Creating a connector

There are four broad steps involved with creating your own connector:

1. Create a connector image that contains your logic that will run against process values.
2. Create a connector definition in the Modeling Application.
3. Configure a connector to a service task in a process definition.
4. Deploy a released project and connector image.

Creating a connector image

More information and resources will be available shortly on how to create a connector image.

Creating a connector definition

A connector definition is required to link your connector to a service task task within a process. To create a connector definition, sign into the Alfresco Modeling Application with a user that has the ACTIVITI_MODELER role.

In the Connectors section of the Modeling Application:

1. Create a new connector definition and give it a name and optional description.

2. Create a new action and give it a name and optional description.

   Note: The combination of connector name and action name will appear as the implementation value of a service task in the process definition XML.

3. Create the input and output parameter(s) for your connector. Input parameters are those sent from the process to a connector and output parameters are those received back.

4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for as many actions as your connector can execute.

5. Save your connector definition. It will now be available to attach to a service task in a process definition.

Configuring a connector within a process

To use your connector within a process, sign into the Alfresco Modeling Application with a user that has permission to create projects. The user will require the APS_MODELER role.

In the Processes section of the Modeling Application:

1. Create a service task and use the implementation value dropdown to select your connector definition followed by the action that the service task will use.

   Note: if you view the XML editor you will see that the value of the implementation property is <connector-name>.<action-name> for the associated service task.

2. Assign the input and output parameters for the connector to process variables within the process definition. If the names are identical this matching is done automatically.

   Note: the mappings between process variables and connector actions can be viewed in the <application-name>-extensions.json file located in the processes folder of your project.

3. Complete and save your process.

Deploying a connector

A connector needs to be deployed with its associated released project using the Alfresco Administrator Application to deploy. The location of the connector image and any connector variables are set during deployment.