How to create integrations

Guide to creating Processes with Frends.

Integration flows in Frends are referred to as Processes. Processes consist of elements such as Triggers, Tasks, Subprocesses, decisions and loops. Processes are created by connecting elements together and configuring their parameters.

Step by Step Tutorial Available

If you prefer more visual or interactive guidance on how to create Processes with Frends, you can find a step-by-step walkthrough from your own environment's home page, under Onboarding by selecting "Tutorial 1, Step 3: Creating my first Process" tutorial.

Creating New Process

The Process list displays the already created Processes in the Environment.

Example view of Process list.

In order to create a new Process, click on Create New button while in Process list view and having the Development Environment selected. All new Processes have to be created and edited in the Development Environment, from where they are then deployed to other Environments and Agent Groups for execution.

Integrations can be created from Process list view while having Development Environment selected.

Process Editor for a new Process.

When creating a new Process, you can start by providing the Process a name and optionally a description. To use the latest versions in Frends, targeting .NET 8 is recommended, while .NET Framework 4.7.1 or .NET Standard 2.0 are only used to support legacy environments.

As an example, let's create a Process which is started manually without parameters, calls an API endpoint and then returns a result. Because the start element, called Trigger, is already provided, we can continue forward by adding a Task to the process.

You can drag or click and place the Task shape from the leftside toolbar to right of the Trigger shape.

Adding a Task shape to the Process.

To make the Task perform an API call, click on the Select a Task field and search and select HTTP Request Task. When the Task type is selected, the right sidebar contents change to show the Task parameters. In here, enter the url as https://examplecrm.frends.com/api/customers and make sure Method is GET. Rest of the options can be left as-is for this example.

Parameters for the Task can be set after selecting its type.

Once the Task is configured for our use, we need to connect it to the earlier shape. To do this, click on the Connect tool from the left toolbar or from the quick toolbar next to the Trigger shape, and draw an arrow from the Trigger to the Task shape.

Draw a connection from the Trigger to Task using the Connect tool.

Finally, we need to end the Process and save it. All Processes start with a Trigger, and end to a Return shape, or optionally to a Throw shape. Let's drag a Return shape to the right side of the Task, and connect it to the Task shape to create a complete Process flow.

Complete integration flow with return value.

For the example, we want to return the API response's body. We can do this by selecting the Return shape, and writing #result[HTTP Request].Body to the Expression field. Make sure the field's type is set to Expression, and not Text, in order to Frends consider the content as C# code and not text.

Utilize the provided Auto-complete feature to fill in variable names and result objects' names quicker.

We will cover the C# expressions and other programming features of Frends later on in the guides, but you can also check out our guide about Expressions in Frends already to learn more right from the start.

Once ready, we can validate and save the process. You can optionally provide a Description or a comment to version history, what was changed in this version. It's recommended to always include a short comment on what was done.

Saving and validating the Process is done at the bottom of the editor.

Validation at this point means that the Process is taken through C# compiler and checked for errors, but it does not save the Process in any way. To save the Process for testing and deployment, select Create new Process. Saving the Process also validates it for errors, but save is not done if any errors persist.

When editing a Process, the save button changes to Save changes. If you want to save your Process but not create a new version for use yet, you can instead select Create new draft from the small arrow menu. This way you can save your work even if the Process is not yet valid.

Once the saving and validation succeeds, you are taken back to Process list view with your new Process highlighted at the top of the list. From there, you can run it, deploy it or continue editing, among other options.

New Process hightlighted at the top of the Process list, with options for the Process shown.