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Defining Outputs

Outputs define what data your feature returns after execution. You map values from your inputs and event results into a structured response.

Basic Structure​

output: {
  userId: '$Sequence{main}{create-user}{id}',
  email: '$Input{email}',
  status: 'success'
}

Mapping Syntax​

Use these patterns to pull values from different sources:

SyntaxWhat It DoesExample
$Input{field}Gets a value from the input$Input{email}
$Sequence{seq}{event}{field}Gets a result from an event$Sequence{main}{create-user}{id}
$Variable{app}{key}Gets an app variable$Variable{stripe}{api_version}
$Constant{app}{key}Gets an app constant$Constant{config}{currency}
$Session{tag}{field}Gets session data$Session{user}{name}
$Response{field}Gets current action response$Response{id}
$Token{key}Gets workspace secrets$Token{api_key}
$Auth{field}Gets app authentication data$Auth{access_token}
$Size{reference}Gets size of object (number of keys)$Size{$Input{userData}}
$Length{reference}Gets length of array or string$Length{$Input{items}}

Examples​

Simple Output​

Return the input email and a result from the first event:

output: {
  email: '$Input{email}',
  userId: '$Sequence{main}{create-user}{id}'
}

Nested Output​

Create a structured response with nested objects:

output: {
  user: {
    id: '$Sequence{main}{create-user}{id}',
    email: '$Input{email}'
  },
  payment: {
    chargeId: '$Sequence{main}{charge-card}{id}',
    amount: '$Input{amount}',
    currency: '$Constant{payments}{default_currency}'
  },
  status: 'completed'
}

Using Event Results​

When an event runs, its response is stored and can be referenced:

// If the create-user event returns: { id: 'usr_123', created_at: '2024-01-15' }

output: {
  userId: '$Sequence{main}{create-user}{id}',           // 'usr_123'
  createdAt: '$Sequence{main}{create-user}{created_at}' // '2024-01-15'
}

Using Secrets, App Auth, and Size References​

Access workspace secrets, app authentication, and check object/array sizes:

output: {
  // Workspace secrets and app authentication
  apiKey: '$Token{external_api_key}',                           // Workspace secret
  appToken: '$Auth{access_token}',                               // App authentication

  // Size/length checks
  userDataFields: '$Size{$Input{userData}}',                    // Number of keys in userData object
  totalItems: '$Length{$Sequence{main}{fetch-items}{items}}',   // Length of items array
  usernameLength: '$Length{$Input{username}}',                  // Length of username string

  // Combined with operators
  authHeader: '$Concat(["Bearer ", $Token{api_secret}], "")',
  appAuthHeader: '$Concat(["Bearer ", $Auth{access_token}], "")',
}

Complete Example​

await ductape.features.create({
  name: 'Process Order',
  tag: 'process-order',
  description: 'Creates order and charges payment',
  input_type: 'JSON',
  input: {
    customerId: { type: 'STRING' },
    amount: { type: 'FLOAT' },
    items: { type: 'ARRAY' }
  },
  sequence: [
    {
      tag: 'main',
      events: [
        {
          type: 'database_action',
          event: 'orders-db:create-order',
          input: {
            data: {
              customer_id: '$Input{customerId}',
              total: '$Input{amount}'
            }
          },
          retries: 1,
          allow_fail: false
        },
        {
          type: 'action',
          app: 'stripe',
          event: 'create-charge',
          input: {
            body: { amount: '$Input{amount}' }
          },
          retries: 3,
          allow_fail: false
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  output: {
    order: {
      id: '$Sequence{main}{create-order}{id}',
      customerId: '$Input{customerId}'
    },
    payment: {
      chargeId: '$Sequence{main}{create-charge}{id}',
      amount: '$Input{amount}'
    },
    status: 'success'
  }
});

Tips​

  1. Only include what you need - Don't expose internal data unnecessarily
  2. Use clear field names - Match your API contract
  3. Static values work too - status: 'success' is valid
  4. Nest for clarity - Group related fields together

See Also​