Data Storage: Storing data against entities and extensions

While you build an extension for Zoho BugTracker, you might have to store the extension's data somewhere. We use key-value pairs to store such data against entities and extensions. Hence, the need for a traditional database like RDBMS, where the data will be stored in rows and columns, is eliminated. 

• Entity Properties
  • Key-Value pair
  • Storing data against an entity
  • entity.store
  • entity.retrieve
  • entity.update
  • entity.remove
  • Limitations of entity properties
• Extension property
  • app.store
  • app.retrieve
  • app.update
  • app.remove
  • Limitations of extension properties

Entity Properties

What is a key-value pair?

'Key-value' is a format in which data can be stored. You can store the property or an attribute of an entity or an extension in a key-value pair.  The key will be a unique string and the value will be a JSON object. Data like session information, user profiles, and preferences can be stored as key-value pairs. You can store data against the entities we support and the extensions you develop for Zoho BugTracker.

Storing data against an entity

Zoho BugTracker supports the 'issue' entity. You will be able to store issue-specific data against their respective entities. The key will be a unique string and the data will be a JSON object that has to be identified with the key in the future. You can store, retrieve, update, and delete the data that you store against an entity using the following methods respectively.

entity.store

Stores data against an entity.

var value = [
{"id" : "1-QabBt69U8myXYRDVU-1YiCo2k-JWRfu","name" : "Sample.png"}
];
zohobugtracker.entity.store("6573492", value).then(function(response)
/* Output
{
  "properties": [
    {
      "key": "6573492",
      "value": "[{\"id\":\"1-QabBt69U8myXYRDVU-1YiCo2k-JWRfu\",\"name\":\"sample.png\"}]",
      "id": 1587134426
    }
  ]
}
*/
);

Arguments

entity.retrieve

Retrieves the data stored against an entity. The argument of this method should be the key that was used when the same data was stored.

zohobugtracker.entity.retrieve("6573492").then(function(response)
/*Output
{
  "properties": [
    {
      "key": "6573492",
      "value": "[{\"id\":\"1-QabBt69U8myXYRDVU-1YiCo2k-JWRfu\",\"name\":\"update.png\"}]",
      "id": 1587134426
    }
  ]
}
*/
);

entity.update

Updates the data that's stored against an entity. The argument of this method is a JSON object with the following three predefined keys:

var valueObj = [
{"id" : "1-QabBt69U8myXYRDVU-1YiCo2k-JWRfu","name" : "Sample_New.png"}
];
zohobugtracker.entity.update({id:"1587134426",key:"6573492",value:valueObj}).then(function(response)
/*Output
{
  "properties": [
    {
      "key": "6573492",
      "value": "[{\"id\":\"1-QabBt69U8myXYRDVU-1YiCo2k-JWRfu\",\"name\":\"Sample_New.png\"}]",
      "id": 1587134426
    }
  ]
}
*/
);

entity.remove

Deletes the data that's stored against a specific entity. The argument of this method is the ID that was generated as the output when the same data was stored using the 'entity.store()' method.

zohobugtracker.entity.remove(1587134426).then(function(response)
/* Output
{
  "status": "success"
}
*/
);

Limitations of entity properties

• The value stored against a key should not exceed 50KB at once.
• This method cannot be invoked for the 'app_settings', 'attachment_picker' and 'top_band' locations.
• The value stored in an entity property should be in a valid JSON format.
• Concurrent edits on an entity property don't ensure consistency. i.e, when two different users make changes to the same entity property at the same time, only the latest change will be saved and the former will be lost/overridden.

Extension property

What is an extension property?

It is a key-value pair that's stored against the extension itself. However, the data stored against an extension will be lost if the extension is uninstalled from the product. Whereas, the data stored against an entity will be retained even if the extension is uninstalled because only the extension-specific information gets deleted and the entity-specific data will still be available for the other extensions to access.

app.store

Stores data against an extension. 

var value = [
{"id" : "1-QabBt69U8myXYRDVU-1YiCo2k-JWRfu","name" : "Sample.png"}
];
zohobugtracker.app.store("6573492", value).then(function(response)
/* Output
{
  "properties": [
    {
      "key": "6573492",
      "value": "[{\"id\":\"1-QabBt69U8myXYRDVU-1YiCo2k-JWRfu\",\"name\":\"sample.png\"}]",
      "id": 1587134426
    }
  ]
}
*/
);

Arguments

app.retrieve

Retrieves the data stored against the extension. The argument of this method should be the key that was used when the same was stored. Data could be retrieved only when this method is invoked from the extension against which it is stored. When the extension is uninstalled, the data will be deleted.

zohobugtracker.app.retrieve("6573492").then(function(response)
/*Output
{
  "properties": [
    {
      "key": "6573492",
      "value": "[{\"id\":\"1-QabBt69U8myXYRDVU-1YiCo2k-JWRfu\",\"name\":\"update.png\"}]",
      "id": 1587134426
    }
  ]
}
*/
);

app.update

Updates the data that's stored against an extension. The argument of this method is a JSON object with the following predefined keys:

var valueObj = [
{"id" : "1-QabBt69U8myXYRDVU-1YiCo2k-JWRfu","name" : "Sample_New.png"}
];
zohobugtracker.app.update({id:"1587134426",key:"6573492",value:valueObj}).then(function(response)
/*Output
{
  "properties": [
    {
      "key": "6573492",
      "value": "[{\"id\":\"1-QabBt69U8myXYRDVU-1YiCo2k-JWRfu\",\"name\":\"Sample_New.png\"}]",
      "id": 1587134426
    }
  ]
}
*/
);

app.remove

Deletes the data that's stored against a specific extension. The argument of this method is the ID that was generated as the output when the same data was stored using the app.store() method.

zohobugtracker.app.remove(1587134426).then(function(response)
/* Output
{
  "status": "success"
}
*/
);

Limitations of extension properties

• The value stored against a key should not exceed 50KB at once.
• A maximum of 100 key-value pairs only can be stored against an extension.
• The value stored in an extension property should be in a valid JSON format.
• Concurrent edits on an extension property don't ensure consistency. i.e, when two different users make changes to the same extension property at the same time, only the latest change will be saved and the former will be lost/overridden.

You can store, retrieve, update, and delete the data that you store against an extension using the following methods respectively.