Utilities

Skapi provides several utility functions used throughout the library.

const util = skapi.util; // Utility methods

These include:

• Extract form values as a JavaScript object
• HTTP request
• Terminating pending requests
• MD5 hasher
• Random string generator
• Number to Base62 string converter
• Base62 string to number converter

Extract Form Values as a JavaScript Object

Pass a FormData instance, a SubmitEvent, or a form element to skapi.util.extractFormData() to get a plain JavaScript object of the form values.

skapi.util.extractFormData(
    form: FormData | HTMLFormElement | SubmitEvent | { [key: string]: any } | number | string | boolean | null,
    options?: {
        nullIfEmpty?: boolean,
        ignoreEmpty?: boolean,
    },
    callback?: (name: string, value: any) => any
): { data: any, files: { name: string, file: File }[] }

Example usage:

<form onsubmit="
    event.preventDefault();
    console.log(skapi.util.extractFormData(event).data);
">
  <input name="hello" placeholder="Say Hi">
  <input type="submit">
</form>

The above example is equivalent to the following code:

<input id="hello" placeholder="Say Hi">
<button onclick="run()">Submit</button>
<script>
  function run() {
    console.log({
        hello: document.getElementById("hello").value
    })
  }
</script>

When a submit event is passed, the method automatically converts form input values into key–value pairs. Each input name becomes the object key; the value depends on the input type.

Nested Values and Arrays

You can create nested values and arrays by using the [] syntax in the name attribute. The resolved structure depends on input types.

If the key inside [] is a number, Skapi resolves the value as an array.

<form id="my_form" onsubmit="event.preventDefault(); console.log(skapi.util.extractFormData(event).data);">
    <input name="user[name]" placeholder="Name"><br>
    <input name="user[age]" type="number" placeholder="Age"><br>
    Skills:<br>
    <input name="user[skills]" type="radio" value="JavaScript"> JavaScript<br>
    <input name="user[skills]" type="radio" value="Python"> Python<br>
    IDE:<br>
    <input name="user[ide]" type="checkbox" value="Vim">Vim<br>
    <input name="user[ide]" type="checkbox" value="Emacs">Emacs<br>
    Check:
    <input name="check[]" type="checkbox">
    <input name="check[]" type="checkbox">
    <br>
    <input type="submit">
</form>

Or pass the form element directly:

let form = document.getElementById("my_form");
console.log(skapi.util.extractFormData(form).data);

The examples above resolve to:

{
  user: {
    name: string,
    age?: number,
    skills?: "JavaScript" | "Python",
    ide?: "Vim" | "Emacs" | ("Vim" | "Emacs")[]
  },
  check: boolean[]
}

Skapi structures user input based on input type and name pattern:

• Number inputs become numbers.
• Radio inputs resolve to the selected value.
• Checkbox inputs resolve to booleans, or to the value string if one is specified.
• Multiple inputs sharing the same name (without []) are converted into an array when appropriate.

HTTP Request

Skapi provides an HTTP request helper. It converts submitted form data to JSON.

skapi.util.request(
  url: string, // Request URL
  data: HTMLFormElement | FormData | SubmitEvent | { [key: string]: any } | null, // Request body or form input
    options?: {
        fetchOptions?: {
            /** Maximum number of records to fetch per call. */
            limit?: number;
            /** Fetch the next batch. Returns an empty list when no more data is available. */
            fetchMore?: boolean;
            /** Results in ascending order when true; descending when false. */
            ascending?: boolean;
            /** Start key to continue fetching from a specific position. */
            startKey?: { [key: string]: any; };
            /** Progress callback, useful for progress bars. */
            progress?: ProgressCallback;
        };
        auth?: boolean; // When true, the user must be logged in.
        method?: "GET" | "POST";
        responseType?: 'json' | 'blob' | 'text' | 'arrayBuffer' | 'formData' | 'document';
        contentType?: string; // Content-Type header value
    }
): Promise<any>

Terminating Pending Requests

Skapi can terminate pending requests. By default, Skapi processes requests in batches. You can configure the batch size in Advanced Settings.

Calling skapi.util.terminatePendingRequests() terminates all queued requests.

skapi.util.terminatePendingRequests(); // All pending requests are terminated

MD5 Hasher

Computes the MD5 hash of a string.

Example:

let md5String = skapi.util.md5.hash("string to hash"); // outputs string

Random String Generator

Generates a random string of the specified length.

Example (6 characters):

let randomString = skapi.util.generateRandom(6); // outputs string

Number to Base62 String Converter

Converts a number to its Base62 string representation.

let base62String = skapi.util.toBase62(1234); // outputs string

Base62 String to Number

Converts a Base62 string back to a number.

let numberFromBase62 = skapi.util.fromBase62("xxxx"); // outputs number