Input & Output Schemas

Overview

Schemas define the data contract between users and workflows:

Input schemas define what the user fills in before triggering a workflow (forms)
Output schemas define what the workflow returns after execution (results)

Both are defined in config.ts as part of the workflow configuration.

Input schemas

Input schemas are used by HTTP triggers and sub-workflow triggers to define what data the workflow expects.

Structure

An input schema is an array of sections, each containing an array of fields:

function getInputSchema(): FormInputSchema {
  return [
    {
      type: 'section',
      title: 'Configuration',
      collapsible: false,
      inputSchema: [
        {
          key: 'query',
          type: 'text',
          label: 'Search Query',
          description: 'What to search for',
          placeholder: 'Enter your query...',
          required: true,
          maxLength: 1000,
        },
      ],
    },
    {
      type: 'section',
      title: 'Advanced Options',
      collapsible: true,
      inputSchema: [
        {
          key: 'max_results',
          type: 'number',
          label: 'Maximum Results',
          description: 'How many results to return',
          required: false,
          defaultValue: 10,
          min: 1,
          max: 100,
        },
      ],
    },
  ];
}

Field types

Type	Description	Type-specific properties
`string`	Single-line text	`minLength`, `maxLength`, `regex`, `placeholder`
`text`	Multi-line text	`minLength`, `maxLength`, `rows`, `placeholder`
`number`	Numeric input	`min`, `max`, `numberType` (`integer` or `float`)
`boolean`	Toggle/checkbox	`defaultValue`
`date`	Date picker	`minDate`, `maxDate`
`select`	Single-choice dropdown	`options: [{value, label}]`
`multiselect`	Multi-choice dropdown	`options: [{value, label}]`, `minItems`, `maxItems`
`radio`	Radio button group	`options: [{value, label}]`
`file`	File upload	`maxSize`, `allowedMimeTypes`, `maxFiles`
`array`	Repeatable items	`itemField: {type, ...}`, `minItems`, `maxItems`
`object`	Nested fields	`fields: [{key, type, ...}]`
`objectArray`	Repeatable objects	`fields: [{key, type, ...}]`, `minItems`, `maxItems`

Common field properties

Property	Type	Description
`key`	string	Unique field identifier (snake_case or CONSTANT_CASE)
`type`	string	One of the field types above
`label`	string	Display label shown to the user
`description`	string	Help text below the field
`placeholder`	string	Placeholder text inside the field
`required`	boolean	Whether the field must be filled
`defaultValue`	any	Pre-filled value

File upload field

{
  key: 'document',
  type: 'file',
  label: 'Upload Document',
  description: 'PDF, Word, or text file to analyze',
  required: true,
  maxSize: 50 * 1024 * 1024,  // 50 MB
  allowedMimeTypes: ['application/pdf', '.docx', '.doc', '.txt'],
}

Select field

{
  key: 'language',
  type: 'select',
  label: 'Output Language',
  required: true,
  defaultValue: 'english',
  options: [
    { value: 'english', label: 'English' },
    { value: 'french', label: 'French' },
    { value: 'dutch', label: 'Dutch' },
  ],
}

Array field

{
  key: 'urls',
  type: 'array',
  label: 'URLs to process',
  itemField: { type: 'string', maxLength: 500 },
  minItems: 1,
  maxItems: 10,
}

Output schemas

Output schemas define the structure of execution results. They apply to all trigger types.

Structure

An output schema is a flat array of field definitions:

function getOutputSchema(): FormOutputSchema {
  return [
    {
      key: 'summary',
      type: 'text',
      label: 'Analysis Summary',
      description: 'AI-generated summary of the document',
    },
    {
      key: 'confidence',
      type: 'number',
      label: 'Confidence Score',
      description: 'How confident the AI is in the analysis (0-100)',
      numberType: 'integer',
    },
    {
      key: 'categories',
      type: 'array',
      label: 'Detected Categories',
      description: 'List of categories found in the document',
      itemField: { type: 'string' },
    },
    {
      key: 'generated_report',
      type: 'file',
      label: 'Generated Report',
      description: 'PDF report generated by the workflow',
    },
  ];
}

Output field types

Type	Description	Notes
`string`	Single-line text	Short text values
`text`	Multi-line text	Long-form content, markdown
`number`	Numeric value	Use `numberType: 'integer'` for whole numbers
`boolean`	True/false	Binary results
`date`	Date value	ISO 8601 format
`file`	Uploaded file	References a `documentId` from Codika Upload File
`array`	List of items	Requires `itemField` with type definition

Sub-workflow output schema

Sub-workflows always have an empty output schema:

outputSchema: []

Data flows back to the parent workflow via the Execute Workflow node’s return value.

Connecting schemas to workflow nodes

Input data in workflows

For HTTP triggers, the user’s form data arrives in the webhook payload. Extract it in a Code node:

// In a Code node after Codika Init
const webhookData = $('Webhook Trigger').first().json;
const query = webhookData.body.payload.query;
const maxResults = webhookData.body.payload.max_results || 10;

Output data in workflows

The Codika Submit Result node sends the resultData back. It must match the output schema:

// In a Code node before Codika Submit Result
return {
  json: {
    results: {
      summary: 'Analysis complete...',
      confidence: 95,
      categories: ['finance', 'legal'],
      generated_report: documentId,  // From Codika Upload File
    }
  }
};

Validation

The CLI validates schemas via the schema-types use-case script:

codika verify use-case ./my-use-case

Checks:

All field types are valid
Required properties are present
itemField is defined for array types
Keys use valid naming conventions

Getting Started

Why Codika

Core Concepts

Guides

Builder System

Examples

Overview

Input schemas

Structure

Field types

Common field properties

File upload field

Select field

Array field

Output schemas

Structure

Output field types

Sub-workflow output schema

Connecting schemas to workflow nodes

Input data in workflows

Output data in workflows

Validation

​Overview

​Input schemas

​Structure

​Field types

​Common field properties

​File upload field

​Select field

​Array field

​Output schemas

​Structure

​Output field types

​Sub-workflow output schema

​Connecting schemas to workflow nodes

​Input data in workflows

​Output data in workflows

​Validation

Overview

Input schemas

Structure

Field types

Common field properties

File upload field

Select field

Array field

Output schemas

Structure

Output field types

Sub-workflow output schema

Connecting schemas to workflow nodes

Input data in workflows

Output data in workflows

Validation