Creating a user-defined pattern

The workflow showing the actions required for pattern authoring.

Flow diagram showing the process for pattern authoring. A developer develops an exemplar, and creates exemplar projects. The pattern author then defines the target properties, selects the files and resources, defines the pattern user interface, and builds the pattern plug-ins. The pattern author tests the pattern and then shares the pattern with the pattern users. The pattern user can then use the pattern.
The three stages of creating a user-defined pattern are performed by the IBM® App Connect Enterprise developer, the pattern author, and the pattern user.
  1. The IBM App Connect Enterprise developer develops the exemplar. The exemplar is fundamental to the pattern authoring process. It assumes that the exemplar is the starting point for a pattern. Some modifications might be required to the exemplar to prepare it for pattern authoring.
  2. The pattern author creates a pattern plug-in from the exemplar. Authoring a pattern is a design activity. Some of the pattern authoring focuses on the resources in IBM App Connect Enterprise, for example, defining the target properties for the pattern and configuring the user interface that is presented to the pattern user. The pattern author ensures that the pattern can be customized by pattern users, if required, and that these customizations are not overwritten if the pattern user regenerates an instance of the pattern. One possible approach to customization is to include in the message flows of the pattern one or more subflows that are intended to be customized by pattern users. The pattern author includes these subflows in a separate project within the pattern and configures the project so that it is not overwritten when a pattern instance is regenerated.

    The pattern author then shares the user-defined pattern with the pattern user. Patterns are most useful when they are shared with a user base. This user base can be within an organization, or a broader community, for example, open source licensing.

  3. The pattern user receives a user-defined pattern, customizes it, and uses it in accordance with the requirements of the organization.

Pattern authoring

To create a user-defined pattern, complete the following tasks. "Extending a user-defined pattern" is an optional set of tasks that you can use to add features to your user-defined pattern. For example, by extending a user-defined pattern you can create user-defined patterns that include parameters that pattern users can modify.

  1. Creating a pattern authoring project
  2. Selecting the source files to use for a user-defined pattern
  3. Optional: Adding and removing the project references for a user-defined pattern
  4. Optional: Configuring a project used in a user-defined pattern
  5. Optional: Extending a user-defined pattern
  6. Building pattern plug-ins
  7. Testing a user-defined pattern
  8. Packaging and distributing pattern plug-ins

When you have created pattern plug-ins for your user-defined pattern, pattern users can install them to use in IBM App Connect Enterprise projects, see Downloading and installing a pattern archive.