantity>
    <weight>20.2 lbs</weight>
  </Catch>
  <Catch>
    <type>pike</type>
    <quantity>21</quantity>
    <weight>521 lbs</weight>
  </Catch>
  <Lake>Boulder</Lake>
  <Weather>Clear</Weather>
  <_808s>Loud</_808s>
</Items>

JSON Type Conversions

When converting from XML to JSON, the connector treats all XML elements as strings except in two cases:

  • If the connector detects multiple elements or values in the same XML structure in the XML input, it treats them as an array.
  • If you apply an XML attribute to specify the JSON output format, this attribute overrides the default string behavior. These attributes are listed in the table below.
  • json:array=”true” If you have a single-element array, you can apply this attribute to ensure that the connector treats it as an array instead of a string.
  • json:type=”number” Instructs the connector to treat the XML element as a number.
  • json:type=”boolean” Instructs the connector to treat the XML element as a boolean.
  • json:type=”object” Instructs the connector to treat the XML element as an object.
  • json:type=”null” The connector treats empty XML elements as strings of length zero. This command forces the output to be null instead of an empty string.
  • xsi:nil=”true” Same functionality as json:type=”null”.