Orbeon - dynamic XML in POST request body - orbeon

Question

I need help with body of POST request. I need send XML whitch can be dynamically assemble. Not only putting values in elements.
I work with Orbeon 2021.1.2 PE. There are two cases I came across when connecting to my backend and they are quite similar:
1] There is a array in the request where its length is based on the data in the form.
When using a request template:
<SendAction>
<IDs>
<ID></ID>
</IDs>
</SendAction>
You can simply put a value using //ID and the result is this:
<SendAction>
<IDs>
<ID>AAA</ID>
</IDs>
</SendAction>
But I would need a request when the number of <ID> is N like:
<SendAction>
<IDs>
<ID>AAA</ID>
<ID>BBB</ID>
<ID>CCC</ID>
</IDs>
</SendAction>
2] The request again has a dynamically long array but I need put entire object. E.g:
<Wheapons>
<Weapon>
<LicenseNumber>123456789</LicenseNumber>
<Name>Gun A</KindOfWeapon>
<Category>0</Category>
</Weapon>
<Weapon>
<LicenseNumber>987654321</LicenseNumber>
<Name>Gun B</KindOfWeapon>
<Category>0</Category>
</Weapon>
<Wheapons>
I hope you get my point. Data in second example I have in fr:dataset() and in Repeated Grid too (it is output of diferent endpoint). I tried to insert whole blocks of XML, but Orbeon always encode the characters in xml ('<' to "& lt;" and '>' to "& gt;") and therefore the request is not processed. This behavior is basically good, because I'm trying something like XML injection. But I achieve the same bad result when using the xf:element() function. Is this problem solvable by some funcitons or I'm complete wrong? Thank you!

Answer 1

My understanding is that your form has a repeated grid, and that you would like to call a service POSTing XML to that service based on the values of fields inside a repeated grid. This isn't something that you can do with the Services & Actions in Form Builder; currently, those only let you send individual values to a service. So, instead, you'll need to write that logic in XForms. At a high level:
The XForms will go in a custom model (doc), i.e. a separate file on the server with your XForms logic.
In that XForms, you write an event handler, for an event of your choosing, and you will dispatch that event from a process, in your properties-local.xml, with xf:dispatch() (doc).
Your XForms custom model also declares an xf:submission, to do the actual POST, an instance, with the data to be posted, and in the event handler you populate the instance from the data in your grid, and run the submission.

Answer 2

I find simple and dummy solution but #avernet was right. If you want generic function for whole project you must write own custom model.
Here is my snippet:
<xf:instance id="test_service-template">
<item>
<id/>
</item>
</xf:instance>
<xf:instance id="test_service-instance">
<values>
<item>
<id>123</id>
</item>
</values>
</xf:instance>
<xf:instance id="test_service-resposne-service-instance">
<response/>
</xf:instance>
<xf:submission id="test_service-submission" resource="/fr/service/custom/orbeon/echo"
ref="instance('test_service-instance')"
method="post"
serialization="application/xml"
mediatype="application/xml"
replace="instance"
instance="test_service-resposne-service-instance"/>
<xf:action id="test_action-binding">
<xf:action event="DOMActivate" ev:observer="control-2-control" if="true()">
<xf:insert context="xxf:instance('test_service-instance')" ref="values"
origin="xxf:instance('test_service-template')"/>
<xf:setvalue ref="xxf:instance('test_service-instance')/values/item[1]/id" value="'321'"/>
<xf:send submission="test_service-submission"/>
</xf:action>
</xf:action>
If you don't use Services & Actions in Form Builder you can send your own instance as body of request (test_service-instance).
Before submission you can simple build this instance (by insert and setvalue). You can put then somewhere else in form (for example under trigger). Response of submission can have own instance too.