WebSocket Client

The WebSocket Client source reads data from a WebSocket server endpoint. Use the source to read data from a WebSocket resource URL. The source can also send responses back to the source system when used in a microservice flow. For information about supported versions, see Supported systems and versions.

When the flow starts, the WebSocket Client source opens a connection to the WebSocket server endpoint and optionally sends an initial message to the server. The WebSocket server then pushes data to the WebSocket Client source. The source creates and sends a batch as soon as the data arrives. The size of each batch varies, based on the size of the data sent by the server endpoint. When the flow stops, the source notes where it stops reading and closes the connection to the endpoint.

When the flow starts again, the WebSocket Client source continues processing from where it stopped by default. You can reset the offset to process all requested data.

When you configure the WebSocket Client source, you define the resource URL and headers to use for the requests. You configure whether the source uses no authentication or basic authentication to connect to the WebSocket server endpoint.

When you want the source to send responses back to the source system as part of a microservice flow, you configure the data format and other characteristics of the responses.

You can also configure SSL/TLS properties, including default transport protocols and cipher suites.

Tip: Data Collector provides two WebSocket sources to address different needs. For a quick comparison chart to help you choose the right one, see Comparing WebSocket sources.

Read REST response data from Data Collector

You can use the WebSocket Client source to read REST response JSON data generated by Data Collector.

Data Collector can serve as a WebSocket server endpoint, as a WebSocket server is simply a TCP application listening on any port of a server that follows a specific protocol.

For example, let's say that your Data Collector runs twenty flows and you want to receive an email when any flow state changes to Run_Error. Instead of configuring email notifications for all twenty flows, you'd like to configure a single global email notification for all of the running flows.

You can design a flow that uses a WebSocket Client source to read the flow state from the REST response data generated by Data Collector. You connect the source to the Email executor to send an email each time a flow state changes to Run_Error.

Important: The WebSocket Client source does not generate events. Usually you only use an executor after an event generating stage because running an executor for every flow record is an unusual case and can slow performance. However, in this case, the sole purpose of our flow is to send an email only when another flow changes to a specific state - which we don't expect to happen often.

Design the flow as follows:

Add a WebSocket Client source and configure the source to read from the following resource URL:
```
ws://<Data Collector host>:<Data Collector port>/rest/v1/webSocket?type=status
```
Configure the source to use basic authentication, and then enter a valid Data Collector user name and password on the Credentials tab.
On the Data Format tab, configure the source to process the JSON data format.
Add an Email executor to the canvas and connect it to the source.
On the Email tab of the executor, enter the following condition so that the executor sends an email only when a flow state changes to Run_Error:
```
${record:value('/status') == 'RUN_ERROR'}
```
Configure the email IDs, subject, and body for the executor.
For more details about configuring the executor, see Email Executor. Before you run a flow that includes the Email executor, you must enable Data Collector to send email.

Generated microservice responses

In a microservice flow, the WebSocket Client source can send a response back to the originating WebSocket server.

The generated response contains:

Records received from microservice targets
Flow error records received when the flow is configured to use the Send Response to Source flow error handling

The source generates a single response for each batch of records received. The source can generate the response in JSON or XML format. The response can include an envelope or only raw data.

Responses with an envelope

When configured to send a response with an envelope, the source generates a response that includes the status code, data from microservice targets, error records from the flow, and the first error message. The generated response includes the following JSON keys or XML elements:

Response Key or Element	Value
httpStatusCode	The status code associated with the records in the response. If the records in the generated response share the same status code, the code is written to the httpStatusCode key or element. If the records have different status codes, the httpStatusCode is set to 207 for multiple statuses.
data	A list of records passed to the source by the microservice targets used in the flow.
error	A list of flow error records passed to the source by the Send Response to Source flow error handling.
errorMessage	The error message associated with the first error record in the response. Used only when the response includes error records.

For example, in JSON format, generated responses with envelopes have the following structure:

{
"httpStatusCode":<status code>,
"data":[<list of success records>],
"error":[<list of error records>],
"errorMessage": <error message, if any>
}

Raw responses

When configured to send a raw response, the source generates a response that contains either the list of records passed from the microservice targets or the list of error records passed by the Send Response to Source flow error handling. If the source receives data records from targets and error records from the flow, then the source includes only the error records in the response. If the source receives no data records from targets and no error records from the flow, then the source generates an empty response.

Sample responses

The following samples in JSON format show responses with an envelope and raw responses without an envelope when the source receives single records and multiple records:

Single record

The source receives a single record from the Send Response to Source target. The target is configured to use the 200 status code.

For a response with an envelope, the source sends the following response:

{
"httpStatusCode":200,
"data":[{"ID":"103","NAME":"Jack","AGE":"37","STATE":"MD"}],
"error":[],
"errorMessage":null
}

For a raw response, the source sends the following response:

{"ID":"103","NAME":"Jack","AGE":"37","STATE":"MD"}

Multiple data and error records

The source receives several records, data and error. Because each record has a different status code, the response uses status code 207 for multiple statuses. The errorMessage key includes the error associated with the first record which has a missing ID. The source is configured to present multiple records as multiple JSON objects.

For a response with an envelope, the source sends the following response:

{
"httpStatusCode":207,
"data":[{"ID":"248","NAME":"Pina","AGE":"24","STATE":"RI"}],
"error":[{"NAME":"Liz","AGE":"37","STATE":"DE"}, {"ID":"302","NAME":"Roco","AGE":"","STATE":"CA"}],
"errorMessage":"COMMON_0001 - Stage precondition: CONTAINER_0051 - Unsatisfied precondition(s) '${record:exists('/ID')}'"
}

For a raw response, the source sends the following response:

{"NAME":"Liz","AGE":"37","STATE":"DE"}, {"ID":"302","NAME":"Roco","AGE":"","STATE":"CA"}

Data formats

The WebSocket Client source processes data differently based on the data format that you select.

The WebSocket Client source processes data formats as follows:

Binary

Generates a record with a single byte array field at the root of the record.

When the data exceeds the user-defined maximum data size, the source cannot process the data. Because the record is not created, the source cannot pass the record to the flow to be written as an error record. Instead, the source generates a stage error.

Datagram

Generates a record for every message. The source can process collectd messages, NetFlow 5 and NetFlow 9 messages, and the following types of syslog messages:

RFC 5424
RFC 3164
Non-standard common messages, such as RFC 3339 dates with no version digit

When processing NetFlow messages, the stage generates different records based on the NetFlow version. When processing NetFlow 9, the records are generated based on the NetFlow 9 configuration properties. For more information, see NetFlow data processing.

Delimited

Generates a record for each delimited line.

The CSV parser that you choose determines the delimiter properties that you configure and how the stage handles parsing errors. You can specify if the data includes a header line and whether to use it. You can define the number of lines to skip before reading, the character set of the data, and the root field type to use for the generated record.

You can also configure the stage to replace a string constant with null values and to ignore control characters.

For more information about reading delimited data, see Reading delimited data.

JSON

Generates a record for each JSON object. You can process JSON files that include multiple JSON objects or a single JSON array.

When an object exceeds the maximum object length defined for the source, the source processes the object based on the error handling configured for the stage.

Log

Generates a record for every log line.

When a line exceeds the user-defined maximum line length, the source truncates longer lines.

You can include the processed log line as a field in the record. If the log line is truncated, and you request the log line in the record, the source includes the truncated line.

You can define the log format or type to be read.

Protobuf

Generates a record for every protobuf message. By default, the source assumes messages contain multiple protobuf messages.

Protobuf messages must match the specified message type and be described in the descriptor file.

When the data for a record exceeds 1 MB, the source cannot continue processing data in the message. The source handles the message based on the stage error handling property and continues reading the next message.

For information about generating the descriptor file, see Protobuf data format prerequisites.

SDC Record

Generates a record for every record. Use to process records generated by a Data Collector flow using the SDC Record data format.

For error records, the source provides the original record as read from the source in the original flow, as well as error information that you can use to correct the record.

When processing error records, the source expects the error file names and contents as generated by the original flow.

Text

Generates a record for each line of text or for each section of text based on a custom delimiter.

When a line or section exceeds the maximum line length defined for the source, the source truncates it. The source adds a boolean field named Truncated to indicate if the line was truncated.

For more information about processing text with a custom delimiter, see Text data format with custom delimiters.

XML

Generates records based on a user-defined delimiter element. Use an XML element directly under the root element or define a simplified XPath expression. If you do not define a delimiter element, the source treats the XML file as a single record.

Generated records include XML attributes and namespace declarations as fields in the record by default. You can configure the stage to include them in the record as field attributes.

You can include XPath information for each parsed XML element and XML attribute in field attributes. This also places each namespace in an xmlns record header attribute.

When a record exceeds the user-defined maximum record length, the source skips the record and continues processing with the next record. It sends the skipped record to the flow for error handling.

Use the XML data format to process valid XML documents. For more information about XML processing, see Reading and processing XML data.

Tip: If you want to process invalid XML documents, you can try using the text data format with custom delimiters. For more information, see Processing XML data with custom delimiters.

Configuring a WebSocket Client source

About this task

Configure a WebSocket Client source to read data from a WebSocket server endpoint.

Procedure

In the Properties panel, on the General tab, configure the following properties:

General Property	Description
Name	Stage name.
Description	Optional description.
On Record Error	Error record handling for the stage: Discard - Discards the record. Send to Error - Sends the record to the flow for error handling. Stop Flow - Stops the flow.

On the WebSocket tab, configure the following properties:

WebSocket Property	Description
Resource URL	WebSocket resource URL. Enter in the following format: `<ws \| wss>://<hostname>:<listening_port>` Use wss for secure WebSocket connections over HTTPS. For example: `ws://localhost:8080` Default is `ws://localhost:18630/rest/v1/webSocket?type=status` where the locally running Data Collector serves as the WebSocket server endpoint. This default configures the source to listen for state changes for all running flows on this Data Collector. For more details about this example, see Read REST response data from Data Collector.
Headers	Optional headers to include in the request. Using simple or bulk edit mode, click the Add icon to add additional headers.
Request Data	Optional initial message or command to send to the WebSocket server. Enter the message in text or JSON format. Use when the WebSocket server requires an initial message. For example, if using the Ripple WebSocket server, you might enter the following initial message to start receiving selected streams from the server: `{ "command":"subscribe", "id":0, "streams":["ledger"] }`
Authentication Type	Determines the authentication type used to connect to the WebSocket server endpoint: None - Performs no authentication. Basic - Uses basic authentication. Requires a user name and password. Use with the WebSocket protocol over HTTPS to avoid passing unencrypted credentials.

On the Credentials tab, enter the credentials to use if you configured basic authentication.

Tip: To secure sensitive information such as user names and passwords, you can use runtime resources or credential stores.

To use SSL/TLS, on the TLS tab, configure the following properties:

TLS Property	Description
Use TLS	Enables the use of TLS.
Use Remote Truststore	Enables loading the contents of the truststore from a remote credential store or from values entered in the stage properties. For more information, see Remote keystore and truststore.
Trusted Certificates	Each PEM certificate used in the remote truststore. Enter a credential function that returns the certificate or enter the contents of the certificate. Using simple or bulk edit mode, click the Add icon to add additional certificates.
Truststore File	Path to the local truststore file. Enter an absolute path to the file or enter the following expression to define the file stored in the Data Collector resources directory: `${runtime:resourcesDirPath()}/truststore.jks` By default, no truststore is used.
Truststore Type	Type of truststore to use. Use one of the following types: Java Keystore File (JKS) PKCS #12 (p12 file) Default is Java Keystore File (JKS).
Truststore Password	Password to the truststore file. A password is optional, but recommended. Tip: To secure sensitive information such as passwords, you can use runtime resources or credential stores.
Truststore Trust Algorithm	Algorithm to manage the truststore. Default is SunX509.
Use Default Protocols	Uses the default TLSv1.2 transport layer security (TLS) protocol. To use a different protocol, clear this option.
Transport Protocols	TLS protocols to use. To use a protocol other than the default TLSv1.2, click the Add icon and enter the protocol name. You can use simple or bulk edit mode to add protocols. Note: Older protocols are not as secure as TLSv1.2.
Use Default Cipher Suites	Uses a default cipher suite for the SSL/TLS handshake. To use a different cipher suite, clear this option.
Cipher Suites	Cipher suites to use. To use a cipher suite that is not a part of the default set, click the Add icon and enter the name of the cipher suite. You can use simple or bulk edit mode to add cipher suites. Enter the Java Secure Socket Extension (JSSE) name for the additional cipher suites that you want to use.

On the Data Format tab, configure the following property:

Data Format Property	Description
Data Format	Type of data to be processed. Use one of the following data formats: Binary Datagram Delimited JSON Log Protobuf SDC Record Text XML

For binary data, on the Data Format tab, configure the following properties:

Binary Property	Description
Compression Format	The compression format of the files: None - Processes only uncompressed files. Compressed File - Processes files compressed by the supported compression formats. Archive - Processes files archived by the supported archive formats. Compressed Archive - Processes files archived and compressed by the supported archive and compression formats.
File Name Pattern within Compressed Directory	For archive and compressed archive files, file name pattern that represents the files to process within the compressed directory. You can use UNIX-style wildcards, such as an asterisk or question mark. For example, .json. Default is , which processes all files.
Max Data Size (bytes)	Maximum number of bytes in the message. Larger messages cannot be processed or written to error.

For datagram data, on the Data Format tab, configure the following properties:

Datagram Properties	Description
Datagram Packet Format	Packet format of the data: collectd NetFlow syslog Raw/separated data
TypesDB File Path	Path to a user-provided types.db file. Overrides the default types.db file. For collectd data only.
Auth File	Path to an optional authentication file. Use an authentication file to accept signed and encrypted data. For collectd data only.
Convert Hi-Res Time & Interval	Converts the collectd high resolution time format interval and timestamp to UNIX time, in milliseconds. For collectd data only.
Exclude Interval	Excludes the interval field from output record. For collectd data only.
Record Generation Mode	Determines the type of values to include in the record. Select one of the following options: Raw Only Interpreted Only Both Raw and Interpreted For NetFlow 9 data only.
Max Templates in Cache	The maximum number of templates to store in the template cache. For more information about templates, see Caching NetFlow 9 templates. Default is -1 for an unlimited cache size. For NetFlow 9 data only.
Template Cache Timeout (ms)	The maximum number of milliseconds to cache an idle template. Templates unused for more than the specified time are evicted from the cache. For more information about templates, see Caching NetFlow 9 templates. Default is -1 for caching templates indefinitely. For NetFlow 9 data only.
Charset	Character encoding of the messages to be processed.
Ignore Control Characters	Removes all ASCII control characters except for the tab, line feed, and carriage return characters.

For delimited data, on the Data Format tab, configure the following properties:

Delimited Property	Description
Header Line	Indicates whether a file contains a header line, and whether to use the header line.
Delimiter Format Type	Delimiter format type. Use one of the following options: Default CSV - File that includes comma-separated values. Ignores empty lines in the file. RFC4180 CSV - Comma-separated file that strictly follows RFC4180 guidelines. MS Excel CSV - Microsoft Excel comma-separated file. MySQL CSV - MySQL comma-separated file. Tab-Separated Values - File that includes tab-separated values. PostgreSQL CSV - PostgreSQL comma-separated file. PostgreSQL Text - PostgreSQL text file. Custom - File that uses user-defined delimiter, escape, and quote characters. Multi Character Delimited - File that uses multiple user-defined characters to delimit fields and lines, and single user-defined escape and quote characters. Available when using the Apache Commons parser type.
Multi Character Field Delimiter	Characters that delimit fields. Default is two pipe characters (\|\|). Available when using the Apache Commons parser with the multi-character delimiter format.
Multi Character Line Delimiter	Characters that delimit lines or records. Default is the newline character (\n). Available when using the Apache Commons parser with the multi-character delimiter format.
Delimiter Character	Delimiter character. Select one of the available options or use Other to enter a custom character. You can enter a Unicode control character using the format `\uNNNN`, where N is a hexadecimal digit from the numbers 0-9 or the letters A-F. For example, enter `\u0000` to use the null character as the delimiter or `\u2028` to use a line separator as the delimiter. Default is the pipe character ( \| ). Available when using the Apache Commons parser with a custom delimiter format.
Field Separator	One or more characters to use as delimiter characters between columns. Available when using the Univocity parser.
Quote Character	Quote character. Available when using the Apache Commons parser with the custom or multi-character delimiter format. Also available when using the Univocity parser.
Allow Comments	Allows commented data to be ignored for custom delimiter format. Available when using the Univocity parser.
Comment Character	Character that marks a comment when comments are enabled for custom delimiter format. Available when using the Univocity parser.
Enable Comments	Allows commented data to be ignored for custom delimiter format. Available when using the Apache Commons parser.
Comment Marker	Character that marks a comment when comments are enabled for custom delimiter format. Available when using the Apache Commons parser.
Lines to Skip	Number of lines to skip before reading data.
Compression Format	The compression format of the files: None - Processes only uncompressed files. Compressed File - Processes files compressed by the supported compression formats. Archive - Processes files archived by the supported archive formats. Compressed Archive - Processes files archived and compressed by the supported archive and compression formats.
File Name Pattern within Compressed Directory	For archive and compressed archive files, file name pattern that represents the files to process within the compressed directory. You can use UNIX-style wildcards, such as an asterisk or question mark. For example, .json. Default is , which processes all files.
CSV Parser	Parser to use to process delimited data: Apache Commons - Provides robust parsing and a wide range of delimited format types. Univocity - Can provide faster processing for wide delimited files, such as those with over 200 columns. Default is Apache Commons.
Max Columns	Maximum number of columns to process per record. Available when using the Univocity parser.
Max Character per Column	Maximum number of characters to process in each column. Available when using the Univocity parser.
Skip Empty Lines	Allows skipping empty lines. Available when using the Univocity parser.
Allow Extra Columns	Allows processing records with more columns than exist in the header line. Available when using the Apache Commons parser to process data with a header line.
Extra Column Prefix	Prefix to use for any additional columns. Extra columns are named using the prefix and sequential increasing integers as follows: `<prefix><integer>`. For example, `_extra_1`. Default is `_extra_`. Available when using the Apache Commons parser to process data with a header line while allowing extra columns.
Max Record Length (chars)	Maximum length of a record in characters. Longer records are not read. This property can be limited by the Data Collector parser buffer size. For more information, see Maximum record size. Available when using the Apache Commons parser.
Ignore Empty Lines	Allows empty lines to be ignored. Available when using the Apache Commons parser with the custom delimiter format.
Root Field Type	Root field type to use: List-Map - Generates an indexed list of data. Enables you to use standard functions to process data. Use for new flows. List - Generates a record with an indexed list with a map for header and value. Requires the use of delimited data functions to process data. Use only to maintain flows created before 1.1.0.
Parse NULLs	Replaces the specified string constant with null values.
NULL Constant	String constant to replace with null values.
Charset	Character encoding of the files to be processed.
Ignore Control Characters	Removes all ASCII control characters except for the tab, line feed, and carriage return characters.

For JSON data, on the Data Format tab, configure the following properties:

JSON Property	Description
Compression Format	The compression format of the files: None - Processes only uncompressed files. Compressed File - Processes files compressed by the supported compression formats. Archive - Processes files archived by the supported archive formats. Compressed Archive - Processes files archived and compressed by the supported archive and compression formats.
File Name Pattern within Compressed Directory	For archive and compressed archive files, file name pattern that represents the files to process within the compressed directory. You can use UNIX-style wildcards, such as an asterisk or question mark. For example, .json. Default is , which processes all files.
Max Object Length (chars)	Maximum number of characters in a JSON object. Longer objects are diverted to the flow for error handling. This property can be limited by the Data Collector parser buffer size. For more information, see Maximum record size.
Charset	Character encoding of the files to be processed.
Ignore Control Characters	Removes all ASCII control characters except for the tab, line feed, and carriage return characters.

For log data, on the Data Format tab, configure the following properties:

Log Property	Description
Log Format	Format of the log files. Use one of the following options: Common Log Format Combined Log Format Apache Error Log Format Apache Access Log Custom Format Regular Expression Grok Pattern Log4j Common Event Format (CEF) Log Event Extended Format (LEEF)
Compression Format	The compression format of the files: None - Processes only uncompressed files. Compressed File - Processes files that are compressed by the supported compression formats. Archive - Processes files that are archived by the supported archive formats. Compressed Archive - Processes files that are archived and compressed by the supported archive and compression formats.
File Name Pattern within Compressed Directory	For archive and compressed archive files, file name pattern that represents the files to process within the compressed directory. You can use UNIX-style wildcards, such as an asterisk or question mark. For example, .json. Default is , which processes all files.
Max Line Length	Maximum length of a log line. The source truncates longer lines. This property can be limited by the Data Collector parser buffer size. For more information, see Maximum record size.
Retain Original Line	Determines how to treat the original log line. Select to include the original log line as a field in the resulting record. By default, the original line is discarded.
Charset	Character encoding of the files to be processed.
Ignore Control Characters	Removes all ASCII control characters except for the tab, line feed, and carriage return characters.

When you select Apache Access Log Custom Format, use Apache log format strings to define the Custom Log Format.
When you select Regular Expression, enter the regular expression that describes the log format, and then map the fields that you want to include to each regular expression group.
When you select Grok Pattern, you can use the Grok Pattern Definition field to define custom grok patterns. You can define a pattern on each line.
In the Grok Pattern field, enter the pattern to use to parse the log. You can use a predefined grok patterns or create a custom grok pattern using patterns defined in Grok Pattern Definition.

For more information about defining grok patterns and supported grok patterns, see Defining grok patterns.

When you select Log4j, define the following properties:

Log4j Property	Description
On Parse Error	Determines how to handle information that cannot be parsed: Skip and Log Error - Skips reading the line and logs a stage error. Skip, No Error - Skips reading the line and does not log an error. Include as Stack Trace - Includes information that cannot be parsed as a stack trace to the previously-read log line. The information is added to the message field for the last valid log line.
Use Custom Log Format	Allows you to define a custom log format.
Custom Log4J Format	Use log4j variables to define a custom log format.

For protobuf data, on the Data Format tab, configure the following properties:

Protobuf Property	Description
Protobuf Descriptor File	Descriptor file (.desc) to use. The descriptor file must be in the Data Collector resources directory, `$SDC_RESOURCES`. For information about generating the descriptor file, see Protobuf data format prerequisites.
Message Type	The fully-qualified name for the message type to use when reading data. Use the following format: `<package name>.<message type>`. Use a message type defined in the descriptor file.
Delimited Messages	Indicates if a message might include more than one protobuf message.
Compression Format	The compression format of the files: None - Processes only uncompressed files. Compressed File - Processes files that are compressed by the supported compression formats. Archive - Processes files that are archived by the supported archive formats. Compressed Archive - Processes files that are archived and compressed by the supported archive and compression formats.
File Name Pattern within Compressed Directory	For archive and compressed archive files, file name pattern that represents the files to process within the compressed directory. You can use UNIX-style wildcards, such as an asterisk or question mark. For example, .json. Default is , which processes all files.

For SDC Record data, on the Data Format tab, configure the following properties:

SDC Record Property	Description
Compression Format	The compression format of the files: None - Processes only uncompressed files. Compressed File - Processes files compressed by the supported compression formats. Archive - Processes files archived by the supported archive formats. Compressed Archive - Processes files archived and compressed by the supported archive and compression formats.
File Name Pattern within Compressed Directory	For archive and compressed archive files, file name pattern that represents the files to process within the compressed directory. You can use UNIX-style wildcards, such as an asterisk or question mark. For example, .json. Default is , which processes all files.

For text data, on the Data Format tab, configure the following properties:

Text Property	Description
Compression Format	The compression format of the files: None - Processes only uncompressed files. Compressed File - Processes files compressed by the supported compression formats. Archive - Processes files archived by the supported archive formats. Compressed Archive - Processes files archived and compressed by the supported archive and compression formats.
File Name Pattern within Compressed Directory	For archive and compressed archive files, file name pattern that represents the files to process within the compressed directory. You can use UNIX-style wildcards, such as an asterisk or question mark. For example, .json. Default is , which processes all files.
Max Line Length	Maximum number of characters allowed for a line. Longer lines are truncated. Adds a boolean field to the record to indicate if it was truncated. The field name is Truncated. This property can be limited by the Data Collector parser buffer size. For more information, see Maximum record size.
Use Custom Delimiter	Uses custom delimiters to define records instead of line breaks.
Custom Delimiter	One or more characters to use to define records.
Include Custom Delimiter	Includes delimiter characters in the record.
Charset	Character encoding of the files to be processed.
Ignore Control Characters	Removes all ASCII control characters except for the tab, line feed, and carriage return characters.

For XML data, on the Data Format tab, configure the following properties:

XML Property	Description
Delimiter Element	Delimiter to use to generate records. Omit a delimiter to treat the entire XML document as one record. Use one of the following: An XML element directly under the root element. Use the XML element name without surrounding angle brackets ( < > ) . For example, msg instead of <msg>. A simplified XPath expression that specifies the data to use. Use a simplified XPath expression to access data deeper in the XML document or data that requires a more complex access method. For more information about valid syntax, see Simplified XPath syntax.
Compression Format	The compression format of the files: None - Processes only uncompressed files. Compressed File - Processes files that are compressed by the supported compression formats. Archive - Processes files that are archived by the supported archive formats. Compressed Archive - Processes files that are archived and compressed by the supported archive and compression formats.
File Name Pattern within Compressed Directory	For archive and compressed archive files, file name pattern that represents the files to process within the compressed directory. You can use UNIX-style wildcards, such as an asterisk or question mark. For example, .json. Default is , which processes all files.
Preserve Root Element	Includes the root element in the generated records. When omitting a delimiter to generate a single record, the root element is the root element of the XML document. When specifying a delimiter to generate multiple records, the root element is the XML element specified as the delimiter element or is the last XML element in the simplified XPath expression specified as the delimiter element.
Include Field XPaths	Includes the XPath to each parsed XML element and XML attribute in field attributes. Also includes each namespace in an xmlns record header attribute. When not selected, this information is not included in the record. By default, the property is not selected.
Namespaces	Namespace prefix and URI to use when parsing the XML document. Define namespaces when the XML element being used includes a namespace prefix or when the XPath expression includes namespaces. For information about using namespaces with an XML element, see Using XML elements with namespaces. For information about using namespaces with XPath expressions, see Using XPath expressions with namespaces. Using simple or bulk edit mode, click the Add icon to add additional namespaces.
Output Field Attributes	Includes XML attributes and namespace declarations in the record as field attributes. When not selected, XML attributes and namespace declarations are included in the record as fields. By default, the property is not selected.
Max Record Length (chars)	The maximum number of characters in a record. Longer records are diverted to the flow for error handling. This property can be limited by the Data Collector parser buffer size. For more information, see Maximum record size.
Charset	Character encoding of the files to be processed.
Ignore Control Characters	Removes all ASCII control characters except for the tab, line feed, and carriage return characters.

When using the source in a microservice flow, on the WebSocket Response tab, configure the following properties. In non-microservice flows, these properties are ignored.

WebSocket Response Property	Description
Send Raw Response	Enables the source to send a response without an envelope.
Data Format	Data format of the payload. Select one of the following options: JSON XML
JSON Content	Method used to present multiple records in a JSON response: JSON array of objects Multiple JSON objects Available for the JSON data format.
Charset	Character set of the request body in a JSON response. Available for the JSON data format.
Pretty Format	Enables the source to write XML responses with human readable indentation. Available for the XML data format.
Validate Schema	Enables the source to validate XML responses against the provided schema. Available for the XML data format.
XML Schema	Schema that the source uses to validate XML responses. Available when validating schemas for the XML data format.