Communication Providers

In this article:

Introduction - Overview of Communication Providers

Built-In Communication Providers - Overview and description of the various built-in providers

General Settings - General Approval Chain settings

Communication Provider Properties - Set the settings for the Communication Provider

Dynamic Communication Provider Settings - Define the workflow that will be used

Further Information - Where to go for further information

 

Introduction

Communication Providers are the methods used to send messages within the OneSite Patch system, typically used for things such as approval requests. These are essential components in the Approval Chains functionality, where they dictate the channels through which approval requests are communicated to relevant parties. The various types of Communication Providers include:

1. E-Mail: Approval requests are sent via email.
2. Microsoft Teams: Utilizes Microsoft Teams for sending and managing approval requests.
3. SMS/Text Messaging: Sends approval requests through SMS or text messages.
4. WhatsApp: Uses WhatsApp as a medium to send approval requests.

In addition to these predefined methods, Adaptiva allows for the creation of additional Communication Providers. This is done through Adaptiva Workflows, which can be integrated into other systems or include additional logic or controls, thereby expanding the ways in which approval requests can be communicated and managed within the organization.

This flexibility in choosing and creating different communication methods ensures that the approval process can be tailored to the specific needs and preferences of an organization, improving efficiency and response times.

 

Built-In Communication Providers

HTML E-Mail Communication Provider

The HTML Email Communication Provider (HTMLEmailCommunicationProvider) offers the capability to dispatch emails with HTML formatting. It allows the use of standard HTML tags in the email body for enhanced formatting.

This service integrates with the Twilio messaging system. When using this provider, emails are sent to administrators using the email address configured in the administrator settings.

 

HTML SMTP Server Communication Provider

The HTML SMTP Server Email Communication Provider (HtmlSmtpServerCommunicationProvider) offers the capability to dispatch emails with HTML formatting using user-specified SMTP server settings. It allows the use of standard HTML tags in the email body for enhanced formatting.

To set the SMTP server settings to use for this Communication Provider, under the UI Settings (cog icon in the top right of the UI), select Event Notifications and then ensure the toggle to Use Email Notifications is enabled.

Example:

 

Simple E-Mail Communication Provider

The Simple Email Communication Provider (SimpleEmailCommunicationProvider) offers the capability to dispatch emails with standard plain text formatting. Emails sent using this provider will not contain any formatting or styling.

This service integrates with the Twilio messaging system. When using this provider, emails are sent to administrators using the email address configured in the administrator settings.

 

Simple SMTP Server Communication Provider

The Simple SMTP Server Email Communication Provider (SimpleSmtpServerCommunicationProvider) offers the capability to dispatch emails standard plain text formatting using user-specified SMTP server settings. Emails sent using this provider will not contain any formatting or styling.

To set the SMTP server settings to use for this Communication Provider, under the UI Settings (cog icon in the top right of the UI), select Event Notifications and then ensure the toggle to Use Email Notifications is enabled.

Example:

 

Teams Communication Provider

The Teams Communication Provider (TeamsCommunicationProvider) offers the capability to send Microsoft Teams messages to users.

When using this provider, Teams messages are sent to administrators using the Teams Webhook URL configured in the administrator settings.

 

Text Communication Provider

The Text Communication Provider (TextCommunicationProvider) offers the capability to send text (SMS) messages to telephony systems.

This service integrates with the Twilio messaging system. When using this provider, text messages are sent to administrators using the Text Message Phone Number configured in the administrator settings.

 

WhatsApp Communication Provider

The WhatsApp Communication Provider (WhatsAppCommunicationProvider) offers the capability to send WhatsApp messages using the popular WhatsApp communications platform.

This service integrates with the Twilio messaging system. When using this provider, WhatsApp messages are sent to administrators using the WhatsApp Phone Number configured in the administrator settings.

 

General Settings

The general settings section is for basic identifiable information, Name and Description. 

Name: The name used to identify this Communication Provider

Description: (Optional) A description used to describe the purpose or functionality of the Communication Provider.

 

 

Communication Provider Properties

The properties section of the Communication Provider is designed to configure the media type on which this provider will operate, along with the supportability settings specific to this provider.

Media Type: The media type that this provider will be based on. One of: SMS/Text, WhatsApp, Teams, Simple Email, HTML Email, HTML SMTP Email, Simple SMTP EMail

Supports Message Aggregation: Whether or not this Communication Provider supports the aggregation of multiple messages into a single message

Supports Subject Line: Whether or not this Communication Provider supports the ability to include a subject line with its messages

For HTML SMTP Server Media Type and Simple SMTP Server Media Type:

From Address: The Email address that the Communication Provider should use as the address that the message is sent from.

 

 

Dynamic Communication Provider Settings

The dynamic Communication Provider settings section is where the workflow must be specified that will perform the communication process. This is the primary component of a custom Communication Provider and where all of the custom logic happens.

 

 

The workflow that is specified here must be a workflow where the WorkflowPurpose setting on the Start node has been set to CommunicationProviderImplementation.

Setting the workflow purpose to this will expose the following input properties on the workflow:

• Users [Array of Whole Numbers]
• Messages [Array of Text]
• SubjectLine [Text]
• AggregateMessages [Boolean]

These read-only properties will get populated automatically at runtime based on the settings specified in the Communication Provider properties, and the users and messages that have been sent to the provider.

These properties can be used in the workflow for performing whatever custom logic is desired.

The array of users and the array of messages will directly map to one another. Therefore, the message at array index 0 will map to the user at array index 0.

Example 1:

If the goal was to write the message into a custom SQL database for each user, the workflow could iterate each user and for each user, extract the message from the Messages array and then use a SQL Statement activity to insert the new record into the SQL database.

Example 2:

If the goal was to write a single custom message into a separate Service Now ticket for each user, the workflow could iterate each user, and then use a REST API activity to perform a HTTP POST and create a new ticket.

 

Further Information

For further information, please see the other resources in the Technical Reference Library or speak to a member of Adaptiva Support.

If you experience any issues or suspect there is a bug in Communication Providers, please log a support ticket and a member of the Adaptiva support team will be touch as soon as possible.