Connections

Connect your app to an API and manage connections (contracts between an app and an API).

Table of Contents

What are Connections?

A Connection is a relationship or subscription between Resources (API, App, Group, Contract, User) in the system. When a Connection to a Resource is established, the Connection will appear in the appropriate connection point for both Resources.

Connections are established in two ways:

  1. When you create your app, connections to one or more APIs might be created automatically. If automatic connections are created, you can manage them in the same way as connections you create yourself (see #2 below).
  2. By sending a Connection Request. Each Connection Request follows a specific workflow process and a series of management tools are provided to control the lifecycle of the Connection. When a user creates a Connection to a Resource, such as an app or API, the Resource administrators are notified of the pending request.

For example, if API Access is requested for one or more Apps, an entry for the API and App will appear on the APIs > My APIs > choose API > Apps page and on the Apps > My Apps > choose app > APIs page. Entries are also added to the Forum and Action Dashboard of the API Admins and App team members.

There are several types of connections, as shown below.

Connection Type Description
API Access Request

An App Administrator requests access to an API. Access must be approved by the API Admin.

Note: API Access Requests are considered a Contract Connection because legal agreements are agreed to or declined during the API Access Request configuration process.

Functions:

Access link on API Details

Approvals:

Approved by API Admin via the APIs > My APIs > choose API > Apps page.
Follow A user subscribes to a resource (for example, API, App) to receive information.

Functions:

Follow on App Details

Follow on API Details

The App > Followers or API > Followers page displays a list of users currently following. Use Cancel to remove a follower.

What is the API approval process?

When an API Access Request is submitted:

  • A notification is posted on the API Administrator's Action Dashboard page.
  • Forum entry:
    • A Forum entry is posted to the app's forum Apps > My Apps > choose app > Forum.
    • A Forum entry is posted to the user's forum: top navigation bar > Forum.
  • The API is added to the APIs > My APIs > choose API > Apps page, with a Pending Approval status.
  • The API Administrator reviews the API Access Request.
  • If the submitted API complies with the required approval criteria, the API Administrator approves the request, the ticket is updated to an Approved status, and the table entry for the API in Apps > My Apps > choose app > APIs is updated to an Activated status.
  • After API access is activated, you can use the API in the applicable environment.

How do I see the status of my app's connections to APIs?

You can review the status of your app's connections with APIs, including pending and active API access requests, in the Apps > My Apps > choose app > APIs page. This page provides a high-level summary of the status of all current API access contracts and pending API access requests.

Each listing includes:

  • Apps—The App Name. This link clicks through to the app's Details page.
  • Legals—A column that indicates whether the Legal Agreements have been accepted (Check = Accepted, No Check = No Accepted).
  • Sandbox / Live—Represent the two implementations that an API Access Request can be submitted for. Each column displays the current status of the API Access Request and available API management functions (for example, Cancel). The valid actions for a specific contract are determined by the current state of the contract; for example, only a contract in a state of Activated can be cancelled. For more information on API access states and valid actions, see What is the default workflow for API contracts?

The following table shows app status and app management tasks for apps that have requested access to the current API using the API Access function:

App Status Description
Access Requested An App has requested access to an API but the request has not been approved and activated in the Sandbox or Live implementation.
Active API Access has been approved and activated.
Inactive API access has not yet been requested.
Rejected The API Access Request has been rejected.
Suspended API Access that was previously active has been suspended by the API Admin.

 

App Management Task Description
Cancel Cancels an API Access Request. Listing is removed from the API's Apps page. Requestor must submit another request to initiate the process again.
Revise Takes you to the API Access wizard to revise the contract.

 

API Access Request Task Description
Approve Approves the API Action Request.

Note: After approval, the request must be activated as a separate step.
Reject Rejects the API Action Request.
Cancel Cancels the API Action Request. Requestor must submit another request to initiate the process again.
Activate Activates the API Access Request.
Revise Modify the contract.

How do I update approved API Access Requests?

You cannot modify an existing, approved or activated API access contract. Only the API Admin or Business Admin can modify a contract.

You can cancel or revise an existing contract. Follow the applicable step below:

  • Cancel: From the app's Details page, in the left menu bar, click APIs. Find the contract on the list; click the arrow to the right of the contract and choose Cancel. At the prompt, enter a comment and click Confirm.
  • Cancel: From the app's Details page, in the left menu bar, click APIs. Find the contract on the list; click the arrow to the right of the contract and choose Revise. The API Access Wizard opens. Change values as needed and click Save.

Why does my app have a contract that I didn't create?

Some of the APIs in the Community Manager developer portal might be set up so that when an app is created, a contract with that API is automatically created also. This is part of the API configuration controlled by the API Admin.

If you look at your app's connections (App > APIs) and find that your app has connections that you don't want, you can simply cancel the contract. See How do I update approved API Access Requests?