Terms and Concepts
AlchemyJ Studio
An Excel add-in that provides access to AlchemyJ API modeling features. Users can use it to add API definition templates, debug, test, build an API and many more.
AlchemyJ Compiler
AlchemyJ Compiler is a tool in AlchemyJ which analyses an AlchemyJ workbook (Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook .xlsm) and transforms it into an application programming interface (API). It supports different API technology such as Java API and REST API.
AlchemyJ Extended Function
On top of supporting standard Excel functions, AlchemyJ provides additional Excel functions that can help you model APIs in Excel effectively.
For example, it is a common practice to access the database. By using the ajDBRunSQL AlchemyJ Extended Function, you can easily read and write from the database.
AlchemyJ Java API
A Java project generated by AlchemyJ which implements the business logic defined in an AlchemyJ workbook in the form of a Java Package. Java developers can use the class and method in an AlchemyJ Java API by importing the Java package into their projects.
AlchemyJ REST API
A REST project generated by AlchemyJ which implements the business logic defined in an AlchemyJ workbook in the form of a REST API. Users can access its functionalities by making a HTTP request to an endpoint.
AlchemyJ Snippet
AlchemyJ snippets are ranges that have a pre-defined format (table or columns) which some AlchemyJ Extended Functions require as input parameters.
Application Configuration Sheet
Application Configuration Worksheet contains application properties that can be changed outside of the model. For example, the output file path used in a model might be different in different environments. An operator can change these settings in a yml file. When an AJ model is run, these properties are loaded into the model from the yml file.
Each workbook can have only one application configuration sheet. The worksheet's name is %%AppConfig. It is automatically added when you click on the “Initialize Model” button.
A business logic sheet can get the property values by referencing the cells in the value column. For example, %%AppConfig!B3 is as shown below.
Business Logic Sheet
Any worksheet that contains business logic can be called a business logic sheet. These worksheets contain the logic for functions that an API provides. The business logic can be implemented using excel formulas and any AlchemyJ Extended Functions. The logic of a function may involve one or multiple business logic worksheets. Different functions may refer to the same business logic sheet.
For example, here is a business logic sheet about the login feature. User Name and Password are the input parameters and the output result is Authentication Result.
Data Dictionary
An AlchemyJ component that defines the properties of data items used in the model. By defining the properties of a data item, the user can use AlchemyJ Extended Function, ajCheckDataItem, to validate a data item and transform its value to something defined. Some of the property examples are data type, maximum, max length, pattern, date format and etc. One workbook can have multiple data dictionaries.
AlchemyJ also provides a data dictionary JavaScript library so that data item property defined in a data dictionary can also be used in the web front end user interface.
Data Relationship Schema
A table for representing the relationship between data ranges (or tables), which would be used for constructing a data structure. Data structure can have single layer or multiple layers.
API Inspector
A tool for troubleshooting an API. It helps you understand what is going on behind an API.
AlchemyJ Testing Tool
AlchemyJ testing tool is an unit testing tool which can automatically generate test case template based on the defined function point definition, trigger the test case execution for Java API and REST API function points and generate the test report.