External API Lookup

The External API Lookup extension allows you to fetch resources from third-party/external apps using APIs and display the resources in a field in the content type of your stack. 

Thus, while creating an entry, you can select one or more resources from a list of possible values as an input value for the field.

This step-by-step guide explains how to create an External API Lookup extension for your content types:

1. Add the “External API Lookup” custom field to your Stack
2. Use your custom field

1. Add the “External API Lookup” custom field to your stack

   1. Go to your stack, navigate to the “Settings” gear icon, and select Extensions.
   2. On the Extensions page, click on the + Add Extension button, and select Create new. If you have not added any extensions in the stack yet, click on the create a new one link as shown below.
   3. In the Select Extension Type window, select Custom Field.
      
   4. On the Create New Extension page, enter values in the fields as given below:
      • Title (required): Provide a suitable title, for example “External API Lookup,” for your custom field. This title will be visible when you select the extension in the custom field in your content type.
      • Field Data Type (required): Select the data type in which the input data of the field should be saved in Contentstack. In this case, select Text.
      • Multiple (optional): Leave this field unchecked.
      • Hosting method (required): Select Hosted by Contentstack as the hosting method for this content type.
      • External source code (required): In this field, you need to enter the extension code. To get the code, download it from our repository. Then, open the index.html file, located at the root folder, and paste its code in this field.
      • Config Parameter (required): Provide values for the config parameters if you have used any in your source code. For the External API Lookup extension, you need to provide the Rest API endpoint that fetches the list. Here’s an example:

        {
            "url": "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users/
        }

   5. Save the custom field.

   Now, let’s understand how you can start using your extension in your content type.

2. Use your custom field

   Once you have added a custom field, you can use it in your content type like any other field. To add a custom field in your content type, perform the following steps:

   1. Create a content type and add the Custom field to it.

   2. Under Select Extension, select the “External API Lookup” field that you created and set the other properties. You can add other fields as per requirements.
      
   3. Finally, click on either Save or Save and Close to save your changes.
   4. Next, create an entry for this content type, and you will see the External Lookup API field in action.