Canvas is simple to use, but before diving in you should know some of the key concepts involved.
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Summary:
In short, workflows are made up of blocks which fetch data using apps registered in the user account. API calls on Canvas are (usually) not made to the external APIs directly; instead a simplified internal API is used for each app, which forwards the request to the external API. |
Topics covered:
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If you have worked with APIs before, you will know that it can be challenging to manually handle API authentication, safe storage of credentials , for multiple clients, refreshing of session tokens, API changes, OAuth, etc.
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When you register a new application (“app”) in a user account you will be asked to provide necessary API credentials (usernames, passwords, API keys, etc). These details are stored safely encrypted in the user account , and can then be used by the integrations (“workflows”) that you set up.
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In the previous example we added the Azure AD application to the user account, which unlocked the following blocks for use in workflows:
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Workflows:
“Workflow” is the term used for integrations in Canvas.
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Here is an example of a workflow which updates employees and agreements in Quinyx using data from fetched from a FTP server:
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It is important to know that blocks on Canvas (usually) do not query external APIs directly; instead they query an internal wrapper/middle layer API which is part of Canvas' backend.
The middle layer API forwards requests to the external API, using the credentials from the registered application in the user account.
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