Use of ResultTemplate in vsts extension tasks - json

Question

I created a task that talks to a REST API to retreive the values for 2 picklists.
Filling the first dropdown box works fine, when using just the jsonpath.
Based on the first picklist I'd like to retreive values of the second list.
I've tried some variations and I'm trying something like this:
The json which I receive in the first rest call is similar to:
{
"id": "45",
"href": "https://selfservice/api/configurations/45/",
"name": "Type",
"description": "",
"version": "0.0.4",
"attributes": [
{
"value": {
"sdk-object": {
"type": "ConfigurationElement",
"id": "56"
}
},
"type": "ConfigurationElement",
"name": "win"
},
{
"value": {
"sdk-object": {
"type": "ConfigurationElement",
"id": "57"
}
},
"type": "ConfigurationElement",
"name": "lin"
}
]
}
I try to show the attributes name in the list and need the id of the attribute in the second picklist.
I created the following datasourcebindings in the task.json. Of course, the targets exist in the task.
task.json:
{
"id": "GUID",
"name": "Spinup",
"friendlyName": "Create environment",
"description": "Starts Workflow to create an environment. ___ The following placeholders are created deplending on the template and can be used in the rest of the release:**XLDEnvironment** and **testAgentHostname**",
"category": "Deploy",
"author": "***",
"version": {
"Major": 0,
"Minor": 0,
"Patch": 33
},
"minimumAgentVersion": "1.95.3",
"inputs": [
{
"label": "Endpoint",
"name": "connectedServiceName",
"required": true,
"type": "connectedService:server",
"helpMarkDown": "endpoint to connect to."
},
{
"name": "stage",
"type": "string",
"label": "Stage",
"defaultValue": "$(Release.EnvironmentName)",
"required": true,
"helpMarkDown": "Stage of the release, default value is based on the pipeline."
},
{
"name": "releaseName",
"type": "string",
"label": "Environment name",
"defaultValue": "$(Release.ReleaseName)",
"required": true,
"helpMarkDown": "Name of the environment that will be created."
},
{
"name": "owner",
"type": "string",
"label": "Owner of the environment",
"defaultValue": "***",
"required": true,
"helpMarkDown": "It is common to use the initials of the product owner in this field. There has to be a valid AD user owner of each environment. This can also be set by using a variable through the pipeline."
},
{
"name": "group",
"type": "string",
"label": "Group of the owner",
"defaultValue": "",
"required": true,
"helpMarkDown": "group that owns the environment. groups can be requested by the infrastructure department. Example: ****"
},
{
"name": "platform",
"type": "pickList",
"label": "Platform (OS)",
"defaultValue": "",
"required": true,
"helpMarkDown": "Choose the type of the target platform."
},
{
"name": "size",
"type": "pickList",
"label": "Environment Template",
"defaultValue": "",
"required": true,
"helpMarkDown": "Size of the environment to create."
}
],
"dataSourceBindings": [
{
"dataSourceName": "GetCEPlatformType",
"endpointId": "$(connectedServiceName)",
"target": "platform",
"selector": "jsonpath:$.attributes[*].name",
"keySelector": "jsonpath:$.attributes[*].value.sdk-object.id"
},
{
"dataSourceName": "GetCEPlatformSize",
"endpointId": "$(connectedServiceName)",
"target": "size",
"parameters": {
"platformTypeId": "$(platform)"
}
}
],
"instanceNameFormat": "Spin up $(size) $(platform) environment",
"execution": {
"PowerShell3": {
"target": "$(currentDirectory)\\task.ps1",
"argumentFormat": "",
"workingDirectory": "$(currentDirectory)"
}
}
}
vss-extension.json:
{
"manifestVersion": 1,
"id": "*****",
"name": "Release Tasks",
"version": "1.0.1",
"publisher": "***",
"targets": [
{
"id": "Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services"
}
],
"description": "Tools to contact ***. Includes a task to spin up a platform and a task to remove the platform.",
"categories": [
"Build and release"
],
"icons": {
"default": "images/extension-icon.png"
},
"files": [
{
"path": "RemoveEnvironment"
},
{
"path": "SpinUpEnvironment"
}
],
"contributions": [
{
"id": "******",
"type": "ms.vss-distributed-task.task",
"targets": [
"ms.vss-distributed-task.tasks"
],
"properties": {
"name": "RemoveEnvironment"
}
},
{
"id": "*********",
"type": "ms.vss-distributed-task.task",
"targets": [
"ms.vss-distributed-task.tasks"
],
"properties": {
"name": "SpinUpEnvironment"
}
},
{
"description": "Service Endpoint type for all connections",
"id": "endpoint-type",
"properties": {
"authenticationSchemes": [
{
"inputDescriptors": [
{
"description": "Username",
"id": "username",
"inputMode": "textbox",
"name": "Username",
"validation": {
"dataType": "string",
"isRequired": true
}
},
{
"description": "Password",
"id": "password",
"inputMode": "passwordbox",
"isConfidential": true,
"name": "Password",
"validation": {
"dataType": "string",
"isRequired": false
}
}
],
"type": "ms.vss-endpoint.endpoint-auth-scheme-basic"
}
],
"dataSources": [
{
"endpointUrl": "api/configurations/*****/",
"name": "GetCEPlatformType",
"resultSelector": "jsonpath:$.attributes[*].name"
},
{
"endpointUrl": "api/configurations/$(platformTypeId)/",
"name": "GetCEPlatformSize",
"resultSelector": "jsonpath:$.attributes[*].name"
}
],
"displayName": "*****",
"helpMarkDown": "Enter the url and credentials to connect to the endpoint.",
"name": "server",
"url": {
"displayName": "Server URL",
"helpText": "Url for the server to connect to."
}
},
"targets": [
"ms.vss-endpoint.endpoint-types"
],
"type": "ms.vss-endpoint.service-endpoint-type"
}
]
}
Sadly I can't get this to work. The datasources exist in the endpoint, but I'm not sure what to do with the resultSelector.
Does anyone have an idea on how to get this to work? The documentation on this isn't too good.
I'm not familiar with mustache, but in the mustache test tool this seems to work.
Thoughts are appreciated!

Answer 1

Try with this in the first data source:
{
"dataSourceName": "dsList1",
"endpointId": "$(connectedServiceName)",
"target": "list1",
"selector": "jsonpath:$.attributes[*].name",
"keySelector": "jsonpath:$.attributes[*].value.sdk-object.id"
}
Update:
You were trying to use "platformTypeId" in vss-extension.json file while it was defined in task.json, this cause the error message you mentioned in the comment.
By the way, I just noticed that you are using "dataSourceBindings", then you cannot use "selector" and "KeySelector" to parse the result since they are used for "sourceDefinitions".
To achieve the feature you want with "dataSourceBindings", you can definition the endpoint url in the task.json directly instead of defining datasource in endpoint contribution.
So you can move the datasources section in the vss-extension.json file first, and then in the task.json file, change to following:
"dataSourceBindings": [
{
"endpointId": "$(connectedServiceName)",
"endpointURL": "api/configurations/*****/",
"target": "platform",
"resultselector": "jsonpath:$.attributes[*]",
"resultTemplate": "{ \"Value\" : \"{{{value.id}}}\", \"DisplayValue\" : \"{{{name}}}\" }"
},
{
"endpointId": "$(connectedServiceName)",
"endpointURL": "api/configurations/$(platformTypeId)/",
"target": "size"
}
],