How do I construct message flows?

An application is a container for all the resources that are required to create a solution. An application can contain references to message flow dependencies (such as a Java™ project or message set) and libraries that contain reusable resources. You can deploy multiple applications to an integration server. Use this link to learn how to create an application.

A library is a logical grouping of related code, data, or both. A library contains references to reusable resources, such as a message model or map, that are stored in other projects. A library can refer to a resource that is contained in another library. Create a library if you want to reuse resources. Use this link to learn how to create a library.

An integration project is a specialized container in which you create and maintain all the resources associated with one or more message flows. You can group together related message flows and resources in a single integration project to provide an organizational structure to your message flow resources. Use this link to learn how to create an integration project.

If you want to organize your integration project resources, and to define the scope of resource names to ensure uniqueness, you can create broker schemas. When you first create a message flow, a default broker schema is created in the project. Use this link to learn how to create a broker schema.

You create a message flow to specify how to process messages in the broker. You can create any number of message flows and deploy them to one or more brokers. Use this link to learn how to create a message flow by using the IBM® Integration Toolkit.

You can also create message flows by writing code that uses the IBM Integration API. If you use the IBM Integration API to create a message flow you do not need to install the IBM Integration Toolkit.

When you create a message flow, the first action to take to define its function is to add nodes. A message flow node is a processing step in a message flow. A message flow node can be a built-in node, a user-defined node, or a subflow node; see Message flow nodes. Select the nodes to add to your message flow from the node palette, see Message flow node palette.

To make your message flows easier to understand and to maintain, you can change the name of any type of node that you have added to your message flow. For example, you might change the name of an MQInput node to match the input queue name defined in the node.

When you have included an instance of a node in your message flow, you can customize its function. Each node has a set of properties that are specific to the function of that node. For a list of nodes that are provided with IBM Integration Bus, see Built-in nodes. Select the required node from this list to view details of the terminals, and properties, and how to configure the node. For more information about nodes that can be programmed, such as the JavaCompute, Compute, and Mapping nodes, see How do I program message flows?.

You connect the nodes in your message flow to indicate how the flow of control passes from input to output, and the route that messages can take through the message flow. A message flow node has a fixed number of input and output points known as terminals. You can connect the failure or catch terminals of nodes to add error handling to your message flows, see Handling errors in message flows.

You can change the way that the nodes in your message flow are displayed and arranged, to make them easier to read. You can add a bend point to make the flow of control easier to follow where node connections cross each other, see Adding a bend point.

Learn how to remove a node from your message flow.

Learn how to remove a node connection between nodes in your message flow.

Learn how to delete your message flow.

Learn how to rename your message flow.

Learn how to delete your integration project.

Learn how to move your message flow between broker schemas or integration projects.

After you have created message flows, you can embed them in other message flows as subflows. You can use subflows to reuse function across integration projects, reduce development time, and increase the maintainability of your message flows.

Your integration projects and other resources are stored in the IBM Integration Toolkit workspace and other locations in your file system. You can use the export function in Eclipse, or take copies of the directories on your file system, to back up your resources. Alternatively, you can set up the IBM Integration Toolkit to work with a repository, see Development repository.