Filling values from external sources

External Data Source (External Data Source, EDS) is an Eximee mechanism that allows form components to be fed with data originating outside the form itself (e.g. from backend services or dictionaries). Thanks to EDS, components can dynamically fetch and display current information while the application is being filled out, instead of relying solely on statically defined values.

For components, we can define the following external data sources:

Source type	Source description
DICTIONARY	Data fed from a dictionary. Description in: Attaching the dictionary data source.
ENTRY_SERVICE	Service for the application. Description in: Example of attaching in a page service or application component.
EXIT_SERVICE	Service for the application. Description in: Example of attaching in a page service or application component.
EXTERNAL_SECTION	Service corresponding to the contents of a section for direct embedding in the application.
PAGE_SERVICE	Service for the application page. Description in: Example of attaching in a page service or application component.
SERVICE	Service corresponding to a key-value map. Description in: Example of binding the service in the component.
SUGGESTER_SERVICE	Suggester (description in: Suggester attachment). Available only for the Text Field component. Availability of functionality depends on the license and may not be available in all deployments.
UNPARK_ENTRY_SERVICE	Service triggered when the application is unparked.

Example uses of EDS:

• Lists from external services: Selection fields (e.g. Combobox) can automatically fill themselves with a list of options fetched from an external service (Service Proxy), e.g. a list of products or SWIFT codes from an external system.
• Local dictionaries: Values can come from dictionaries defined in the Eximee Library – e.g. a list of countries, document types – shared between different applications.
• Suggester (hint service): Text fields can use special services of the Suggestertype, which suggest or correct the entered value.
• Page/application services: EDS also includes services associated with the entire application or page (the so-called Page Service, Entry Service, Exit Service), which can fetch data for many fields at once in a single operation (e.g. loading customer data when the application opens).

Demo application: demoUslugi