Configure API Templates

The API library for Business Central provides a simplified representation of the underlying entities. All the properties in the application are not exposed through the associated API. The API Setup page allows you to define templates that are used to populate empty properties on an entity when you create a POST action through the API.

For example, if a configuration template is defined for the item entity, when a new item record is created through the items API, any properties for the new item that are not defined in the API call will be populated from the selected template. If, for example, no value is defined for the Gen. Prod. Posting Group field through the API, but a value is defined in the selected template, then the posting group value defined in the template will be applied to the new item.

Setting up the Entity Template

To use templates with the API library, you must first set up and define properties for the templates. You can set up these templates on the Configuration Templates page. For more information, see Migrate On-Premises Data to Business Central Online (in English only) in the administration content.

Assign the template to an API

To assign a template to an API, you must go through the following steps.

Note

API templates can only be set up with the following API pages: contacts, countriesRegions, currencies, customers, employees, itemCategories, paymentMethods, paymentTerms, shipmentMethods, unitsOfMeasure, and vendors.

1. Choose the icon, enter API Setup, and choose the related link.

2. Choose New, and then choose the Order value for the record.

   If there is more than one template selected for an API (Page ID), the templates are applied in the order defined in the Order column.

   When each template is applied, field values defined in the template are only applied to fields that have not already had a value defined, either explicitly in the API, or in a previously applied template in the order.

3. Select a Page ID value.

   This is the page for the API to which the template will be applied. The Page ID lookup provides a list of all APIs available in the library.

4. Select a value in the Template Code field.

   The template code is the code for the template that was defined on the Configuration Templates page. The template values defined are applied to the API.

5. In the Conditions field, specify which template should be applied.

   The defined template is applied to a new record created through the API if, and only if, the conditions defined in the Conditions field are met by the values already defined for the new instance of the entity.

See Also

API Documentation
Develop Connect Apps for Business Central
Enabling the APIs
Endpoints for the APIs
Administration

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