Creating handlers to receive events with IFX

This guide helps developers learn how to build event handlers within an integration to receive both asynchronous (async) and synchronous (sync) events.

Prerequisites

Have created an integration
Have your local environment set up
Download the starter bundle or have a bundle locally ready to go

Handlers, routers, and key files

The /src directory is where the action happens — and there are a few files in there worth knowing.

Directorysrc
- DirectoryeventsHandlers
  - defaultHandler.js
- eventsRouter.js

eventsRouter.json: maps each event to the handler that should process it. The keys are the names of the handler files (without extensions), and the values list the events they handle.

You can call your handlers whatever you please, but a name that hints at what they handle might save future-you some head-scratching.

{
  "storyHandler": ["story:create", "story:update"],
  "storyDeleteHandler": ["story:delete"]
}

When you run npm run localTestingServer, /src/eventsHandlers.js is auto-generated to include the handler files defined in eventsRouter.json. There is no need to modify this file, it’s just to show how it works.

const storyHandler = require('./eventsHandlers/storyHandler');
const storyDeleteHandler = require('./eventsHandlers/storyDeleteHandler');

module.exports = {
  storyHandler,
  storyDeleteHandler,
}

If you prefer to manage this file yourself, you can remove these lines from package.json. Just remember that you’ll have to manually maintain it.

"prelocalTestingServer": "node node_modules/@arcxp/arcxp-ifx-node-sdk/eventsHandlersModuleGenerator",
"postinstall": "npm run prelocalTestingServer",

Creating an event handler

Next, in the /eventsHandler directory, add the following files:

const storyHandler = (event) => {
  console.log(`my logic in storyHandler`);
  console.log(JSON.stringify(event, null, 2));
}

module.exports = storyHandler;

const storyDeleteHandler = (event) => {
  console.log(`my logic in storyDeleteHandler`);
  console.log(JSON.stringify(event, null, 2));
}

module.exports = storyDeleteHandler;

Now if I run npm run localTestingServer I see the following with no errors:

> @myorg/myorg-myintegration@1.0.0 prestart
> node node_modules/@arcxp/arcxp-ifx-node-sdk/eventsHandlersModuleGenerator

The 'eventsHandlers' file content:
const storyDeleteHandler = require('./eventsHandlers/storyDeleteHandler');
const storyHandler = require('./eventsHandlers/storyHandler');

module.exports = {
  storyDeleteHandler,
  storyHandler,
}

> @myorg/myorg-myintegration@1.0.0 start
> node node_modules/@arcxp/arcxp-ifx-node-sdk/localTestingServer

Loading environment configuration for env:  development
Local Express Server Started at http://127.0.0.1:8080/ifx/local/invoke

You’ve set up the handlers, routing, and files. Next stop: Locally simulate HTTP requests to watch your integration come alive.

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