Configuring a connector

Connectors require that you provide custom configuration for the connector's Add-ons package in the form of a JSON configuration file, which is true whether you are implementing a prebuilt RWS connector or a custom one you have created. This topic explains the general process for configuring connectors. The exact process needed will depend on the specific connector and your planned use cases for it.

Before you begin

To complete a configuration file for an connector, you need to know the following:

  • The name of the connector as it is defined in the Add-on's manifest file
  • When using the connector with Content Delivery, the name of each Content Delivery environment to be configured, as defined in the cdenvironment variable of each environment
  • When using the connector with Content Manager, the item URIs of each stub Folder or stub Category that this connector will make use of for ECL functionality

About this task

After adding a connector to your Tridion Sites implementation, create a JSON configuration file to your needs and upload it to the Add-ons service. The configuration includes settings that are specific to your implementation, such as endpoint URL, username, password, and more.

Refer to the subtopics for a full explanation of the connector configuration file's multi-level structure and for descriptions of the common properties that can be configured for a connector (other properties vary from connector to connector).

Procedure

  1. In a plain text editor, create a new file.
  2. Add a top-level configuration object that contains general settings for the connector that will apply to all environments. You can optionally include a namespaces object with one or more namespaces that you want to expose.
  3. Define environment-specific objects for all Content Manager and Content Delivery environments where the connector will be used. You need a separate section for each environment.
    Within each environment's section, include connector settings that apply generally to the environment.
    Optionally, define namespace subsections and include settings that apply only to this specific namespace within the environment.
  4. Optionally, in the same configuration file, you can define additional extensions should be available with the connector. Follow the same pattern as used for the Connector object.
  5. Save the file in the JSON format.

    The file name can be whatever you like; however, as best practice, we recommend that you use ADDONFEATURENAME_CONFIG where ADDONFEATURENAME corresponds to the name setting in the manifest file. For example, ADDONFEATURENAME_CONFIG.json.

  6. Upload the configuration file from the screen showing Add-on details. If the connector already has a configuration file, your new file replaces the existing one.