KBA-01527: Spitfire API Demo Tool

Spitfire Client Services > Knowledge Base > KBA-01527: Spitfire API Demo Tool

May 20, 2014

Knowledge Base

Purpose & Scope:

Spitfire offers an API Demonstration Tool to illustrate some of the features and functionality that can be accessed through third party programming.

Procedure:

To use the API Demo:

  1. Open and log into your (full) Spitfire Dashboard.  The API demo connects to sfPMS web services using ‘remoting‘—this provides single sign in (much like BFA and SOV) .
  2. Use the link below and click the LAUNCH or INSTALL links.  Once you have run the application once, it will appear in START | PROGRAMS | Spitfire Management | Dashboard API Demo.
  3. Use the UI to
    1. Browse for a project (or type in a Project ID and allow it to be validated).
    2. Select a Doc type from the drop down.  The drop down choices should be populated with only your site‘s configured Doc types and customized names.  (The data for the drop down was acquired using web services).
    3. Type a document number or exact title or use the browse button to select a specific document.
  4. Explore the menus:
    1. The FILE menu provides information about the connection to the web service, including the Demo API version and the Dashboard API version.  If the two versions are not the same, some newer features of the demo may fail on your server.
    2. The Tool menu offers:
      1. Dashboard.  Bring the full dashboard UI to the foreground then open the currently selected document (just like the bottom) or ‘push‘ a new document into sfPMS (Always Requisition 0937).
      2. Web Service, for example:
        1. Add four folders to the currently selected document Items tab.
        2. Export the current sfPMS schema to c:spitfireProjectFBDetail.xsd (with the current document data snapshot in c:spitfireProjectFBDetail.xml).
        3. Get a list of the documents on the currently selected project.
        4. Test and display if the current user has access to the Project Dashboard document menu (as an illustration that user capabilities can be queried).
        5. Obtain and display the filter that determines the current user‘s access to the item data on the current document.
        6. Obtain data about the documents matching the currently selected project and Doc type and display in grid form.
        7. Obtain result set for a lookup and display in a Windows UI.
        8. Create and delete an alert.
      3. qAlias Tool. See the next section.

Since the standard web application interface for rule items is somewhat limiting when working with potentially long qAlias query definitions, the qAlias tool uses the Web Services API and Windows UI to assist with testing qAlias queries.  (See KBA-01476.)  The qAlias tool has the following features:

  • A field for the qAlias name. When you type a name that matches a defined qAlias, the query is displayed in the top edit area.
  • A field to display / edit the qAlias query. Although, it is probably more productive to copy and paste the query into SQL Management Studio and back.
  • A message area.
  • A result grid that displays the results of running the qAlias.
  • Buttons:
    • (R) reloads the query alias from the server.
    • Test Q runs the query alias for the current document and displays the result in a grid.  If there are errors, the error is displayed.
    • Flush instructs the web service and web application to reload the rule definitions.  If you change the xsfRuleItem table using SQL commands, this is a quick way to get the new data into the web application.
    • Export -> creates a TSQL script to copy the qAlias query into xsfRuleItem.  Once exported, the ->SQL button will enable if you have direct (Windows Authenticated) access to the SQL server.
    • ->SQL runs the export script on the SQL server for you and flushes the web application rules.
    • -> CB copies the export script to the Windows clipboard for you.

Notes:

  • It is possible to have an API application that does not require the full dashboard if it manages its own web service session with the sfPMS web application.

Additional Comments:

The API Demo is provided as-is and is not a supported feature of sfPMS.  For assistance using the tool or writing your own code to consume the Spitfire Web Services API, please check with your implementer. The API demo illustrates a small cross section of the functionality available through the sfPMS web services.  Everything done by BFA, SOV, and sfATC is accomplished through web service calls!

This is a click-once application.  Install or launch from

API Demo

KBA-01527; Last updated: February 9, 2022 at 14:23 pm
Keywords:  qAlias editor

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