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Form API/CallServer Issue

dlsoderberg

TS 6.7.1 SP1 on Linux

I have a form that has a bunch of Form API code to complete some hidden files, auto-name and save the DCR and then generate the output file...all when a user saves the DCR. I have most of the structure built for this, but am having an issue with one of my sections that tries to populate a hidden field on my DCR. The Form API code fires the callServer below and the CGI runs. It completes, from what I can tell, through the whole script, but it doesn't ever return to the populateFeaturesCode function in the Form API script. First, here is the Form API code that calls the CGI and the return function:


/**
*  The buildFeatures function will read all of the
*  Features DCRs and build the HTML code to write
**/
function buildFeatures() {
  var parameters = new Object();
  parameters.feature = "feature";
  alert("About to Call Server for Features");
  IWDatacapture.callServer("/iw-bin/ama/createFeaturesCode.cgi", parameters, true);
}

/**
*  populateFeaturesCode function is called back from the
*  callServer in buildFeatures and is passed the
*  code to place in the hidden 'featuresCode' field.
*  @param featurescode The HTML code block for features
**/
function populateFeaturesCode(featurescode) {
  alert("Returning from Features Call Server");
  alert("Featurescode is\n\n" + featurescode);
  IWDatacapture.getItem("/object/Content/featuresCode").setValue(featurescode);
}

I've attached the CGI file and the log that it generates. The log contains all of the print statements through the whole script, so it appears to do what I'd expect. I do find an error in the /local/logs/iwui/error.log file though:


[Fri Jun 20 07:47:32 2008] [error] [client 10.3.0.171] malformed header from script. Bad header=Reading feature1.xml at line 3: createFeaturesCode.cgi, referer: http://tsts36.ama-assn.org/iw-cc/command/iw.ccpro.launch_edit_form?cwd.vpath=//tsts36/default/main/AMA-WWW/WORKAREA/Content/templatedata/AMA-WWW/MainContent/data/ama/pub/category&done%5ftarget=fs%5flist&full%5fredirect=true&vpath=//tsts36/default/main/AMA-WWW/WORKAREA/Content/templatedata/AMA-WWW/MainContent/data/ama/pub/category/000052.xml&done%5fpage=/iw-cc/base/util/refresh%5fdone%5ftarget%5fand%5fclose%5fwindow.jsp%3fdone%5ftarget%3dgetFileListFrame%2528%2529&locked=true

I've attached the feature1.xml file as well...it's a fairly simple DCR with 2 fields.

At this point, my populateFeaturesCode function never fires as I never see those alerts.

Thanks in advance for any assistance!!!

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Comments

ISCBorisB

You have incorrect CGI output Formatting. Try the following:

# Header is completely missing. Make it THE VERY FIRST print to STDOUT
$| = 1; #forces a flush after every write or print, Optional
print "Content-type: text/html\n\n";

# Debugging output like the following is a big "No, No" in CGI! You have quite a few of those. Comment all of them out or print to Log, CGI STDOUT must be clean
print "Reading $featurefile at line 31\n";

# This one is fine...
print LOG "Reading $featurefile at line 31\n";

dlsoderberg

Thanks Boris! I had forgotten to remove those other print statements (copied from an old IPL script), but with the header printed now, it's calling back as expected.

Thanks again!!!

dlsoderberg

I spoke too soon...

While I'm no longer throwing any errors in the logs, my callServer is not returning to the function in the FormAPI script that it's calling back.

Running the CGI from the command line works like a champ.


body onload="parent.getScriptFrame().populateFeaturesCode('
<p><a href="http://www.ama-assn.org/go/morningrounds"><img height="60" src="http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/images/-1/promo-mr.gif" width="132" align="top" border="0" /></a></p>

<p><b>We want to hear from you</b><br /><a href="https://ssl3.ama-assn.org/cgi-bin/x-check/feedtool.pl">E-mail us your comments</a>.
</p>

<p><b>Data services for physicians</b><br /><a href="http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/4080.html">Change your address</a> or <a href="http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/4080.html">update your listing</a> in DoctorFinder.
</p>

<p><b><a href="https://profiles.ama-assn.org/amaprofiles/#profile">Request your ePhysician Profile</a></b><br />
Free for AMA members!
</p>

<p><a href="http://www.ama-assn.org/go/ballot"><img height="60" src="/ama1/pub/upload/images/366/ballot132.gif" width="132" border="0" /></a></p>

<p><a href="https://membership.ama-assn.org/JoinRenew/"><img height="60" alt="Join or renew your AMA membership" src="/ama1/pub/upload/images/-1/join132.gif" width="132" border="0" /></a></p>

<p><a href="http://www.ama-assn.org/apps/unity/x-check/join.cgi"><img height="89" src="/ama1/pub/upload/images/-1/e-newsletter132.jpg" width="132" border="0" /></a></p>
')">

Could it be that I need to escape all the quotes before returning the string?

nipper

emebedded quotes from Perl to JS are a serious pain, yes they need to be addressed

ISCBorisB

Note how you terminate 'onLoad' Attribute Value. Somehow I doubt that your browser will like it:
<body onload="parent.getScriptFrame().populateFeaturesCode('<p><a href="http://www.ama-assn ...The rest of this stuff...>

You have two problems, quotes and EOLs. Samples below illustrate how you may fix it[html]

[/html]

dlsoderberg

I've escaped all of the single and double quotes, but still not returning to the Form API script.


The complete Features code being returned is:

<p><a href=\"http://www.ama-assn.org/go/morningrounds\"><img height=\"60\" src=\"http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upl
oad/images/-1/promo-mr.gif\" width=\"132\" align=\"top\" border=\"0\" /></a></p>

<p><b>We want to hear from you</b><br /><a href=\"https://ssl3.ama-assn.org/cgi-bin/x-check/feedtool.pl\"
>E-mail us your comments</a>.
</p>

<p><b>Data services for physicians</b><br /><a href=\"http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/4080.html\
">Change your address</a> or <a href=\"http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/4080.html\">update your listing</a
> in DoctorFinder.
</p>

<p><b><a href=\"https://profiles.ama-assn.org/amaprofiles/#profile\">Request your ePhysician Profile</a><
/b><br />
Free for AMA members!
</p>

<p><a href=\"http://www.ama-assn.org/go/ballot\"><img height=\"60\" src=\"/ama1/pub/upload/images/366/ballot132.gif\"
 width=\"132\" border=\"0\" /></a></p>

<p><a href=\"https://membership.ama-assn.org/JoinRenew/\"><img height=\"60\" alt=\"Join or renew your AMA membership\
" src=\"/ama1/pub/upload/images/-1/join132.gif\" width=\"132\" border=\"0\" /></a></p>

<p><a href=\"http://www.ama-assn.org/apps/unity/x-check/join.cgi\"><img height=\"89\" src=\"/ama1/pub/upload/images/-
1/e-newsletter132.jpg\" width=\"132\" border=\"0\" /></a></p>


###  Completing Create Features Code Script  ###

Is there anything else you'd recommend?

ISCBorisB

Is there anything else you'd recommend?

Try to use " (Double-quote Entity) instead of escaping, see if that helps.
Also, the parameter of JS call must be a single line, see my previous post

dlsoderberg

OK, I have replaced " with " and chomped it all to one single line, but still I'm not getting back to my script.

I've hard-coded my return value to now be:

body onload="parent.getScriptFrame().populateFeaturesCode('Content for the Morning Rounds feature')">

dlsoderberg

here is where I am at with this...I've swapped out my real code for simple text to return.

FORM API


function buildFeatures() {
  var parameters = new Object();
  parameters.feature = "feature";
  alert("About to Call Server for Features");
  IWDatacapture.callServer("/iw-bin/ama/createFeaturesCode.cgi", parameters, true);
}

function populateFeaturesCode(featurescode) {
  alert("Returning from Features Call Server");
  alert("Featurescode is\n\n" + featurescode);
  IWDatacapture.getItem("/object/Content/featuresCode").setValue('featurescode');
}

CGI


use CGI;

### Get the location of iwhome
use TeamSite::Config;
my $iwhome = TeamSite::Config::iwgethome();

### Open a log file for debugging
open(LOG, "> $iwhome/tmp/createFeaturesCode_log.txt") or die "Error: $!n";
print LOG "###  Starting Create Features Code Script  ###\n\n";

### Set up our variables to use for generating the HTML file
my $featuresdir = "/default/main/AMA-WWW/WORKAREA/Content/templatedata/AMA-WWW/Features/data";
my @features = "";
my ($featuredcr,$featurefile,$featurescode,$dcr_contents,$f_name,$f_content) = "";

$featurescode = "Content for the Morning Rounds feature";

### Print the featurescode variable in the log now that it's complete
print LOG "\n\nThe complete Features code being returned is:\n$featurescode\n\n";

### Close the log file
print LOG "###  Completing Create Features Code Script  ###\n\n\n\n";
close LOG;

### Return the value to the function in the Form API script
print "Content-type: text/html\n\n";
print <
html>
head>
/head>
body onload="parent.getScriptFrame().populateFeaturesCode('$featurescode')">
/body>
/html>

EOF

### Close the script
exit;

LOG


###  Starting Create Features Code Script  ###



The complete Features code being returned is:
Content for the Morning Rounds feature

###  Completing Create Features Code Script  ###

No errors in the error.log file or anywhere else that I can find. My alerts in the populateFeaturesCode function never fire, though.

ISCBorisB

If you execute several callServer calls you may have overridden callServer's (hidden) Frame.

To check, comment out temporarily all callServer invocations except the one in question and see
if it starts working. If it does, you have an issue re-synchronising several asynchronous callServer
executions. You either do it incorrectly or do not do it at all. Look [thread=22325]here[/thread] for some discussion.

dlsoderberg

Thanks Boris! I had tried throwing some setTimeout's around the function calls originally, but that isn't taking care of the whole thing. I read this from the other thread:

You'd have to synchronize IPL Calls within FormAPI with the help of IPL-generated JS calls.
There are various ways to do it. For example, set "callInProgress" flag right after callServer and in your loop use setTimeout
JS function to check it every oh say, one-tenth of a second. If it's true, wait another 0.1 sec, etc. If it's false, execute
callServer one more time and start the process anew.

So, do you suggest something like the following?

The callServer command is executed
Set a callInProgress flag, and then call a function that checks that flag and runs a loop for setTimeout when the passed variable is true. (So the JS code will loop on the setTimeout until the flag is false)
The CGI called in the callServer runs and completes. Before calling back, it passes an additional 2 variables back to the parent: an updated callInProgress flag as false and a variable that is the name of the true callback function to hit. So the CGI will callback to the checkCallInProgress function and will then hit the else loop which will take the passed in variable for the true callback function and call that.

Would that work as you described? I just want to make sure I have an understanding on how to lay it out...the logic of what needs to be done is clear...just need to make sure it gets set up and will work!

Thanks!

ISCBorisB

Thanks Boris! I had tried throwing some setTimeout's around the function calls originally, but that isn't taking care of the whole thing. I read this from the other thread:

So, do you suggest something like the following?
The callServer command is executed
Set a callInProgress flag, and then call a function that checks that flag and runs a loop for setTimeout when the passed variable is true. (So the JS code will loop on the setTimeout until the flag is false)
The CGI called in the callServer runs and completes. Before calling back, it passes an additional 2 variables back to the parent: an updated callInProgress flag as false and a variable that is the name of the true callback function to hit. So the CGI will callback to the checkCallInProgress function and will then hit the else loop which will take the passed in variable for the true callback function and call that.
Would that work as you described? I just want to make sure I have an understanding on how to lay it out...the logic of what needs to be done is clear...just need to make sure it gets set up and will work!

Thanks!

Before you do any of that - have you validated that re-synchronization (or rather the lack of it) is indeed the reason
that this particular callServer failed to work?

dlsoderberg

Here is what I want to run onSave:
getModDate();
buildFeatures();
buildHeaderNav();
setDCRName();

If I run it with only 1 of the build... functions, it runs fine. When I have them both in there, the buildFeatures completes and calls back, but processing stops dead at that point. It runs fine if I take out either buildFeatures or buildHeaderNav.

ISCBorisB

If I run it with only 1 of the build... functions, it runs fine. When I have them both in there, the buildFeatures completes and calls back, but processing stops dead at that point. It runs fine if I take out either buildFeatures or buildHeaderNav.

Processing does not *stop dead*. Chances are, all server scripts are executed. Your problem is that on the client (JS) side
sequential callServer calls override single hidden Frame. The end-result is that all Server Side CGIs except the last one
(last called, not necessarily last finished!) are ignored by Web/App Servers, successfully executed or otherwise.

Since you perform multiple asynchronous calls on the same Event it is your (a developer) responsibility to re-synchronize
single Client-Side (Browser/JS) Execution thread with multiple Server-Side (your Perl Scripts) Threads. Although not rocket
science, it's not exactly trivial either, you'll have few bumps along the way.

Take a look at [post=83627]this[/post] post by deepakb. That is as good an explanation as I can remember of what you may want to do.
Initially ignore my comments to that post, you can do it later if required.

Hth

dlsoderberg

Thanks Boris!

I had put something similar to that in place in my code. Here are some highlights:


function buildFeatures() {
  var parameters = new Object();
  parameters.feature = "feature";
  alert("About to Call Server for Features");
  var callInProgress = "t";
  IWDatacapture.callServer("/iw-bin/ama/createFeaturesCode.cgi", parameters, true);
  checkCallInProgress(callInProgress);
}

function checkCallInProgress(callInProgress,cbfunction,codevalue) {
  alert("Returning\ncallInProgress is " + callInProgress + "\nCallback Function is " + cbfunction + "\nCode Value is " + codevalue);
  alert("Checking the Call In Process\n" + callInProgress);
  if (callInProgress == "t") {
    setTimeout(checkCallInProgres(callInProgress),0200);
  } else {
    alert("In the false check for CIP");
    alert("Function call is\n" + cbfunction + " ---- " + codevalue);
    var movealong = cbfunction(codevalue);
  }
}

CGI Callback

body onload="parent.getScriptFrame().checkCallInProgress('$cbflag','$cbfunction','$featurescode')">

Now, I'm just trying to get the call to the real callback function put together. Do you know how I can call the function based on variables that are set with the values I need to use? I tried it as it is above and with just "cbfunction(codevalue);" but neither works.

ISCBorisB

CGI Callback

body onload="parent.getScriptFrame().checkCallInProgress('$cbflag','$cbfunction','$featurescode')">

That does not look right. In the schema I've proposed you never have to check 'callInProgress' on Load.
At this moment it is always 'true', otherwise you won't be there. 'callInProgress' Flag must be set to 'true' by JS
(Client) thread and re-set back to false by the function call generated by the callServer Script.

Assuming that both 'doSomethingUseful' and 'clearTimeout' are your own FormAPI functions, something like the following on the Server side:
( 'clearTimeout' re-sets callInProgress to false and/or performs whatever else is to be done to allow next callServer execution)[html]....
print qq(

<script language="javascript">

</script>

);
[/html]

MultipleMasterPages.rptdesign

dlsoderberg

Has anyone out there tried using XmlHttpRequest directly instead of using callServer in order to be able to make a synchronous call?

dlsoderberg

I have accomplished what I wanted and needed by using XMLHttpRequest directly instead of callServer.

Thanks for all the help along the way!!!