SAP Content Modifier Step

The Content Modifier is one of the most frequently used steps in CPI. It lets you set, change, or delete values in three places: the message header, the message body, and exchange properties. You use the Content Modifier to prepare a message before it reaches the next step — adding metadata, injecting fixed values, or storing intermediate results for later use.

Think of the Content Modifier like a clerk who reviews a package before sending it out. The clerk checks the label (headers), writes additional notes on the form (properties), and sometimes repackages the contents (body). The Content Modifier does the same to every message that passes through it.

The Three Tabs in Content Modifier

When you open a Content Modifier step, you see three tabs:

Tab 1: Message Header

Message headers are key-value pairs that carry metadata about the message. They travel alongside the payload but are not part of the business data itself. Common uses:

Set an HTTP header (Content-Type, Authorization) before calling an external API
Set a custom header that downstream steps can read to make routing decisions
Copy a value from the payload into a header for easy access in later steps

Tab 2: Exchange Properties

Exchange properties are variables scoped to the current iFlow execution. They hold intermediate values — results from a lookup, a counter, a flag — that you need to reference in later steps of the same iFlow. Properties are internal; they are never sent to the receiver.

Tab 3: Message Body

The body tab lets you replace the entire message body with a new value. Use this when you need to construct a completely new payload — for example, creating a fixed XML wrapper, or assembling a body from a combination of header values, properties, and literal text.

Value Types Available in Content Modifier

For each header or property you create, you choose how the value is determined:

Constant – A literal value you type directly: "OUTBOUND", "001", "EN"
Header – Copy the value from another existing header
Property – Copy the value from an existing exchange property
XPath – Extract a value from the XML body using an XPath expression
Expression – Use a Groovy/Camel expression for dynamic values like timestamps

Practical Example: Setting Headers Before an API Call

SCENARIO: CPI calls an external REST API that requires specific headers

Content Modifier configuration (Message Header tab):
┌──────────────────┬────────────┬──────────────────────────────────┐
│ Name             │ Type       │ Value                            │
├──────────────────┼────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┤
│ Content-Type     │ Constant   │ application/json                 │
│ Accept           │ Constant   │ application/json                 │
│ X-Correlation-ID │ Expression │ ${property.CorrelationID}        │
│ X-Source-System  │ Constant   │ SAP-CPI                          │
└──────────────────┴────────────┴──────────────────────────────────┘

Result: Every API call carries these headers, identifying the request
format and its origin.

Practical Example: Extracting a Value from Payload into Property

SCENARIO: Message contains a SalesOrder number you need in a later step

Incoming XML:
<SalesOrder>
  <OrderID>SO-98765</OrderID>
  <Customer>CUST-001</Customer>
  ...
</SalesOrder>

Content Modifier configuration (Exchange Properties tab):
┌────────────────┬───────┬──────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Name           │ Type  │ Value                                │
├────────────────┼───────┼──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ SalesOrderID   │ XPath │ /SalesOrder/OrderID                  │
│ CustomerID     │ XPath │ /SalesOrder/Customer                 │
└────────────────┴───────┴──────────────────────────────────────┘

Later in the iFlow, a Content Modifier can use:
  ${property.SalesOrderID}  → "SO-98765"
  ${property.CustomerID}    → "CUST-001"

Practical Example: Constructing a New Message Body

SCENARIO: Build a simple JSON acknowledgment response after processing

Content Modifier configuration (Message Body tab):
Type: Expression

Value:
{
  "status": "success",
  "message": "Order ${property.SalesOrderID} processed",
  "timestamp": "${date:now:yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss}",
  "processedBy": "CPI-PROD"
}

Result at runtime:
{
  "status": "success",
  "message": "Order SO-98765 processed",
  "timestamp": "2024-05-01 14:32:10",
  "processedBy": "CPI-PROD"
}

Dynamic Values Using Expressions

The expression language in CPI follows the Apache Camel Simple language syntax. Commonly used expressions in Content Modifier:

${header.HeaderName} – Value of a specific header
${property.PropertyName} – Value of a specific property
${date:now:yyyy-MM-dd} – Current date in specified format
${date:now:yyyyMMddHHmmss} – Current date and time
${exchangeId} – Unique ID for the current message processing run
${camelId} – ID of the CPI tenant

Multiple Content Modifiers in One iFlow

You can use as many Content Modifier steps as needed in a single iFlow. A typical pattern:

[Start]
  → Content Modifier 1: Extract key fields from payload into properties
  → Message Mapping: Transform payload to target format
  → Content Modifier 2: Set required receiver headers using stored properties
  → Receiver Adapter: Send transformed message
[End]

Using multiple small Content Modifiers, each doing one clear job, is easier to read and debug than cramming all modifications into one step.

Removing Headers

By default, CPI may pass some incoming headers to the receiver, which can cause unexpected behavior — especially security headers that should not leave CPI. You can delete headers in the Content Modifier by setting the Action to "Delete" for a specific header name, or by using a dedicated Header Remover step (available in newer CPI versions) to strip all headers before delivery.

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