Add a complex parameter to a custom activity

Abstract

How to add a complex parameter containing an object or a collection of objects to a custom activity in Data Exchange Framework.

You might have an activity editor that returns an object or a collection of objects instead of a single text or number field. In this case, you must create a custom C# type that matches the complex editor data.

An activity editor with complex parameters might, for example, look like this:

Custom activity editor with complex activity

In this editor you can select more than one option. In the example, both Option 1 and Option 2 have been selected, and the editor's serialize method returns a JSON object like this:

serialize(): any {
  // ... some logic to get selected options
    return {
      Collection: [{
          Name: 'Option 1',
          Id: '1'
      }, {
          Name: 'Option 2',
          Id: '2'
      }];
    };
}

To implement an action to handle the type:

In a custom C# type, create an activity implementation class like this:

namespace CustomActivity
{
  public class MyCustomActivity : IActivity
  {
      public List <TestClass> Collection { get; set; }
  }
}

Create a complex type implementation like this:

namespace CustomActivity
{
  public class TestClass
  {
      public string Name { get; set; }
      public int Id { get; set; }
  }
}

Generate your plugin and deploy it to Sitecore.
In the content tree, navigate to your custom activity item. Add a new parameter item by right-clicking Parameters, and in the Insert menu, click Activity Parameter.

On the Content tab, in the Editor section, fill in the following values:

Field	Value
Editor ID	`B5DD8B01-C09A-4FDA-8900-758C84171743`
Editor Parameters key (first field)	`ObjectType`
Editor Parameters value (second field)	Enter the type you defined in your activity class. For example, System.Collections.Generic.List`1[[CustomActivity.TestClass, CustomActivity]]

Save the changes.