Access a UI Part Metadata Item (via JavaScript API)

When you want the data from a UI Part Metadata Item and you're working in JavaScript, the Aptify JavaScript API provides a handy interface.

Step-by-step guide

1. Know the Table Name you want to access – not the Name of the UI Part Metadata Item itself, but of one of its Tables that has Include In Data Set checked.

   var upmiTable = "entityCards";

2. Call Aptify.framework.utility.cache.getMetaData and use the UI Part Metadata Item in the callback.

   Access a UI Part Metadata Item

   Aptify.framework.utility.cache.getMetaData(upmiTable, function (data) {
   	// If we end up in the callback, we know that we've succeeded
   	// data holds the JSON array tied to the upmiTable key
   });

   So, for the Entity Cards array, which has a JSON UI Part that looks like this:

   Entity Cards UI Part Metadata Item JSON

    {"entityCards": 
   	[	{"id":"1","name":"Persons Default", ..., 
   		 "uiParts":
   			[	{"id":"1","entityCardId":"1", ...}
   			]
   		},
   		{"id":"2","name":"Companies Default", ..., 
   		 "uiParts":
   			[	{"id":"2","entityCardId":"2", ...}
   			]
   		},
   		...
   	]
   }

   The "data" parameter passed to the callback function will look like this:

   JSON Array From getMetaData()

   [	{"id":"1","name":"Persons Default", ..., 
   	 "uiParts":
   		[	{"id":"1","entityCardId":"1", ...}
   		]
   	},
   	{"id":"2","name":"Companies Default", ..., 
   	 "uiParts":
   		[	{"id":"2","entityCardId":"2", ...}
   		]
   	},
   	...
   ]

   Because getMetaData() is a function that accesses the cache, it's possible for it to return synchronously if the requested metadata is already in the browser's local storage:

   Synchronous Use of getMetaData()

   var data = Aptify.framework.utility.cache.getMetaData(upmiTable); 

   However, you as the programmer are not in control of the cache, so the best practice is to stick to using the function asynchronously.

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