Apigee - How to send XML payload using POST method using Apigee API Development Platform - post

Question

I am supposed to access a a publicly accessible API (https://ABCInsuranceCoreApp.ng.bluemix.net/ABCInsurance/ProductService) using POST method. It accepts an XML Payload of the form
<Customer>
<Age>40</Age>
<Gender>M</Gender>
<Location>IBM</Location>
</Customer>
and returns a list of products. The API works in a REST-Client and tested.
What I have done in the Apigee API Dev Platform is as follows.
Default ProxyEndpoint:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<ProxyEndpoint name="default">
<Flows>
<Flow name="default">
<Request>
<Step>
<Name>AssignCustomerData</Name>
</Step>
<Step>
<Name>ExecuteProductService</Name>
</Step>
</Request>
<Response>
<Step>
<Name>ParseProductList</Name>
</Step>
</Response>
</Flow>
</Flows>
<HTTPProxyConnection>
<BasePath>/v1/abcinsproductservice</BasePath>
<VirtualHost>default</VirtualHost>
</HTTPProxyConnection>
<RouteRule name="default"/>
</ProxyEndpoint>
AssignCustomerData is an AssignMessage Policy and it looks like..
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<AssignMessage async="false" continueOnError="false" enabled="true" name="AssignCustomerData">
<DisplayName>AssignCustomerData</DisplayName>
<AssignTo createNew="true" type="request">CustomerData</AssignTo>
<Set>
<Payload contentType="text/xml">
<Customer>
<Age>40</Age>
<Gender>M</Gender>
<Location>IBM</Location>
</Customer>
</Payload>
<Verb>POST</Verb>
</Set>
</AssignMessage>
ExecuteProductService is a service callout and it looks like..
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<ServiceCallout async="false" continueOnError="false" enabled="true" name="ExecuteProductService">
<!-- Send the message we just made to the target, and save the result -->
<Request variable="CustomerData"/>
<Response>ProductList</Response>
<HTTPTargetConnection>
<URL>https://ABCInsuranceCoreApp.ng.bluemix.net/ABCInsurance/ProductService</URL>
</HTTPTargetConnection>
</ServiceCallout>
and ParseProductList is an ExtractVriable Policy which looks like..
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<ExtractVariables async="false" continueOnError="false" enabled="true" name="ParseProductList">
<DisplayName>ParseProductList</DisplayName>
<FaultRules/>
<Properties/>
<VariablePrefix>products</VariablePrefix>
<XMLPayload>
<Variable name="name" type="string">
<XPath>//Products/Product[1]/Name</XPath>
</Variable>
</XMLPayload>
</ExtractVariables>
I have dilligently followed the samples, however the arrangement does not work. I am confused as to where the error is.
The trace is not working either..
Can you pls help out..
Many thanks in advance
Amitava

Answer 1

I looks like you need to add Source to your ExtractVariables policy, as in:
<Source clearPayload="false">ProductList</Source>
Also, I'm curious why you are doing this with a ServiceCallout (rather than just routing to your target service via a TargetEndpoint)? I don't see a RouteRule in your ProxyEndpoint. Without a RouteRule, you are creating an Echo Server will will simply reflect back whatever comes in. To stop that from happening, you would need to add a RaiseFault policy after your ExtractVariables policy to terminate the call.
Or, perhaps you are just showing us a snippet and there is really more to it?

Answer 2

The way I see it is,
<Step>
<Name>ParseProductList</Name>
</Step>
Should be a Request Step.
So your proxy becomes,
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<ProxyEndpoint name="default">
<Flows>
<Flow name="default">
<Request>
<Step>
<Name>AssignCustomerData</Name>
</Step>
<Step>
<Name>ExecuteProductService</Name>
</Step>
<Step>
<Name>ParseProductList</Name>
</Step>
</Request>
<Response/>
</Flow>
</Flows>
<HTTPProxyConnection>
<BasePath>/v1/abcinsproductservice</BasePath>
<VirtualHost>default</VirtualHost>
</HTTPProxyConnection>
<RouteRule name="default"/>
</ProxyEndpoint>