Connections

Connection defines between which connectors do we want to do requests, what kind of requests and to specify mapping between them. This is a core element of the application. There is also a possibility to add the connection to the templates. Clicking on the button appears a window where should be provided a name. The list of connections displays a title, a description, and connectors’ titles.

Adding/updating connection consists of three steps: direction, mode, and methods. The direction page has three fields: title, description and connectors. Title and connectors are required. The title must be unique, it is checking before performing an action (add/update). The connectors are two: from connector and to connector. The options are loaded from the connectors list.

The mode step has one required field - mode. It can be an expert or a template. If the template is chosen, their will be appeared a select field, where you need to select a desired template. Here also you can delete it, clicking on the bin icon, or upgrade, if the template need to be upgraded to the current application version.

If you change the mode it will affect on the “methods”, that is why you need to confirm your choice.

The method step can be defined in two modes: column view (default) and diagram view. You can switch between them mouseovering the icon . There you also can open method form section on the whole window clicking on the maximize icon .

Column View (deprecated! will be removed in v3.0)

The column view is divided into two parts: left and right. On the left side you see elements belongs to from connector and on the right to to connector.

Method represents the request to the connector with defined parameters. There are two types of elements: method and operator. Clicking on the button you can create the element. The element will be located after the current element, that is pointed with an arrow . Each method has his own color that generates automatically. To remove the method just click on the bin icon.

The method consists of Query and Body.

Query is a URL that can be modified during the request. It has a prefix, that is defined in invoker xml file. Mouseover here

you can see it. Clicking on this icon popped up an input to modify the query.

There is a possibility to add a parameter into the Query (except the first method in from connector). This parameter is a reference to the response of the previously created method.

If the response is in json format and array, then you can choose the whole array or only a specific element in the array typing [arrayIndex]. It means to take the element with the specified index. To choose the whole array you need to type [*].

If the response is in xml format then you can also reference to the attribute of the xml tag. Just type @ and if the xml tag has attributes they will be popped up and you can select one.

You choose method, fill out the parameter and click plus button. The parameter comes from the invoker. If it exists there, you will see it after typing the third symbol in the input field as a select popup block.

Body has an icon . Clicking on it popup a block of request that you send using this method. It can be modified using

icon or directly change each parameter. There is also a possibility here to add a parameter from the response of the previous methods. Type # as the first character and you will see another popup.

You can handle with that in the same principe as for the Query. When you finish with editing click on the apply icon .

Moreover, you can add an enhancement between fields. Clicking on the reference

Note

Enhancement is currently only supported in the body configuration of the target system (to connector).

you will see a popup window where you set a description and an enhancement itself.

There are predefined variables to relate with the fields. VAR_[i] are coming parameters and RESULT_VAR is the final value for to connector field.

When you create an operator there are two options: if and loop. if operator does a condition before performance. You should define here also a reference, choose a condition operation and set with what are you doing to compare.

loop operator makes request in the loop under conditions that you define.

As you can mention, all items under the operators are shifted on the right to see the scope of their influence. There can be a lot of items, that means can be shifted quite well on the right. We have limited the overview and brought history here. Both from connector and to connector can have 5 elements. If you have more than five, appears a navigator on the left side with progress bar . Clicking up or down you can navigate throw the elements and see how deep you are, just looking on the progress bar. Moreover, there is a history on the top.

This history displays you all operators that are participating to fulfill the current item. Clicking on the search icon you see the whole structure of the connector.

Press arrows up and down to navigate there or left and right arrows to minimize or maximize accordingly the operators. Clicking on the item here you go directly to that element and it will selected as the current one.

Diagram View

The diagram view shows you three panels: business layout, technical layout and details.

Each layout can be: opened in the separate window , minimized or maximized . The details can be moved from right to left and vice versa .

The layouts height is resizable. Use your mouse to resize the height grabbing the separate gray line between them. Also you can drag the layout to see hidden parts outside the screen. Using shift*+*mouse scroll zoom in and out to dive into details or to see the whole picture.

Technical Layout

The goal of this layout is define your requests and operators. The technical layout displays two connector areas. They are white bordered boxes with connector labels and clickable text inside “Click here to create…”. On the panel size you can see a settings icon . Clicking on it the dialog popped up. Here you can define the position of the color in technical process and business label mode. Business label is a label of the business process to which the technical item was assigned. It can visible all the time, not visible, or visible only on pressing b (business) key.

The technical layout has two creatable items: process and operator. The process is a defined in invoker file operation. The operators can be two: if and loop. If is a conditional operator and loop is an iterable operator. To create an initial technical item you need to click on the text in the appropriate connector area. You can create as very first item only a process in the from connector. The to connector has a possibility to create an operator as his very first item, only if the from connector is not empty. After the popup dialog appears where you need to select a required name and set a label. The label serves as an optional name defined by user to bring readability and simplify the view.

Clicking on the add icon you will see a rounded bordered rectangle with the label, if it was set, otherwise with the name. Each technical process has a unique color to distinguish it among other processes with the same name. You can easily delete the process clicking on the bin icon and confirming your decision. To create furthers items in the same connector area just double click on the element. Now you can see the operator options: if and loop.

Select one of the and click on the add icon. The operator item can have items in his scope. To define it, double click on the operator and choose in option.

The items that are inside operator’s scope placed one level below and arrowed down.

As you can see, when you select the operator, all his scoped elements are highlighted what makes it more readable.

Business Layout

The business layout serves to group technical items under the business process for simplicity. All items can be dragged and dropped where you wish in this layout. To create an item clicking on the text and define the name. The process appears in the business layout.

It display the name and has two icons: bin for deleting and assign icon to determine what technical items should be grouped. Clicking on that icon the background of the technical layout will be changed. That means that you are right now in the assign mode.

Click on the need item and it will be determined to the selected business process. Clicking on the business layout free space you will exit from assign mode. Press now the business process to see what technical items are assigned to it. The not assigned items are slightly transparent.

Details

The details of business process is pretty simple. You can change the name of the process.

The details of technical process has more configurations.

First of all, the name and the label both configured. But be careful by updating the name, because it can influence on your predefined workflow.

You can see such information like the invoker that is used and format of the transfer data. The request has method name, endpoint, header and body. Pressing on H you can read the header in details. The endpoint and the body are editable. The endpoint is a URL of the request where you can add data as references from different responses that defined before it.

Pressing on the … you can read and update the body. Typing # assign in the text area you will see a pop up dialog to add a reference.

There is an enhancement on the right side as soon as you set the reference. Enhancement is piece of javascript code that will be applied before the definition.

Note

Enhancement is currently only supported in the body configuration of the target system (to connector).

The details of the operator has two fields: type and condition. Be careful when you change type because it can influence on your predefined workflow. The condition has several input fields depending on the relational operator that you choose.