Connections

Learn how to add, manage, and switch connections for books.

What is a Connection?

A connection is a book that's added to an agent with a set of authentication credentials. While some books can be installed without credentials, those that integrate with an external service or API may require authentication, so Kognitos can securely access and interact with the service.

Connect in Multiple Ways

Certain books can be connected using more than one set of credentials. For example, the GitHub book can be configured to access multiple organizations, or the Excel book can connect to workbooks from different accounts.

You can switch between API keys, access tokens, or login details by creating separate connections for each supported authentication method. This provides flexible access to the same book in multiple ways.

Managing Connections

To view and manage your connections:

1. Navigate to Books → Connections.

2. You'll see a list of all configured connections, including:

   1. Connection name

   2. Book name

   3. Book version

   4. Authentication method

   5. Connection status

This page makes it easy to monitor, update, and troubleshoot your connections in one place.

Adding a New Connection

You can add a connection either from All Books or directly from the Connections section.

Add from All Books

1. Navigate to Books → All Books.

2. Find the book you'd like to add and click on it.

3. On the Book Details page, click Add Connection.

4. Configure the connection by providing the name and authentication details, then click Connect.

Add from Connections

1. Navigate to Books → Connections.

2. Click on + New Connection.

3. Select the book you'd like to connect to from the dropdown menu.

4. Configure the connection by providing the name and authentication details, then click Connect.

Notes

1. If this is the first connection for the book, the connection name will be set to default.

2. Check Use same credentials for Draft and Published to apply the same authentication details to both draft and published processes. If unchecked, draft changes will use test credentials.

Switching Connections

Agents will use the default connection for a given book, unless otherwise specified. You can switch the connection by using the following syntax in your playground or process:

switch <book name> to "connection name"

Replace book name with the book name and connection name with the name given to your connection. In the example below, the credentials are switched to those for the secondary GitHub organization.

switch github to "secondary"