Use webhooks for real-time, event-driven communication

What is it? 

ITONICS offers a standardized REST API that can be used to access data from the ITONICS Innovation OS. Currently, retrieving data from the ITONICS application requires an active GET API call, which can only be triggered after an action has occurred, without a dynamic "push" from the application informing about data changes. However, specific use cases necessitate event-driven communication between applications based on particular events within the ITONICS system. An example is updating project data in real-time in a client's internal project management tool based on a corresponding project element's status update in ITONICS. To achieve these use cases, API webhooks can be utilized.

How does it work? 

When an important event occurs in ITONICS – for instance, a project status change or a new idea submission – a webhook automatically sends a notification (or specific data) to a designated target application. This approach differs from typical GET API requests, which must be sent by your system based on suspicion of a change or a regular cron job. Instead, the API webhook directly triggers a POST to a predefined location or endpoint. This location can be subscribed to, allowing its payload to be read out once the event-based trigger happens. For example, once a webhook has been received, an automatic cron can be triggered to retrieve further information from the GET API based on the occurred event, ultimately allowing an update of corresponding element data in a client’s internal application in real-time.

Configure the API webhook

To use the API webhook module, it first needs to be enabled by your Customer Innovation Success Manager, among others setting up the authentication and webhook configuration type.

Once enabled, navigate to the Settings Wheel > Entity Configuration > Entity Configuration. There, enable the API Webhook module card by checking and confirming the action by clicking Save.

Note that for the campaigns entity type, the API webhook module card further allows enabling API webhooks for the campaign submission entity type, while the same action types as configured for the campaigns entity type will be considered. Be aware that it is not possible to set up the API webhook implementation per campaign element, but globally for the entire campaign entity type.

Subsequently, the new tab API Webhook Configuration becomes available (1), where the following information can be defined:

1. Webhook endpoint: define the target location / endpoint where the event information will be sent to using a POST request (2)

2. Webhook action types: multi-select dropdown field to select the types of actions / events that should trigger a webhook to the predefined endpoint (3). You may select from the following actions:

   • An element has been created

   • An element has been updated/edited 

   • An element has been updated via the bulk edit/update action

   • An element has been deleted

   • An element has been rated

   • An element has been liked

   • An element has been followed

   • An element has been related / received a relation

Note that publishing a draft element or element in review is considered an update action. Further, both import and updates/creations via API POST or put request are not triggering an API webhook. Besides, be aware that if multiple action types are configured, for example both the create and relate action, then adding a relation to an element during its creation will trigger an API webhook for each of the two checked action types.

The following information is included in the notification, respectively payload of the API webhook:

• Entity ID and type

• Element ID and title

• Type of action

• Timestamp 

  • Note: the timestamp will be provided in Unix timestamp, for example 1753345763, representing Thursday, July 24, 2025 09:49:23 AM UTC, and can then be converted into the respective local timezone.