About Creating HTTP API Data Actions

You can create HTTP API data actions to connect to a REST API from a workbook.

You configure an HTTP API data action to pass selected column values from a workbook to a REST API which returns a response. Note the following:

There's no limit to the number of data actions you can create.
A URL can contain tokens that pass contextual values to a data action, for example, data values, user name, workbook path, canvas name.

The following REST API URL example includes a Category column token value that displays the Google books API: http://www.googleapis.com/books/v1/volumes?q=${valuesForColumn:"Category"}. The value that you select from a cell in the Category column, for example, "Books", passes to the REST API which displays the requested page.
If you use a POST method, or custom HTTP header that overrides the HTTP header, the following apply:
- Enter each parameter as a name-value pair with the name and value separated by "=".
- You can use the same URL token syntax in the name-value pairs as required by the API that you're calling. For example:
  - ```
  paramName1=paramValue1
```
- ```
paramName2=${valuesForColumn:"Product"}
```
- A custom header works if the target of the HTTP request specifically allows the HTTP headers that you're using to be set on the request. If the headers aren't allowed, the browser blocks the request and displays an error message, for example a Cookie header, containing Content-Type=application/json will be blocked.