Event Directions

EventDirection is an optional number in a Log Event. It tells where in the process the event was logged: before or after the port, or inside the workflow. With it, Log Views can tell the same message apart before and after port or workflow processing, which gives you end-to-end logging and message tracking.

Reference

To get the current list for your version, call GET /LogAPI/api/LogEvent/EventDirection on the Log API; see Explore operations in Scalar or Swagger.

Scalar shows the EventDirection operation with a code snippet and an example response.

Choosing a value

A messaging process has many steps, some internal and some external. The Event Direction adds location semantics to the Log Event (before port, after port, inside workflow, inside process), so you can log the same message at several points.

Where in the process

For example:

• Message before decryption
• Message after decryption
• Message before encryption
• Message after encryption
• Message batch before a split
  • Messages after the split
• Flat file before it is translated to XML (BizTalk, IBM IIB, or another broker using flat file schemas on a Receive Port)
• Flat file after it is translated from XML (BizTalk, IBM IIB, or another broker using flat file schemas on a Send Port)
• A workflow or orchestration inside a loop that generates new messages

Which value to set

• For custom logging, use the External values for what enters or leaves your solution, the Internal values for the message just inside the port, and the Process values for messages in and out of a workflow or orchestration.
• Set the Event Direction together with the mandatory Endpoint Direction: the Endpoint Direction describes the Endpoint, the Event Direction describes the position in the process. The examples show both.

Use Event Directions in Log Views

For filtering in Log Views, you can search and group Log Events on the Event Direction. Business users can hide internal events and see only what came in or went out (the net result), while developers see every detail of the process.

Event Direction used as a search filter in a Log View.

Log Events filtered on Event Direction for targeted analysis.

You can also filter on a combination of Event Directions, for example only the messages that entered and left your solution: ExternalIncoming (17) and ExternalOutgoing (18).

The combinations of Event Directions you can select in Log Views.

Examples

File transfer

Event Directions in a file transfer: the external systems (blue) send and receive the file, your integration process (orange) logs 17 on the way in and 18 on the way out.

The incoming event of this file transfer:

{
  "LogAgentValueId": 42,
  "EndPointName": "INT101: Receive Hello World Log Events",
  "EndPointUri": "C:\\temp\\in",
  "EndPointDirection": 0,
  "EndPointTypeId": 60,
  "OriginalMessageTypeName": "Hello.World.File/1.0",
  "LogDateTime": "2017-11-22T08:44:22.309Z",
  "EventDirection": 17
}

API

Event Directions in an API integration: requests and responses between the external systems (blue) and your integration process (orange), each logged with its own Event Direction.

Next Steps

• JSON Log Event
• Endpoint Directions
• Endpoint Types
• Log Views

Related Topics

• Log Event
• Context Options
• Endpoints
• Log Agents
• Log API
• Log using REST