HTTP GET Data Source
TrueContext uses an HTTP GET Data Source Data sources, also known as "Lookups", are external sources of data that you upload or connect to TrueContext. You can reference this data in a form to populate answers or answer options. Data sources save typing, reduce errors, and make it easy to provide mobile users with only the relevant, most current data. to retrieve data from external web applications or storage systems via HTTP GET requests. This data can populate Dropdown, Multiselect, and Radio Button questions—ideal for asset lists, inventory, customer records, or other operational data.
This topic explains how the HTTP GET Data Source works and how to configure it in TrueContext.
Available on the Advanced and Enterprise tiers:
Contents
How an HTTP GET Data Source works
A TrueContext HTTP GET Data Source fetches data from external systems by means of an HTTP GET request.
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Configuration: An admin sets up the Data Source in the TrueContext Web Portal
The TrueContext Web Portal is a web application used to manage security settings, forms, FormSpaces, other users, Data Sources, and Data Destinations., specifying:
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External API URL
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Authentication (via HTTP Connection)
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Expected data format (CSV, Excel, XML, or JSON)
Tip:TrueContext supports pagination for JSON responses.
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Fetch schedule (manual or automatic)
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Data fetching:
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The TrueContext server sends an HTTP GET request:
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On a schedule or manual trigger.
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Using the configured settings and query parameters.
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The external system returns the requested data.
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Data handling:
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TrueContext parses and stores the data in a tabular format.
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Data downloads to mobile devices during app reconciliation.
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Form integration:
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Mobile users access the data through Dropdown, Multiselect, or Radio Button questions.
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The data can also drive conditional logic and populate other questions in the form.
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Setup instructions: HTTP GET Data Source
Prerequisites
- Admin or "Can Create" permissions in your FormSpace
FormSpaces are where forms are stored and organized in the TrueContext Web Portal. A TrueContext Team may have multiple FormSpaces, depending on their needs. Admins can set FormSpace permissions to control which users have access to the forms in that FormSpace.
- Advanced or Enterprise tier subscription
- API documentation and valid credentials for the external system
- At least one problem contact email configured for your TrueContext team
Basic configuration
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From the Forms & Integrations menu, create or edit a Data Source.
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To create a new Data Source:
Forms & Integrations > Data Sources
Data sources, also known as "Lookups", are external sources of data that you upload or connect to TrueContext. You can reference this data in a form to populate answers or answer options. Data sources save typing, reduce errors, and make it easy to provide mobile users with only the relevant, most current data. > Create Data Source
Select the type of Data Source that you want to create.
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To edit a Data Source:
Forms & Integrations > Data Sources > Data Source Name > Edit DATA Source
where Data Source Name is the Data Source that you want to edit.
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Choose HTTP GET as the Data Source type.
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On the Name tab:
- Enter a Name (required).
- Enter a Description (optional) to help identify the Data Source when you have more than one in the system.
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Do you want to fetch data as soon as you're done setting up the Data Source?
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If yes, in the Actions section, select Fill the Source Data immediately.
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If no, go to the section Data Retrieval and Format.
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Data Retrieval and Format
Notification and fetch settings
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You can set up the Data Source to notify field technicians when the TrueContext server has fetched new data.
Do you want to prompt users to reconcile after a fetch?
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If yes, select Push updates to device after a fetch.
Tip:We recommend this option when it's critical for your field technicians to have the most up-to-date information.
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If no, clear the option to push updates.
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You can fetch data automatically or manually.
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To fetch data automatically at regular intervals (hourly maximum):
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Select the Automatically fetch new data on a schedule option. With this option, you can also fetch data manually as needed.
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Set the Fetch Frequency and the Fetch Timezone.
Info:The topic Data Sources Overview: How the system schedules Data Source fetches describes these settings in more detail.If you need to fetch data more often than once per hour, you can use an API call to fetch Data Source contents.
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When you're ready to start fetching data, select Activate this schedule….
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To only fetch data manually, as needed, clear the Automatically fetch new data on a schedule option.
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Input configuration
The Input Configuration section contains settings for how TrueContext handles the HTTP response.
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Check the API documentation for the target system, and note the format of the sample response body. Then, select the Data Format of the HTTP response.
Result: The options change based on your selections.
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Set up the format-specific data handling options.
Info:For a JSON response body, check that TrueContext supports the structure of the JSON data.
All data formats
Setting Description UTF-8 Encoded Uses the UTF-8 character encoding standard to support global character sets. Trim Whitespace Removes leading and trailing whitespace from data values. Recommended to avoid API issues. CSV
Setting Description CSV Delimiter Comma or semicolon, to separate data values. XML and JSON
Setting Description Root Node Specifies which node to use when your API response has multiple nodes at the root level.
XML Example:
<response> <items> <item>...</item> <item>...</item> </items> <links> <link>...</link> <link>...</link> </links> </response>
To retrieve data from the
items
node, set the Root Node to/response/items
.JSON Examples:
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Top-level array: Use the name of the array node at the root of the JSON response.
{ "items": [ ... ], "links": [ ... ] }
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To retrieve data from the
items
array, set the Root Node to:/items
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To retrieve data from the
links
array, set the Root Node to:/links
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Nested array: Use JSON Pointer syntax to specify a nested array node within the response.
{ "data": { "items": [ ... ], "links": [ ... ] } }
To retrieve data from the
items
array insidedata
, set the Root Node to:/data/items
Note:When you specify paths to data fields, use JSON Pointer syntax. Start your path with a forward slash (/). The forward slash at the beginning means you're starting from the root of the document.
JSON
Setting Description Enable pagination Enables retrieval of paginated datasets using link, token, offset, or page number methods.
Link-based pagination
Description Configuration Examples Uses a field in the API response (such as @odata.nextLink
) to provide the URL for the next page.Provide the JSON Pointer syntax to the next page link. /@odata.nextLink
/links/next
Token-based pagination
Description Configuration Examples Extracts a token (such as next_page_token
) from the response and sends it as a request parameter.Provide the JSON Pointer syntax for the token and the token parameter name. Token node:
/meta/next_cursor
Token parameter:
cursor
Offset-based pagination
Description Configuration Examples Uses numeric parameters ( offset
,limit
) to specify which records to retrieve next.Provide:
- Offset parameter
- Limit parameter
- At least one of the following nodes is required:
- Total Results Node
- More Results Node
- If both node paths are provided, the More Results Node path takes precedence.
- Offset:
offset
,startAt
- Limit:
limit
,maxResults
- Total Results:
/meta/pagination/total
- More Results:
/info/more_records
Page Number-based pagination
Description Configuration Examples Uses page number and page size parameters to specify which page to return and how many items to return per page. The page number value is not configurable. The page number starts at 1 and increments for each request. Provide:
- Page Number parameter
- Page Size parameter
- At least one of the following nodes is required:
- Total Results Node
- More Results Node
- If both node paths are provided, the More Results Node path takes precedence.
- Page Number:
page
,pageIndex
- Page Size:
per_page
,pageSize
- Total Results:
/meta/pagination/total, /totalCount
- More Results:
/pageInfo/hasNextPage, /info/more_records
Note:When you specify paths to data fields, use JSON Pointer syntax. Start your path with a forward slash (/). The forward slash at the beginning means you're starting from the root of the document.
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Connection
An HTTP Connection establishes secure communication between TrueContext and a third-party system.
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On the Connection tab, set up a new HTTP Connection or choose an existing connection. Do you need to set up a new connection?
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If yes, select Create a new Connection, and then follow the steps in the section Create a new Connection.
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If no, follow the steps in the section Set up the HTTP request.
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Create a new Connection
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Enter a unique Name (required) and a Description (optional). If you have multiple HTTP Connections
A Connection is an integration point that's used to link a TrueContext Data Source or Data Destination to an external service to import or export data. Data Destinations and Data Sources that share the same external service can also share the same Connection., a detailed description helps you identify each one.
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Select the FormSpaces that can access the Connection.
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Under Base Connection URL, enter your third-party system Base URL.
Tip: The Base URL is the part of an API endpoint that all endpoints for a system have in common. You specify the Base URL in the Connection, and then you specify endpoints in Data Sources and Destinations. This way, you can reuse your Connection for multiple integrations with the same system.For example, if your API endpoint is
https://api.thirdparty.com/1.0/data/{dataId}
, then your Base URL ishttps://api.thirdparty.com/
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Do you need to authenticate using an Authentication Scheme?
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If no, select Anonymous Access.
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If yes, select an Authentication Scheme.
Authentication Scheme Credentials required Basic Enter a Username and Password. Digest Enter a Username and Password. NTLM Enter a Username and Password. Form-Based -
Enter a Username, Password, Login POST Url, Username POST Parameter, and Password POST Parameter.
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(Optional) Enter a Connection Initialization GET URL.
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If required, enter any additional POST Parameters.
Bearer Enter a Bearer Token. OAuth 2.0 Note:Before you set up your Connection using OAuth, you must configure an OAuth app in your authorization server. When you do this, specify the following Redirect URI:
https://live.prontoforms.com/security/oauth/connections/httpoauth
Info:We’re now TrueContext.To support existing integrations, some items will continue to use “prontoforms” or “pf” in the domain or code.
For more detailed information about what’s changing, visit https://support.truecontext.com/hc/en-us/articles/19516168513556
Select a Grant Type:
Grant Type Actions Client Credentials -
Enter an Access Token URL, Client ID, and Client Secret.
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(Optional) Enter a list of Scopes separated by a space.
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(Optional) Select Add to set up Additional Parameters. Enter a Parameter Name and Parameter Value. You can enter up to ten additional parameters.
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Select Connect to check that you successfully connected.
Authorization Code -
Enter an Authorization Code URL, Access Token URL, Client ID, and Client Secret.
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(Optional) Enter a list of Scopes separated by a space.
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(Optional) Select Add to set up Additional Parameters. Enter a Parameter Name and Parameter Value. You can enter up to ten additional parameters.
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Select Connect to check that you successfully connected.
Note:If you change any of the OAuth 2.0 values you entered, the system resets your Connection. Select Connect, and then save your changes.
Tip:TrueContext supports OAuth 2.0 Refresh Tokens. The system attempts to refresh the Connection if it expires.
API Key Enter a Header Name and Header Value. These are included with all HTTP requests to authenticate with the third-party system. -
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Set up the HTTP request
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Your Connection defines a Base Connection URL. This is the first part of the URL used by your HTTP Data Sources and Destinations.
In the URL Path field, enter the portion of the URL that uniquely identifies the resource you want to retrieve.
To find the URL for the GET endpoint, refer to your system's API documentation.
Note:Remember to:Ensure that the Base Connection URL and URL Path combination forms a valid URL. For example, if the Base Connection URL is
https://api.yourcompany.com/v1/
and the URL Path iscustomers
, the resulting URL is:https://api.yourcompany.com/v1/customers
Make sure there's a slash between the two parts.
Exclude any special characters that aren't part of the URL.
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Enter any required Query-String Arguments as a set of key-value pairs. TrueContext sends these as query parameters as part of the URL. For example, you can use query parameters to limit results by date range, status, or geographic region.
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Include any necessary request headers based on your third-party system’s API documentation specifications, except for authentication headers.
Note:Use an HTTP Connection to authenticate instead of Data Source or Data Destination
A Data Destination specifies where to send data from a submitted form. You can use Data Destinations to automate data sharing and storage, routing data to a specific service (such as email or cloud storage) in several different formats. headers. This keeps credentials and authentication values secure. The topic HTTP Connection includes a list of supported authentication methods.
Best practices for HTTP GET requests
- Request only the data fields you actually need in mobile forms to optimize API performance.
- Use appropriate filters (query parameters) to limit result set size and reduce data transfer times.
- Configure reasonable fetch frequencies to balance data freshness with system performance.
- Monitor API rate limits and adjust fetch timing to avoid exceeding quota restrictions.
- Use HTTPS endpoints whenever possible for encrypted data transmission.
- Store authentication credentials in Connection settings, not Data Source configuration.
- Regularly review and rotate API keys and authentication tokens for security.
- Limit API permissions to read-only access when possible.
Troubleshooting
- Check your base URL format if you're experiencing connection failures. Ensure the external system is accessible.
- Verify that firewall rules allow outbound connections from TrueContext servers.
- Confirm that your API credentials are current and valid if receiving authentication errors.
- Check that authentication headers are properly configured in Connection settings.
- Review your API documentation to ensure correct data format selection.
- Verify root node paths for JSON responses and delimiter settings for CSV data.
- Confirm the query parameters if you're receiving empty result sets.
- Test the complete API endpoint directly using tools like Postman or curl to verify expected responses.