Columns configuration¶
You also need an “external” syntax for each column to define which external data goes into that column and any handling that might apply. This is also an indexed array. Obviously indices used for each column must relate to the indices used in the general configuration. In its simplest form this is just a reference to the external data’s name:
'code' => [
'exclude' => 0,
'label' => 'LLL:EXT:externalimport_tut/locallang_db.xml:tx_externalimporttut_departments.code',
'config' => [
'type' => 'input',
'size' => 10,
'max' => 4,
'eval' => 'required,trim',
],
'external' => [
0 => [
'field' => 'code'
]
]
],
The properties for the columns configuration are described below.
Warning
Columns “crdate”, “tstamp” and “cruser_id” cannot be mapped as they are overwritten by the
DataHandler
. If you need to manipulate these columns you should use the “datamapPostProcess”
or “cmdmapPostProcess” hooks, which are called after DataHandler
operations.
Properties¶
Property | Data type | Step/Scope |
---|---|---|
arrayPath | string | Handle data (array) |
arrayPathSeparator | string | Handle data (array) |
attribute | string | Handle data (XML) |
attributeNS | string | Handle data (XML) |
children | Children records configuration | Store data |
disabledOperations | string | Store data |
field | string | Handle data |
fieldNS | string | Handle data (XML) |
MM | MM configuration | Store data |
multipleRows | boolean | Store data |
multipleSorting | string | Store data |
substructureFields | array | Handle data |
transformations | Transformations configuration | Transform data |
xmlValue | boolean | Handle data (XML) |
xpath | string | Handle data (XML) |
field¶
- Type
- string
- Description
Name or index of the field (or node, in the case of XML data) that contains the data in the external source.
For array-type data, this information is mandatory. For XML-type data, it can be left out. In such a case, the value of the current node itself will be used, or an attribute of said node, if the attribute property is also defined.
- Scope
- Handle data
arrayPath¶
- Type
- string
- Description
Replaces the field property for pointing to a field in a “deeper” position inside a multidimensional array. The value is a string comprised of the keys for pointing into the array, separated by some character (
/
by default; can be changed using the arrayPathSeparator property). Consider the following structure to import:[ 'name' => 'Zaphod Beeblebrox', 'book' => [ 'title' => 'Hitchiker\'s Guide to the Galaxy' ] ]
To import the title of the book, use a configuration like:
[ 'arrayPath' => 'book/title' ]
Works only for array-type data.
Note
Using
'arrayPath' => 'book'
is equivalent to using'field' => 'book'
, but the “field” property should be preferred in such a case.If both “field” and “arrayPath” are defined, the latter takes precedence.
- Scope
- Handle data (array)
arrayPathSeparator¶
- Type
- string
- Description
- Separator to use in the arrayPath property.
Defaults to
/
if this property is not defined. - Scope
- Handle data (array)
attribute¶
xpath¶
- Type
- string
- Description
This property can be used to execute a XPath query relative to the node selected with the field property or (since version 2.3.0) directly on the current node if field is not defined.
The value will be taken from the first node returned by the query. If the attribute property is also defined, it will be applied to the node returned by the XPath query.
Please see the namespaces property for declaring namespaces to use in a XPath query.
- Scope
- Handle data (XML)
fieldNS¶
- Type
- string
- Description
Namespace for the given field. Use the full URI for the namespace, not a prefix.
Example
Given the following data to import:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <Invoice xmlns:cbc="urn:oasis:names:specification:ubl:schema:xsd:CommonBasicComponents-2" xmlns:cac="urn:oasis:names:specification:ubl:schema:xsd:CommonAggregateComponents-2"> <InvoiceLine> <cbc:ID>A1</cbc:ID> <cbc:LineExtensionAmount currencyID="USD">100.00</cbc:LineExtensionAmount> <cac:OrderReference> <cbc:ID>000001</cbc:ID> </cac:OrderReference> </InvoiceLine> ... </Invoice>
getting the value in the
<cbc:LineExtensionAmount>
tag would require the following configuration:'external' => [ 0 => [ 'fieldNS' => 'urn:oasis:names:specification:ubl:schema:xsd:CommonBasicComponents-2', 'field' => 'LineExtensionAmount' ] ]
- Scope
- Handle data (XML)
attributeNS¶
- Type
- string
- Description
- Namespace for the given attribute. Use the full URI for the namespace, not a prefix. See fieldNS for example usage.
- Scope
- Handle data (XML)
substructureFields¶
- Type
- array
- Description
Makes it possible to read several values that are located inside nested data structures. Consider the following data source:
[ { "order": "000001", "date": "2014-08-07", "customer": "Conan the Barbarian", "products": [ { "product": "000001", "qty": 3 }, { "product": "000005", "qty": 1 }, { "product": "000101", "qty": 10 }, { "product": "000102", "qty": 2 } ] }, { "order": "000002", "date": "2014-08-08", "customer": "Sonja the Red", "products": [ { "product": "000001", "qty": 1 }, { "product": "000005", "qty": 2 }, { "product": "000202", "qty": 1 } ] } ]
The “products” field is actually a nested structure, from which we want to fetch the values from both
product
andqty
. This can be achieved with the following configuration:'products' => [ 'exclude' => 0, 'label' => 'Products', 'config' => [ ... ], 'external' => [ 0 => [ 'field' => 'products', 'substructureFields' => [ 'products' => [ 'field' => 'product' ], 'quantity' => [ 'field' => 'qty' ] ], ... ] ] ]
The keys to the configuration array correspond to the names of the columns where the values will be stored. The configuration for each element can use all the existing properties for retrieving data:
The substructure fields are searched for inside the structure selected with the “main” data pointer. In the example above, the whole “products” structure is first fetched, then the
product
andqty
are searched for inside that structure.The above example will read the values in the
product
nested field and put it into “products” column. Same forqty
and “quantity”. The fact that there are several entries will multiply imported records, actually denormalising the data on the fly. The result would be something like:order date customer products quantity 000001 2014-08-07 Conan the Barbarian 000001 3 000001 2014-08-07 Conan the Barbarian 000005 1 000001 2014-08-07 Conan the Barbarian 000101 10 000001 2014-08-07 Conan the Barbarian 000102 2 000002 2014-08-08 Sonja the Red 000001 1 000002 2014-08-08 Sonja the Red 000005 2 000002 2014-08-08 Sonja the Red 000202 1 Obviously if you have a single element in the nested structure, no denormalisation happens. Due to this denormalisation you probably want to use this property in conjunction with the multipleRows or children properties.
Note
In such scenarios you will generally want to have one of the nested fields “take the main role”, i.e. have its value fill a column bearing the name of TYPO3 column which contains the substructure configuration. In the above example, the
product
field is matched to the “products” column name.- Scope
- Handle data
MM¶
- Type
- MM configuration
- Description
Definition of MM-relations, see specific reference for more details.
Warning
This property is deprecated. Use multipleRows or children according to your needs.
- Scope
- Transform data
multipleRows¶
- Type
- boolean
- Description
Set to
true
if you have denormalized data. This will tell the import process that there may be more than one row per record to import and that all values for the given column must be gathered and collapsed into a comme-separated list of values. See the Mapping data chapter for explanations about the impact of this flag.If these values need to be sorted, use the multipleSorting property.
- Scope
- Store data
multipleSorting¶
- Type
- string
- Description
If the multipleRows need to be sorted, use this property to name the field which should be used for sorting. This can be any of the mapped fields, additional fields or substructure fields.
Note
The sorting is done using the PHP function
strnatcasecmp()
, so make sure that your data plays well with it.- Scope
- Store data
children¶
- Type
- array (see Children records configuration)
- Description
- This property makes it possible to create nested structures and import them in one go. This may typically be “sys_file_reference” records for a field containing images. This should be used anytime you are using a MM table into which you need to write specific properties (like “sys_file_reference”). For simple MM tables (like “sys_category_record_mm”), you don’t need to create this children sub-structure for the MM table. It is enough to gather a comma-separated list of “sys_category” primary keys.
- Scope
- Store data
transformations¶
- Type
- array (see Transformations configuration)
- Description
Array of transformation properties. The transformations will be executed as ordered by their array keys.
Example:
$GLOBALS['TCA']['fe_users']['columns']['starttime']['external'] = [ 0 => [ 'field' => 'start_date', 'transformations => [ 20 => [ 'trim' => true ], 10 => [ 'userFunction' => [ 'class' => \Cobweb\ExternalImport\Task\DateTimeTransformation::class, 'method' => 'parseDate' ] ] ] ] ];
The “userFunction” will be executed first (
10
) and the “trim” next (20
).- Scope
- Transform data
xmlValue¶
- Type
- boolean
- Description
- When taking the value of a node inside a XML structure, the default behaviour
is to retrieve this value as a string. If the node contained a XML sub-structure,
its tags will be stripped. When setting this value to
true
, the XML structure of the child nodes is preserved. - Scope
- Handle data (XML)
disabledOperations¶
- Type
- array
- Description
Comma-separated list of database operations from which the column should be excluded. Possible values are “insert” and “update”.
See also the general property disabledOperations.
- Scope
- Store data