Register/Edit External Application

To register an external application at runtime:

1. Click the icon for External Application settings.
2. Click Register.
3. Enter a unique name for the external application and a display name that application users working with this external application sees.

   Table 2-6 External Application Connection - Name

   Field	Description
   Application Name	Enter a name for the application. The name must be unique (across all connection types) within the application. For example: yahoo Note: Once registered, you cannot edit the Application Name.
   Display Name	Enter a user friendly name for the application that WebCenter Portal users will recognize. Application end-users working with this external application will see the display name you specify here. For example: My Yahoo If you leave this field blank, the Application Name is used.

4. Enter the login details for the external application.

   Table 2-7 External Application Connection - Login Details

   Field	Description
   Enable Automatic Login	Select to allow automatically log users in to this application. Choosing this option requires you to complete the Login URL, HTML User ID Field Name, and HTML User Password Field Name fields With automated single sign-on, the user directly links to the application and is authenticated automatically, as their credentials are retrieved from the credential store. Selecting this option provides the end user with a seamless single sign-on experience. Note: Automated login is not supported for: External applications using BASIC authentication. External applications configured for SSO. External applications with a customized login form (built using ADF Faces) that does not implement the J2EE security container login method j_security_check for authentication. External sites that do not support UTF8 encoding. External applications that accept randomly generated hidden field values or cookies for successful login.
   Login URL	Enter the login URL for the external application. To determine the URL, navigate to the application's login page and record the URL. For example: http://login.yahoo.com/config/login Note: A login URL is not required if the sole purpose of this external application is to store and supply user credentials on behalf of another service.
   HTML User ID Field Name	Enter the name that identifies the "user name" or "user ID" field on the login form. Tip: To find this name, look at the HTML source for the login page. This property does not specify user credentials. Mandatory if the Authentication Method is GET or POST. Leave this field blank if the application uses BASIC authentication (see Authentication Method).
   HTML User Password Field Name	Enter the name that identifies the "password" field on the login form. Tip: To find this name, look at the HTML source for the login page. Mandatory if the Authentication Method is GET or POST. Leave this field blank if the application uses BASIC authentication (see Authentication Method).

5. Select the authentication method used by the external application.

   Table 2-8 External Application Connection - Authentication Details

   Field

   Description

   Authentication Method

   Select the form submission method used by the external application. Choose from one of the following: GET: Presents a page request to a server, submitting the login credentials as part of the login URL. This authentication method may pose a security risk because the user name and password are exposed in the URL. POST: Submits login credentials within the body of the form. This is the default. BASIC: Submits login credentials to the server as an authentication header in the request. This authentication method may pose a security risk because the credentials can be intercepted easily and this scheme also provides no protection for the information passed back from the server. The assumption is that the connection between the client and server computers is secure and can be trusted. The Authentication Method specifies how message data is sent by the browser. You can find this value by viewing the HTML source for the external application's login form, for example, <form method="POST" action="https://login.yahoo.com/config/login?" AutoComplete="off">

6. Specify additional login fields and details, if required.

   Table 2-9 External Application Connection - Additional Login Fields

   Field

   Description

   Additional Login Fields

   If your application requires additional login criteria, expand Additional Login Fields. For example, in addition to user name and password, the Lotus Notes application requires two additional fields - Host and MailFilename. Click Add to specify an additional field for the login form. For each new field, do the following: Name – Enter the name that identifies the field on the HTML login form that may require user input to log in. This field is not applicable if the application uses basic authentication. Value – Enter a default value for the field or leave blank for a user to specify. This field is not applicable if the application uses basic authentication. Display to User – Select to display the field on the external application login screen. If the field is not displayed (unchecked), then a default Value must be specified. Click Delete to remove a login field.

7. Optional: Specify shared and public user credentials, if required.

   Table 2-10 External Application Connection - Shared User and Public User Credentials

   Field	Description
   Enable Shared Credentials	Indicate whether this external application enables shared user credentials, and specify the credentials. Select Enable Shared Credentials, and then enter User Name and Password credentials for the shared user. When shared credentials are specified, every user accessing this external application through WebCenter Portal is authenticated using the user name and password defined here. WebCenter Portal users are not presented with a login form. Because WebCenter Portal users do not need to define personal credentials of their own, external applications with shared credentials are not listed in the external application's change password task flows such as My Accounts.
   Enable Public Credentials	Indicate whether unauthenticated users (public users) may access this external application. Select Enable Public Credentials, and then enter User Name and Password credentials for the public user. When public credentials are specified, public users accessing this external application through WebCenter Portal’s public pages are logged in using the user name and password defined here. If public credentials are not specified, public users will see an authorization error indicating this external application is not accessible to public users.

8. Click Test to verify your connection details.
9. Click OK to register the application.