Server Side Scripting

A component or service can have a serverside part, so logic is executed on the server, in the spec file this is configured like:

"serverscript": "servoydefault/tabpanel/tabpanel_server.js",

Server side scripting can contain API methods defined in the spec of the component / service. These methods execute then directly server-side. When a certain API is called from Servoy scripting, Servoy will first check if that API is defined server side. If it is, it will just call the server side API method.

If the API method is not defined in the server side file (or component doesn't have server side scripting at all) , Servoy will call that method from the client side js file of the service / component. Any such message or call that is send to client will send all the outstanding server-side model changes as well to the client - so that client will be in sync with server before the API method gets called.

As this server side file can also have the implementation of the API that is defined in the .spec file, you can handle complex things server side; this can be used as a performance enhancement so that the api call doesn't have to go to the client to execute at the moment the call is made from Servoy solution code.

The API call that is executed server-side could for example just update some model properties of the component/service; these will be sent automatically as one thing to the client when the server-side code is done. And then client can detect those model changes. Or server-side code could call directly a client side API method after doing some pre-processing for example. More complex components like grouping girds based on foundsets or services like form popup service heavily rely on server-side implementation both for public APIs (defined in "api" section in the .spec file and present in server-side scripting through $scope.api.xyz()) and for private implementations details from internalAPIs (defined in "internalApi" section of the .spec file and present in server-side scripting through $scope.xyz()).

Server-side code is build up the same as the client-side so you have $scope object with model and api and (since 8.3) handler objects. On that $scope.api object you have to define the public api methods that you want to execute server side. The difference - compared to client side structure is that internalApis from .spec are defined directly on $scope compared to client - where internalApis are defined in the same place as public apis. More info on the $scope.handler usage is given below.

An example is the default tabpanel.

What can also be done (Servoy 8.0.2+) is that clientside scripting can call the server part. These function has to be defined on the $scope object, as an example:

$scope.mycallback = function(name,type) {
	return "something";
}

For information about documenting API functions see the documenting api functions example. For information about documenting model properties and handlers please have a look at Documenting what properties do / Documenting handlers and handler templates.

Since Servoy 8.2 you must also define these functions in a special Api category of the spec, internalApi. In prior versions define these in api section instead.

"internalApi":
	{
		"mycallback" :{
			"returns": "string",
	         "parameters":[
	            				{
						            "name":"name",
						            "type":"string"
					            },
					            {
						            "name":"type",
						            "type":"string"
						        }
	            			 ]
		}
	}

then a component can use the servoyapi to call this

  // assign to the scope the svy-servoyapi
  scope: {
    	  model: '=svyModel',
		  servoyApi: '=svyServoyapi'
      },
 
// in the controller or link functions you can use that then
 $scope.servoyApi.callServerSideApi("mycallback",["test", "1"]).then(function(retValue) {
   console.log(retValue);    
 });

the callServerSideApi wants to have the function name and an array of arguments, it returns a promise of angular where the then function will give you the return value of the callback.

For a service you can use the $services service to do the same thing. the only thing extra is that you have to also give the servicename itself:

$services.callServerSideApi("myservicename","mycallback",["test", "1"]).then(function(retValue) {
   console.log(retValue);    
 });

Internal API can also be used for API that is defined on client, but can only be called from server side scripting. This API shouldn't be called from Servoy Developer scripting and won't show in code completion.

Since Servoy 8.3 server side scripting also has access to the handlers a developer has assigned in the designer through $scope.handlers. Together with the new "private:true" configuration on a handler definition in the spec file, you can make handlers that are not directly callable from the client but only through server side scripting.

$scope.mycallback = function(name,type) {
    // call a hanlder directly with the arguments are return the value the handler gives
	return $scope.handlers.onAction(name,type);
}

Private handlers which are callable only serverside can be used to implement secure complex web components; for instance a Navigation Menu component which has a collection of MenuItems custom type. When the whole menu is disabled you can use the protecting properties (see Protecting Properties at Specification (.spec file)) to block certain handlers to be triggered; however when a single MenuItem is disabled and the navigation menu is enabled meanwhile, to securely prevent the handler to be executed for the disabled MenuItem (e.g. onMenuItemClick should be executed only if the menu item is enabled), you should call a server side script which verifies the MenuItem is actually enabled and triggers the private handler from the server side script.

Logging

Inside the server side scripting file of a component/service you can log messages using "console", not application,output. The output will appear in developer's console view as well as in the application server log file (depending on configured logging levels). For example:

console.log(message);
console.warn(message);
console.error(message);

Servoy API

Starting with Servoy 8.3.1 inside the server side scripting file of a component/service you can call specific api using object "servoyApi".

hideForm api  is used to mark a form as not visible anymore immediately because cannot wait for client to mark it as hidden(for example in removeTab of a tabpanel). 

servoyApi.hideForm('myform')

copyObject is used to create a new javascript object from existing one. This is a shortcut for creating the object from scratch and copying all properties.

var tabCopy = servoyApi.copyObject($scope.model.tabs[0])

getViewFoundSet is used to creates a view (read-only) foundset from a query builder select (QBSelect) (available starting with Servoy 8.4.0)

var query = parentFoundset.getQuery();
var myViewFoundset = servoyApi.getViewFoundSet("myViewFoundset", query);

getQuerySelect  is used to get select query for a dataSource (available starting with Servoy 2019.03)

var query = servoyApi.getQuerySelect(foundset.getDataSource());