AppMachine provides really powerful integration with your existing data via web services. Using the web service integration you can easily integrate your existing data into your app. But it will also allow you to post or edit your existing data from within the app. In this document you will find all kinds of FAQ about this topic.

FAQ

Q: What do I need if I want to start working with a webservice? 

• The URL of your web service, e.g. http://www.arminvanbuuren.com/feed/json/
• The goal of your web service, so will it be used to retrieve, create, update or delete data?
• Are there any parameters that should be specified when i want to use my web service?
• A little bit of technical knowledge, this just might come in handy

Q: What type of web services does AppMachine support?
We support REST Based web services.

Q: I need to secure my web service, what types of authentication do you support?
You can secure your web service with the following authentication methods:

• OAuth 2.0: This one is fully supported and is the preferred method. 
• OAuth 1.0: We recommend you to use OAuth 2.0, but we also support OAuth 1.0.
• API Keys: Can be used to secure your web service with one or more static API Keys.

Q: I get an error while I'm trying to import my web service into my app, what should I do? 
Web services can be tricky to deal with, that's why we did spend so much time on our Pro version. So it could be that we missed your specific case, but to make sure you can just use one of these sites to validate the result of your web service call:

• For JSON based web services :  http://jsonformatter.curiousconcept.com/
• For XML based web services:  http://validator.w3.org

 If the result is ok, please contact us at support@appmachine.com with your specific webservice.

Q: What will happen with the result of my web service?
When the device received a result from your web service it will be stored encrypted on the device of the app user. Even if the user is offline,  the next time he opens the app, your web service data is still available and will be shown.

Q: SOAP web services are not supported at the moment, are they going to be?
Probably, we are looking into supporting SOAP web services as well, but we do not have an estimated delivery date.

Q: What type of HTTP Methods do you support?

• GET
• POST
• PUT
• DELETE
• PATCH

Q: Will the devices directly connect to my web service?
You have two options:

1. Make it a live web service, this will cause the devices to connect directly to your web service. This might be useful when you are working with data that changes frequently. Or where the result of the web service depends on user input.
2. Make it a semi live web service, this will cause our servers to connect to your web service. The result will be stored securely in our content delivery network and we will take care of the distribution to the apps. When you are using this option you can schedule an interval in which we will update the data. 

Q: Will the data retrieved from my web service be available when my users are offline?
Yes, once the data has been downloaded just once, the user will always be able to access the data, even if they are offline. Once they get back online the data will be updated.

Q: How to adjust the datatype of a field after I've uploaded my Excel document or added my web service?
In some cases you might need to adjust the data type of a field after you've done the initial import. To do so, please follow these simple steps:

1. Select the Excel or Web Service building block;
2. Click the "..." button next to the "Dataprovider" field;
   
3. Select the "Output parameters" tab;
4. Locate the field or fields of whom the data types should be changed and click the "Edit" button;
   
5. Select the desired data type and click "OK";
   
6. Click "Save";
   
7. You can repeat step four and five to edit multiple fields at once. When you are done click the close button in the top right corner of the pop-up;

Q: Can I access the devices geolocation data and send it to my web service?

Yes! 

1. Add a Web Service block
2. Choose "Custom Web Service"
3. When defining your web service, go to the Query section at the bottom and click on the "Default Value" drop down
4. Select the geolocation information you'd like to send to your web service.