Let’s Talk Connectors
A Connector is an interface that communicates with external APIs. The goal of a Connector is not to be a direct reflection of an API, but instead a user-friendly abstraction on top of an API. Connector development is more focused on end-user needs than on the capabilities of the API. Each Connector is made up of methods, which appear to the user as the different Event and Action cards. Each method determines how data is fetched from the API, and transforms data to the user-friendly format accepted by the front-end. Most methods use more than one API call to do this.
To define a Connector, you must write a Connector JSON file and submit this file to Azuqua for upload into the engine. At runtime, the engine will access the instructions laid out in this file to execute the Event or Action the user has designated in their Flow. The primary function of a Connector JSON file is to lay out in a linear manner the pre-defined action steps (known as modules) that will execute each user-facing event or action. Using modules, you can define what data will be fetched from the API, select the data you want to pass on to the user, and transform this data into flat JSON that can be consumed by the Azuqua front-end.
Each Connector has 4 sections:
The Authentication section, where you define the Authentication schema of the Connector, either: basic, OAuth (both 1 and 2) or custom. Once users have set up an authentication configuration for a Connector, Azuqua will save their credentials so this configuration can be used again.
The Events section, where you define any Event cards you want in your Connector. Events are the methods that start Flows. Each Flow must have a starting Event, and every time the Event detects new records the Flow will run.
The Actions section, where you define any Action cards you want in your Connector. Actions are the methods that make up the majority of a Flow, and execute whenever the starting Event occurs.
The Functions section, where you define any helper methods you need to execute your Events and Actions. While Events and Actions are turned into cards that are visible to the user, helper methods are never seen by the user and always execute under the hood.
Next: Connectors + Modules