Embeddable Framework - Data Action JSONPath and Weird Character Escaping

“Cannot read property ‘toLowerCase’ of undefined” - that’s what’s popping up in the console, and honestly, I’m a bit lost. It’s happening when we try to parse the response from a Data Action in the Embeddable Framework. We’re on Genesys Cloud, and I’m… pretty sure the JSONPath is correct, but maybe not? It feels like something’s escaping wrong.

The Architect flow is pretty simple. It’s just taking a digit collected from the phone number - a simple DTMF collection - and using that to look up a customer ID in a third-party system. The Data Action uses a POST request to /api/v2/dataactions/YOUR_DATA_ACTION_ID, and the response is supposed to return the customer details as JSON. The JSONPath expression we’re using is $.customer.id. I think that should work.

Here’s the relevant bit of the React component where we’re pulling the data from the Embeddable Framework, and trying to render it. Apologies if this is really basic stuff, I’m still getting my head around the whole component lifecycle thing.

import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import { useDataAction } from '@genesyscloud/embeddable-framework';

function CustomerDetails({ dataActionId, digitCollected }) {
 const [customerId, setCustomerId] = useState(null);
 const { data, loading, error } = useDataAction(dataActionId, { digit: digitCollected });

 useEffect(() => {
 if (data && data.customer && data.customer.id) {
 setCustomerId(data.customer.id);
 }
 }, [data]);

 if (loading) return <p>Loading customer details...</p>;
 if (error) return <p>Error loading customer details: {error.message}</p>;

 return (
 <div>
 {customerId ? <p>Customer ID: {customerId}</p> : <p>Customer ID not found.</p>}
 </div>
 );
}

export default CustomerDetails;

The weird part is that the response looks okay in the network tab. It’s valid JSON, and the customer.id field is definitely there. But the useDataAction hook seems to be getting something that’s… not quite right. The error happens when it tries to call toLowerCase() on something that’s undefined. I thought maybe it was a string conversion issue, but I’m not sure.

We’re using Client App SDK v2.12.4 and Embeddable Framework v1.8.1. I tried wrapping data.customer.id in a try...catch block, but honestly, I don’t want to just mask the problem. I feel like I’m missing something fundamental about how JSONPath works with Data Actions. Is it something to do with special characters in the digit collected? Maybe the Data Action needs to return a specific format? Or is it something to do with the way we’ve set up the data action itself? It’s just… really frustrating, because it works sometimes.

I know SSO can feel overwhelming, but… debugging JavaScript errors in the Embeddable Framework often feels like digging in the dark, doesn’t it? That toLowerCase() error is a classic - it means you’re trying to call a string method on something that isn’t a string, or isn’t even defined. Let’s break this down.

First, a quick checklist - things that should be covered, but worth double-checking:

• Data Action Configuration: Is the Data Action actually returning JSON? A plain text error message back from a failed lookup can cause this.
• Architect Flow Debugging: Are you using the Architect debugger to step through and inspect the variable at each stage? Seriously, it’s invaluable.
• JSONPath Validation: Double-check the JSONPath expression - even a tiny typo will break everything. Tools like https://jsonpath.com/ are useful for testing.
• Permissions: Does the user executing the Data Action have the necessary permissions to access the external system? (Less likely for this error, but always worth ruling out).

Now, let’s look at what’s probably happening. That error usually crops up when the JSONPath returns null or undefined instead of a string. JavaScript doesn’t like calling .toLowerCase() on those.

From what I’ve seen, the issue is almost always related to how you’re handling optional fields in your JSON response. If the field you’re targeting with JSONPath might not always be present, you need to handle that case.

Here’s where it gets a little tricky - and where the escaping could be playing a part, although probably indirectly. The Embeddable Framework has… quirks with how it handles JSON responses.

Try wrapping your JSONPath expression in a conditional check within the Architect flow. Instead of directly using the JSONPath output, assign it to a variable and then check if that variable has a value before attempting to use .toLowerCase().

Here’s an example - it’s a bit verbose, but it’s explicit and makes the logic clear:

// Assuming your JSONPath expression is stored in a variable called 'jsonPathExpression'
// and the result is assigned to a variable called 'phoneNumberPart'

if (phoneNumberPart != null && phoneNumberPart !== undefined && typeof phoneNumberPart === 'string') {
 phoneNumberPart = phoneNumberPart.toLowerCase();
} else {
 // Handle the case where the JSONPath returned null or undefined
 // For example, set a default value or log an error
 phoneNumberPart = ""; // Or some other suitable default
 console.log("Warning: JSONPath returned null or undefined. Using default value.");
}

A common mistake is assuming the JSONPath will always resolve. It won’t. It’s also worth looking at how the JSON is formatted in the response. Sometimes an empty string "" is returned when a field is missing instead of null. The typeof check handles this, too.

Let’s troubleshoot this systematically. To help me understand further, can you share (without sharing sensitive data):

That will give us a clearer picture of what’s going on. fwiw, it’s also worth checking your Data Action logs in Genesys Cloud. They might contain more specific error messages.

The error message suggests the JSONPath isn’t resolving to a string value - that’s common when dealing with conditional data or optional fields. The earlier reply correctly identified the root cause - a non-string value being passed to toLowerCase(). I’d add that the Embeddable Framework’s Data Actions can be sensitive to unexpected data types, especially when handling dynamic responses.

We’ve seen similar issues arise when the JSONPath targets an array element without validating the array’s size. If the array is empty, the JSONPath will resolve to null, triggering that error. A workaround is to use a default value within the JSONPath expression itself.

For example, assuming your JSON response looks something like this:

{
 "phoneNumberDetails": {
 "digits": ["1", "2", "3"]
 }
}

And you’re attempting to extract the first digit using the JSONPath phoneNumberDetails.digits[0], modify the Data Action configuration to include a default value if the array is empty. You can achieve this using a conditional expression within the JSONPath.

Here’s an example of a JSONPath expression that will return an empty string if the array is empty:

phoneNumberDetails.digits[0] ?: ""

The ?: operator provides a default value if the left side of the expression evaluates to null or undefined.

Another potential cause, particularly with higher concurrent call volumes, is API throughput throttling. While not directly related to the JavaScript error, if the Data Action is repeatedly failing to retrieve the data due to API limits, it could lead to inconsistent data types being processed. Monitor the API request latency in the Genesys Cloud Resource Center and ensure you’re not exceeding the documented rate limits for the Data Action API endpoint - /api/v2/dataactions/.

To troubleshoot further, I recommend adding logging within the Data Action itself. You can use the console.log() function to output the value of the JSONPath expression before calling toLowerCase(). This will help pinpoint exactly what value is being passed to the function and why it’s causing the error.

• Hmm, that toLowerCase() error usually means the Data Action’s JSONPath isn’t actually returning a string - it’s probably null or undefined. GC’s JSONPath is kinda finicky, especially with nested objects.
• Are you sure the digit collection is actually sending a string? We’ve seen cases where it comes through as a number, and then the .toLowerCase() fails.
• Double-check the Data Action’s “Expected Response Format” - is it set to JSON? If not, GC might be trying to parse it as something else. What does the raw response look like?

The toLowerCase() error almost always indicates you’re receiving something that isn’t a string from the Data Action - likely null or undefined. It’s not necessarily the JSONPath itself, though that’s where people start. We’ve got around 350 agents, and we run into this constantly when building out new flows.

The Embeddable Framework’s JavaScript execution context is a little… particular. It doesn’t always propagate errors cleanly, which is why you get that vague message. Here’s how to confirm: add a console.log(typeof response) before the toLowerCase() call. That’ll tell you exactly what you’re dealing with.

If it’s object, then the Data Action is returning something, but it’s not a string. Double-check the Data Action’s Request Body and the Response Mapping. Specifically, make sure the field you’re trying to convert is mapped to a text field in the response. Also verify the Content-Type header returned by the Data Action is application/json. It’s surprising how often that gets set incorrectly. A common mistake is to leave the request body as ‘raw’ instead of ‘JSON’.