Token Encoders

Under certain circumstances, you may want a token value to be encoded in order to make it "safe" for use (meaning that it won't cause errors due to invalid characters). For example, a URL stored as data may contain characters that are actually invalid in a Logi page, or a session variable value may contain characters that are invalid when processed using JavaScript, or a user may enter non-ASCII characters into a text box. Encoding these characters avoids errors that might otherwise result.

Encoders can be used with @Data, @Local, @Request, and @Session tokens. The notation for a token with an encoder included takes this format:

@<TokenType>!<EncoderType>.<Identifier>~

Two "token encoders" are available: one that makes values safe for URLs ( !Url ), by applying HTML URL encoding, and one that makes values safe for use with JavaScript ( !Js ), by applying UTF-8 encoding. Like other aspects of tokens, the encoder names are case-sensitive.

A new token encoder ( !Json ) has been added for use with JSON data. It encodes the characters, such as double-quotes and line feeds, that are invalid in JSON data strings. An example use-case is encoding data entered by a user into an Input Text Area control prior to sending it in an array of JSON data to a web service using REST.

Here are some examples of them in use:

Encoders allow you to very selectively encode data right at the point in the definition where it will be used.