You can explore all available Connectors in Cyclr’s Utility and Application Connector Libraries from your Console by navigating to “Connectors”, selecting a Library, and then browsing or searching the list.
Before you can use any of those Connectors, they must be installed.
You can install Connectors as:
- Template Connectors – for use within your Console when building Templates.
- Account Connectors – for use within Accounts, typically connecting to your customers’ data.
Part of installing a Connector is to provide any setup or credentials required for Cyclr to be able to authenticate and access the API of that system.
The steps below walk you through how to install a Template Connector as well as how to install an Account Connector. The process in both situations is very similar, it’s just where the Connector is located that differs.
For more information on the installation of specific Connectors, visit our Application Connector Guides and Utility Connector Guides sections.
Installing a Template Connector #
Template Connectors are installed within your Console and are used when building Templates.
To install a Template Connector:
- From your Console, navigate to Templates > Template Connectors.
- In the top right, click the appropriate “+ Install New” button for either a Utility or an Application Connector.
- Use the search box to find the specific Connector to install.
- Select the Install button beneath it.
- You can optionally provide a name and description for each instance of a Connector you install.
- This is especially useful if you need several for different use cases, e.g. working with multiple external accounts, specific files or custom fields.
- Follow the steps to authenticate the Connector to finish its installation.
- There is also an option to “Install without setup”, which will install it without any authentication. However, you will still need to provide authentication later on to be able to run any Templates using Methods from that Connector.
- Note: Any settings or credentials stored on a Template Connector will NOT be copied over when a Template is installed into an Account.
Note: When installing a Template into an Account, Cyclr will automatically add the Connectors used by that Template into the Account, unless they are already installed there. That behavior can be changed within the Template’s Settings popup.
Installing an Account Connector #
Account Connectors are located within Accounts and typically connect to a particular customer’s data. They are used by Cycles which are also found within your Accounts.
To install an Account Connector:
- From your Console, navigate to Accounts > Account Management and locate the Account where you wish to install the Connector.
- Select the Open Account button to go into that Account.
- In the side navigation, go to Connectors – you’ll see a list of all the existing Connectors already installed in that Account.
- In the top right, click the appropriate “+ Install New” button for either a Utility or an Application Connector.
- Use the search box to find the specific Connector to install.
- Select the Install button beneath it.
- You can optionally provide a name and description for each instance of a Connector you install.
- This is especially useful if you need several for different use cases, e.g. working with multiple external accounts, specific files or custom fields.
- Follow the steps to authenticate the Connector to finish its installation.
- There is also an option to “Install without setup”, which will install it without any authentication. However, you will still need to provide authentication later on to be able to run any Cycles using Methods from that Connector.
Top Tip:
If you’re editing either a Template or a Cycle within the Builder, you can also install a new instance of a Connector using the “+” buttons in the Utility and Application Connector areas:
Notes on Connector Authentication #
Most Connectors require some form of authentication to be provided so that Cyclr can use them to connect with live data in the related third party system.
The authentication types available depend on the third party system’s API and which of those have been implemented on the Cyclr Connector.
Some Connectors may have more than one authentication type available, for example OAuth as well as API Key. For those Connectors, you can decide which to use.
The authentication details you provide when installing a Connector as a Template Connector will only be used by that specific instance of that Connector, to allow you to connect with real data and fully test the functionality of your Templates before you publish them for your end-users.
When a Template is installed into an Account as a Cycle, authentication credentials will need to be provided for the instances of the Connectors created within that Account.
Installation User Experience #
When installing a Connector, you’re taken through one or more pages to gather any credentials and settings needed.
You’re able to customize the text that appears on those pages as it’s also shown to your end-users if they install a Connector.
There might also be some general parameters you can set, such as the Client ID and Client Secret values for an app to use when connecting to an external system like Salesforce or HubSpot so you don’t have to specify them every time you install their Connectors.
To access either of these areas, go to your Console, then select the Connectors option, then either the Utility or Application Connector Library, and next to each Connector’s entry you’ll find a pencil icon that takes you to the “Installation User Experience” page
Customize tab #
Here you can select elements of the page to change on-screen text shown when that Connector is installed.
If the Connector has multiple authentication types defined on it, a dropdown will be shown where you can change which is currently displayed, allowing you to change the text for each.
Settings tab #
If a Connector has any Partner Console-level parameters available, the Installation User Experience page will also display a “Settings” tab.
This is where you can store values such as the Client ID and Client Secret of an external OAuth app to use when that Connector is installed, as well as the Scopes Cyclr should request. What’s available here depends on the Connector.
You can instead decide to intentionally leave these Console-level values blank, in which case every time that Connector is installed, Cyclr will request them from the user installing it.
If you choose to provide any details here, they will be used whenever that Connector is installed, whether that’s as a Template Connector or an Account Connector.
Warning: Changing and saving values in the “Settings” tab may require reauthentication of any existing installations of that Connector, potentially causing running integrations to fail in the meantime.
You can choose to override most values set at the Partner Console-level by using the Cyclr API to add Account Connector Properties to an installed Account Connector.
Client ID and Client Secret however cannot be overridden in this way. If they have been set in your Console, they will always be used.
Example Scenario
The Salesforce Connector uses the OAuth 2.0 Authorization Code flow to authenticate with Salesforce’s API. It therefore requires a Client ID and Client Secret to identify a Salesforce Connected App to use as the “tube” to access Salesforce through, as part of installing the Connector.
Which Salesforce account is actually accessed through that “tube” is defined by the Salesforce user that authenticates the Connector.
You can therefore decide to create a single Salesforce Connected App yourself to always be used when a Salesforce Connector is installed, and then sets its Client ID and Client Secret on the “Settings” tab. Alternatively, you can leave those values blank and have each of your customers create their own Connected App and provide those details as part of authenticating a Salesforce Connector.