@memberjunction/actions

The @memberjunction/actions library provides the core server-side infrastructure for the MemberJunction Actions Framework. It includes base classes for actions and filters, the action execution engine, and support for entity-specific actions.

Overview

The Actions Framework is a powerful system for creating reusable, parameterized business logic that can be executed on demand. Actions are "verbs" in the MemberJunction ecosystem - they perform specific tasks and can be triggered through various mechanisms including entity events, API calls, or scheduled jobs.

IMPORTANT: This library should only be imported on the server side.

Key Features

• Action Engine: Central execution engine for running actions with parameter validation, filtering, and logging
• Entity Actions: Actions that can be triggered on entity lifecycle events (create, update, delete)
• Code Generation: AI-powered automatic code generation for actions based on natural language prompts
• Action Filters: Pre-execution filters to control when actions should run
• Transaction Support: Built-in transaction management for complex multi-step operations
• Comprehensive Logging: Automatic logging of all action executions with parameters and results

Installation

npm install @memberjunction/actions

Dependencies

This package depends on several other MemberJunction packages:

• @memberjunction/global - Global utilities and class factory
• @memberjunction/core - Core MJ functionality and base classes
• @memberjunction/actions-base - Base types and interfaces for actions
• @memberjunction/core-entities - Entity definitions
• @memberjunction/ai - AI integration capabilities
• @memberjunction/aiengine - AI engine functionality
• @memberjunction/doc-utils - Documentation utilities

Usage

Creating a Custom Action

To create a custom action, extend the BaseAction class and implement the InternalRunAction method:

import { BaseAction } from '@memberjunction/actions';
import { ActionResultSimple, RunActionParams } from '@memberjunction/actions-base';
import { RegisterClass } from '@memberjunction/global';

@RegisterClass(BaseAction, 'MyCustomAction')
export class MyCustomAction extends BaseAction {
    protected async InternalRunAction(params: RunActionParams): Promise<ActionResultSimple> {
        // Access input parameters
        const inputParam = params.Params.find(p => p.Name === 'InputValue');
        
        // Perform your action logic
        const result = await this.performBusinessLogic(inputParam?.Value);
        
        // Return the result
        return {
            Success: true,
            ResultCode: 'SUCCESS',
            Message: 'Action completed successfully',
            Params: params.Params // Include any output parameters
        };
    }
    
    private async performBusinessLogic(value: any): Promise<any> {
        // Your custom logic here
        return value;
    }
}

Running Actions with ActionEngine

The ActionEngineServer class provides the main interface for executing actions:

import { ActionEngineServer } from '@memberjunction/actions';
import { RunActionParams } from '@memberjunction/actions-base';

// Get the singleton instance
const engine = ActionEngineServer.Instance;

// Configure the engine (only needs to be done once)
await engine.Config(false, currentUser);

// Run an action by ID
const result = await engine.RunActionByID({
    ActionID: 'your-action-id',
    ContextUser: currentUser,
    Params: [
        { Name: 'InputParam', Value: 'some value', Type: 'string' }
    ]
});

// Run an action with full parameters
const params: RunActionParams = {
    Action: actionEntity, // ActionEntity instance
    ContextUser: currentUser,
    Filters: [], // Optional filters
    Params: [
        { Name: 'InputParam', Value: 'some value', Type: 'string' }
    ]
};

const result = await engine.RunAction(params);

Using Context in Actions (New in v2.51.0)

Actions now support type-safe context propagation for runtime-specific information:

import { BaseAction } from '@memberjunction/actions';
import { ActionResultSimple, RunActionParams } from '@memberjunction/actions-base';
import { RegisterClass } from '@memberjunction/global';

// Define your context type
interface APIContext {
    apiEndpoint: string;
    apiKey: string;
    timeout: number;
    retryCount: number;
}

// Note: BaseAction does not have generics - context is typed through params
@RegisterClass(BaseAction, 'APICallAction')
export class APICallAction extends BaseAction {
    protected async InternalRunAction(params: RunActionParams<APIContext>): Promise<ActionResultSimple> {
        // Access typed context through params
        const endpoint = params.Context?.apiEndpoint;
        const apiKey = params.Context?.apiKey;
        const timeout = params.Context?.timeout || 30000;
        
        if (!endpoint || !apiKey) {
            return {
                Success: false,
                ResultCode: 'MISSING_CONTEXT',
                Message: 'API endpoint and key are required in context'
            };
        }
        
        // Use context for API call
        const requestData = params.Params.find(p => p.Name === 'RequestData')?.Value;
        
        try {
            const response = await this.callAPI(endpoint, apiKey, requestData, timeout);
            
            // Set output parameter
            const outputParam = params.Params.find(p => p.Name === 'ResponseData');
            if (outputParam) {
                outputParam.Value = response;
            }
            
            return {
                Success: true,
                ResultCode: 'SUCCESS',
                Message: 'API call completed successfully',
                Params: params.Params
            };
        } catch (error) {
            return {
                Success: false,
                ResultCode: 'API_ERROR',
                Message: error.message
            };
        }
    }
    
    private async callAPI(endpoint: string, apiKey: string, data: any, timeout: number): Promise<any> {
        // Implementation details
        const controller = new AbortController();
        const timeoutId = setTimeout(() => controller.abort(), timeout);
        
        try {
            const response = await fetch(endpoint, {
                method: 'POST',
                headers: {
                    'Authorization': `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
                    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
                },
                body: JSON.stringify(data),
                signal: controller.signal
            });
            
            clearTimeout(timeoutId);
            return await response.json();
        } catch (error) {
            clearTimeout(timeoutId);
            throw error;
        }
    }
}

Running Actions with Context

import { ActionEngineServer } from '@memberjunction/actions';
import { RunActionParams } from '@memberjunction/actions-base';

// Define context type
interface APIContext {
    apiEndpoint: string;
    apiKey: string;
    timeout: number;
    retryCount: number;
}

// Configure parameters with context
const params = new RunActionParams<APIContext>();
params.Action = apiCallAction;
params.ContextUser = currentUser;
params.Params = [
    { Name: 'RequestData', Value: { orderId: '12345' }, Type: 'Input' },
    { Name: 'ResponseData', Value: null, Type: 'Output' }
];

// Set runtime context
params.Context = {
    apiEndpoint: process.env.API_ENDPOINT,
    apiKey: process.env.API_KEY,
    timeout: 10000,
    retryCount: 3
};

// Execute with typed context
const result = await ActionEngineServer.Instance.RunAction(params);

Context vs Parameters

Use Context for:

• Environment-specific configuration (API endpoints, service URLs)
• Runtime credentials (API keys, tokens)
• Session information (user preferences, correlation IDs)
• Feature flags and toggles
• Timeout and retry policies

Use Parameters for:

• Business data (customer ID, order details)
• Action-specific inputs (email content, calculation values)
• Data that should be logged and audited
• Values that need to be stored in the database
• Output values that other actions may depend on

The context is particularly useful when actions are executed from AI agents, as it allows the agent to pass runtime information down through the entire execution hierarchy without modifying the action's formal parameter structure.

Entity Actions

Entity Actions are triggered automatically during entity lifecycle events. To work with entity actions, use the EntityActionEngineServer:

import { EntityActionEngineServer } from '@memberjunction/actions';
import { EntityActionInvocationParams } from '@memberjunction/actions-base';

const entityActionEngine = EntityActionEngineServer.Instance;

// Run an entity action
const params: EntityActionInvocationParams = {
    EntityAction: entityActionEntity,
    InvocationType: invocationTypeEntity, // e.g., 'BeforeCreate', 'AfterUpdate'
    EntityObject: entityInstance,
    ContextUser: currentUser
};

const result = await entityActionEngine.RunEntityAction(params);

Creating Custom Action Filters

Action filters determine whether an action should run. Create custom filters by extending BaseActionFilter:

import { BaseActionFilter } from '@memberjunction/actions';
import { RunActionParams } from '@memberjunction/actions-base';
import { ActionFilterEntity } from '@memberjunction/core-entities';
import { RegisterClass } from '@memberjunction/global';

@RegisterClass(BaseActionFilter, 'MyCustomFilter')
export class MyCustomFilter extends BaseActionFilter {
    protected async InternalRun(
        params: RunActionParams, 
        filter: ActionFilterEntity
    ): Promise<boolean> {
        // Implement your filter logic
        // Return true to allow action execution, false to skip
        return params.ContextUser.IsActive === true;
    }
}

API Reference

Classes

ActionEngineServer

The main engine for executing actions.

Methods:

• RunAction(params: RunActionParams): Promise<ActionResult> - Executes an action with full control over parameters
• RunActionByID(params: RunActionByNameParams): Promise<ActionResult> - Convenience method to run an action by its ID
• Config(forceRefresh?: boolean, contextUser?: UserInfo): Promise<void> - Configures the engine (inherited from base)

BaseAction

Abstract base class for all actions. Note that BaseAction does not use generics - context typing is achieved through the RunActionParams parameter.

Methods:

• Run(params: RunActionParams): Promise<ActionResultSimple> - Public method called by the engine
• InternalRunAction(params: RunActionParams): Promise<ActionResultSimple> - Abstract method to implement action logic

EntityActionEngineServer

Engine specifically for entity-related actions.

Methods:

• RunEntityAction(params: EntityActionInvocationParams): Promise<EntityActionResult> - Executes an entity action

BaseActionFilter

Abstract base class for action filters.

Methods:

• Run(params: RunActionParams, filter: ActionFilterEntity): Promise<boolean> - Public method called by the engine
• InternalRun(params: RunActionParams, filter: ActionFilterEntity): Promise<boolean> - Abstract method to implement filter logic

ActionEntityServerEntity

Server-side entity class for Actions with AI-powered code generation. This class is located in the @memberjunction/core-entities-server package.

Key Features:

• Automatic code generation from natural language prompts
• Code validation and improvement through AI
• Library dependency management
• Transaction-safe save operations
• Automatic creation of action parameters and result codes from AI-generated definitions

Types and Interfaces

The package exports all types from @memberjunction/actions-base, including:

• RunActionParams - Parameters for running an action
• ActionResult - Detailed result of action execution
• ActionResultSimple - Simplified action result
• ActionParam - Parameter definition for actions
• EntityActionInvocationParams - Parameters for entity actions
• EntityActionResult - Result of entity action execution

Entity Action Invocation Types

The framework supports various invocation types for entity actions:

Single Record Operations

• Read - Triggered when reading an entity
• BeforeCreate - Before creating a new record
• AfterCreate - After creating a new record
• BeforeUpdate - Before updating a record
• AfterUpdate - After updating a record
• BeforeDelete - Before deleting a record
• AfterDelete - After deleting a record

Multiple Record Operations

• List - Actions operating on a list of records
• View - Actions operating on records from a view

Validation

• Validate - Special invocation type for validation logic

Code Generation

The framework includes sophisticated AI-powered code generation capabilities:

1. Natural Language Input: Define action behavior using plain English in the UserPrompt field
2. Automatic Code Generation: The system generates TypeScript code based on your prompt
3. Code Validation: Generated code is automatically validated and improved
4. Library Management: Automatic tracking and importing of required libraries

Example workflow:

// In your database, create an Action record with:
// Name: "SendWelcomeEmail"
// Type: "Generated"
// UserPrompt: "Send a welcome email to a new user with their name and registration date"

// The system will automatically generate the implementation code

Best Practices

1. Action Naming: Use clear, descriptive names for actions (e.g., SendInvoiceEmail, CalculateOrderTotal)

2. Parameter Design: Design action parameters to be reusable and flexible:

   params: [
       { Name: 'EmailTemplate', Type: 'string', ValueType: 'Scalar' },
       { Name: 'RecipientUser', Type: 'User', ValueType: 'BaseEntity Sub-Class' },
       { Name: 'EmailSent', Type: 'boolean', ValueType: 'Scalar', IsInput: false }
   ]

3. Error Handling: Always include proper error handling in your actions:

   try {
       // Action logic
       return { Success: true, ResultCode: 'SUCCESS', Message: 'Completed' };
   } catch (error) {
       return { Success: false, ResultCode: 'ERROR', Message: error.message };
   }

4. Logging: The framework automatically logs action executions, but include additional logging for debugging:

   import { LogError, LogStatus } from '@memberjunction/core';
   
   LogStatus('Starting custom action processing...');

5. Transaction Management: Use transaction groups for multi-step operations:

   const tg = await metadata.CreateTransactionGroup();
   try {
       // Multiple operations
       await tg.Submit();
   } catch (error) {
       // Automatic rollback on error
   }

Integration with Other MJ Packages

This package integrates seamlessly with:

• @memberjunction/core: Provides base entity functionality and metadata access
• @memberjunction/ai: Enables AI-powered code generation
• @memberjunction/core-entities: Provides strongly-typed entity classes
• @memberjunction/global: Manages class registration and instantiation

Advanced Topics

Custom Action Engines

You can create custom action engines by extending ActionEngineServer:

@RegisterClass(BaseEngine, 'ActionEngineBase', 1) // Higher priority
export class CustomActionEngine extends ActionEngineServer {
    protected async ValidateInputs(params: RunActionParams): Promise<boolean> {
        // Custom validation logic
        return super.ValidateInputs(params);
    }
    
    protected async RunFilters(params: RunActionParams): Promise<boolean> {
        // Custom filter logic
        return super.RunFilters(params);
    }
}

Script Evaluation in Entity Actions

Entity actions support dynamic script evaluation for parameter mapping:

// In EntityActionParam configuration:
{
    ValueType: 'Script',
    Value: `
        const user = EntityActionContext.entityObject;
        EntityActionContext.result = user.Email.toUpperCase();
    `
}

Troubleshooting

1. Action Not Found: Ensure your action class is properly registered with @RegisterClass
2. Code Generation Fails: Check that AI models are configured and API keys are set
3. Filter Not Running: Verify filter is associated with the action in metadata
4. Entity Action Not Triggering: Confirm invocation type matches the entity operation

License

This package is part of the MemberJunction ecosystem. See the main repository for license information.