9 Connector Lifecycle

The lifecycle stages of all connectors are the same. Each type of connector goes through a design-time phase where each is created, tested, edited, and then published.

For all connectors, there are the creation phase, the testing and editing phase, and the publishing phase. When you create a new connector, its version is automatically set to 1.0 and it’s considered to be in a Draft state. In the Draft phase, you can test and edit your API as often as needed. When you’re satisfied with your connector configuration, publish it with the understanding that a published connector can’t be changed.

As you develop your connector, you can change the version's major and minor values as you see fit, that is, creating a new version of your API or updating an existing version. After you've implemented and tested your connector, you can publish it. Eventually, a connector may become obsolete, and you can move it to the trash.

If you want a general introduction to how artifacts interrelate in the overall lifecycle before exploring the lifecycle of connectors, see Understanding Lifecycles.

Publishing a Connector

Before you can use a connector, you need to publish it:

1. Click and select Mobile Apps > Connectors .
2. Select the draft connector that you want to publish.
3. Click Publish.
   (Optional) You can enter a justification for publishing the connector in the Comment field.

When the connector API is published, you’re returned to the Connectors page where you can see the updated status of your connector.

Updating the Version Number of a Connector

If you created a new version of a connector using the New Version dialog, you can update the version number of the connector if it’s still in a Draft state. This is particularly useful if you want to create an alternate version of the current connector or need to designate a different version number before you publish the connector.

1. Click and select Mobile Apps > Connectors from the side menu.
2. Select the connector from the list.
3. In the right section, select More > Update Version Number.
4. Enter a version number of the format Major.minor.

   The previous version of the connector is displayed next to the field. You'll get a message letting you know if you've entered an existing version number.

5. (Optional) Add a brief description that states what distinguishes this version from the previous one.
6. Click Update.
   A confirmation message is displayed. A draft of the new version is added to the list of connectors.

Creating a New Version of a Connector

You can make a new version of a connector regardless of whether it’s in a Draft or Published state. When you create a new version of a connector, you’re basically cloning the connector configuration and making changes to it. You can make minor changes or expand upon already defined functionality. A major update can result in a disruption of mobile services to your customers due to invalid values being requested or returned, an inability to read the same file formats as the previous version, and so on.

1. Click and select Mobile Apps > Connectors from the side menu.
2. Select a connector from the list.
   You can create a new version of a connector whether it is in a Draft or Published state
3. In the right panel, select More > New Version.
4. Enter a version number in the format Major.minor.

   If you enter a version number that already exists, you'll get a message letting you know that number is already in use.

5. (Optional) Add a brief description that states what distinguishes this version from the previous one.
6. Click Create.
   A confirmation message is displayed. A draft of the new version is added to the Connector page.

Moving a Connector to the Trash

Remove a connector by moving it to the trash. If the connector is needed later, you can restore it from the trash.

1. Click and select Mobile Apps > Connectors from the side menu.
2. Select the connector.
3. In the right section, select More > Move to Trash.
4. Click Trash in the confirmation dialog if there are no dependency issues.

   If you think you or someone else might restore it later on, enter a brief comment about why you're putting this item in the trash.

To find out how dependencies can affect moving an artifact to the trash, see Moving an Artifact to the Trash.

To restore a connector that’s in the trash, see Restoring a Connector.

Restoring a Connector

1. Click and select Mobile Apps > Connectors from the side menu.
2. Click Trash ().
3. In the list of items in Trash, click by the connector you want and select Restore from Trash.
4. Click Restore in the confirmation dialog if there are no conflicts.

Restoring an artifact can cause conflicts if a duplicate artifact already exists. To restore an artifact when a duplicate artifact exists, see Restoring an Artifact.

Managing a Connector

After you create a connector, you’ll want to edit it, publish it, see what artifacts are associated with it, in short, you want to be able to manage the connector and examine details of the connectors created by other service developers. The Connectors page gives you access to all these features.

When at least one connector exists, you’ll be taken to the Connectors page every time you click and select Mobile Apps > Connectors from the side menu. On the left side of the page, you see a list of all the connectors except for those in the trash. You can see which connectors are in the Draft or Published state. Every connector is listed by its name and version number.

The right side of the Connectors page is where you can open, test, publish, or examine data about the connector:

On the right side of the page, you can perform the following actions:

• Click Open to see details about the selected connector.

• Click More to create a new version, update an existing version, or move an connector to the trash.

• Expand Used By to see the list of the implementations that call on the connector.

• Expand History to quickly see the latest activity for the connector.