# minimal-connector

## Prerequisites

- `node` and `npm` installed
- a backend, which is running locally (e.g. on http://localhost:3000)

## How to get started

To install all required `npm` packages:

```shell script
npm install
```

To prepare the script to be executed, run:

```shell script
npm run build
```

To start the plugin, you need to execute the code in "CLI" script:

```shell script
node lib/cli.js -b <backendURL> -n <pluginName> -r <routeName> -u <URL> -p <port>

With fallback values being:
backendURL = http://localhost:3000 , pluginName = minimal-plugin ,
routeName = minimalplugin , URL = http://localhost, port = 4000
```

Using environment variables you can set backendURL via `STAPPS_BACKEND`, URL via `PLUGIN_URL` and port via `PLUGIN_URL`.

## Creating your own plugin

- Modify the default values in `cli.ts` to your needs:
  - update the name
  - update the port
  - update the route
  - update your request and response names (You need these in a bit)
- Rename the `minimal-plugin.ts` and the `MinimalPlugin` class to a more suitable name and adjust the imports in other files
- Delete the `sum` function in `minimal-plugin.ts` and write your own logic inside the `onRouteInvoke` function
- Define the layout of your http requests and responses inside the `/plugin/protocol` folder. The names of the interfaces
  need to be the same as the request and response names you defined in the `cli.ts`

## Code structure

Folder `src` contains:

- Reference implementations for CLI and a plugin
- [/cli.ts](src/cli.ts)
  - minimal CLI to start your connector, that uses CLI-args, so that there are no hard coded values for configuration
  - will execute the specified connectors and push the data to the backend
- [/common.ts](src/common.ts) blank file for commonly used values across files to put in
- [/plugin/minimal-connector.ts](src/plugin/minimal-plugin.ts) minimal plugin class with some example logic
- [/plugin/protocol/request.ts](src/plugin/protocol/request.ts) the interface for any incoming http requests
- [/plugin/protocol/response.ts](src/plugin/protocol/response.ts) the interface for responses by the plugin to the backend
- [/plugin/protocol/tsconfig.json](src/plugin/protocol/response.ts) required by schema generator