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Configure an email connector

In order for a process to interact with external systems such as publishing a document on a CMS, calling a REST API, or sending an email, Bonita provides connectors. In our example we will configure an email connector to notify the manager that a task Deal with unsatisfied customer requires their attention.

A connector is a piece of code that is executed when starting or finishing a process or a task. It will process input data (for example business variable values) and generate (optionally) some outputs. Connector code might only transform inputs but can also perform interaction with external systems.

In order to avoid settings that are specific to real email provider, we will use a tool for a fake email server "FakeSMTP":

  1. Download FakeSMTP from this https://nilhcem.github.io/FakeSMTP/downloads/fakeSMTP-latest.zip

  2. Unzip the file

  3. Run FakeSMTP by double-clicking on the JAR file, or by running this shell command: java -jar fakeSMTP-2.0.jar

  4. When the user interface is displayed, set the listening port to 2525

  5. Click on the Start server button.

    FakeSMTP configured and listening

Now that we have a fake server running, let’s configure the email connector on the Deal with unsatisfied customer task:

  1. Select the task Deal with unsatisfied customer

  2. Go to Execution  Connectors in

  3. Click on the Add…​ button

  4. Select the Email (SMTP) connector

  5. Click on the Next button

  6. Name the connector configuration Send notification

  7. Click on the Next button

  8. Set the following parameter values:

    • SMTP host: localhost

    • SMTP port: 2525 (the port number specified in FakeSMTP)

    • SSL (in the Security section): unchecked

  9. Click on the Next button

  10. Enter no-reply@acme.com in the From field

  11. Use the pencil icon icon to edit the expression of the To field

  12. Set the Expression type to Script

  13. Paste the following Groovy script into the code editing zone: BonitaUsers.getUserProfessionalContactInfo(apiAccessor,taskAssigneeId).email

  14. Click on the OK button

  15. Click on the Next button

  16. Set You have a pending task as the subject

  17. Click on Finish

    Email connector configuration

If you run the process with the connector configured, you should see a new incoming email in the FakeSMTP user interface when task Deal with unsatisfied customer becomes available.

You have now a process definition that uses a wide range of Bonita features. In the next chapters, we will create an application on top of this process.