Introduction to the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit

Overview

Unqork builds tools that increase efficiency and ensure your configurations follow best practices. These Life Cycle tools are especially useful in the designer process. You can use them to test and check your configurations as you build. If you have staging and UAT (Usability Acceptance Testing) environments, you already have access to the entire Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit. There are even a couple of ways to access the tools. It's important to note that you must have Designer Administrator access to use the Life Cycle Toolkit. As long as you log in to the Unqork Designer Platform, you have access the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit homepage. Or, you can download and use our helpful Chrome extension.

The UDLC Toolkit provides a powerful set of application life cycle tools. By default, these tools are available automatically in Staging, QA (quality assurance), and UAT (user acceptance testing) environment levels. Customers may optionally promote UDLC tools to their Pre-Production and Production environment levels. If promoted, clients are responsible for repromoting new versions of the UDLC Toolkit when released to lower environment levels. Before doing so, we strongly recommend obtaining approval from your information security team. A tool, like the Flexible Data Manager, enables end-users to access and modify submission data, which might include sensitive data or PII (personally identifiable information). Unqork recommends following the principle of least privilege for all roles, especially Designer and Express administration, and monitoring admin account activity.

What You'll Learn

In this article, you’ll learn:

Accessing the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit From Designer View

You can access the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit two ways:

  • Directly from Designer View in the Unqork Designer Platform.

  • Using the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit Extension for Google Chrome.

Let's start by looking at the first method. From Designer View, it's easy to access the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit by visiting the Toolkit's homepage. On the homepage, you can select and open any one of the Life Cycle tools. To make it easy on you, you'll find a link to the homepage in all your Unqork workspaces and modules.

To access the Life Cycle Toolkit from Designer View:

1. Click the Settings drop-down at the top right corner of the Unqork Designer Platform.
2. Click UDLC Toolkit.

3. Enter your email in the E-mail Address field.
4. Enter your password in the Password field.

You must have Designer Administrator access to use the Life Cycle tools.

5. Click Login.
6. Scroll down to find the tool you want to use and click Use This Tool. You'll find this button to the right of each of the tool's names.

Installing the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit Extension

You can also install a helpful Chrome extension to make accessing the Life Cycle tools even easier. It's important to note that you can only access the tools when logged in to the Unqork Designer Platform.

To install the Life Cycle Toolkit from the Chrome Web Store:

1. In Google Chrome, go to: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/unqork-extend-toolbelt/olmapgkajobepigcjikogbeikkggjpkn.
2. Click Add to Chrome.

3. Click Add Extension in the pop-up.

You can now access this extension in Google Chrome.

Sometimes, the extension doesn't automatically pin to your toolbar. This is an easy fix. Click the (puzzle piece) at the top right of your Chrome window. Then, click the (pin) next to Life Cycle Toolkit. The (Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit) icon now shows in your Chrome toolbar. Remember, the Toolkit only works if you're logged in to the Unqork Designer Platform.

Unqork Life Cycle Tools

Let's go over the tools you can access from the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit. The Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit consists of 4 categories:

  • Plan and Design

  • Build and Test

  • Deploy

  • Maintain and Operate

In other articles, we'll cover each tool in-depth. For now, let's look at the highlights.

Click the following drop-downs to learn more about the tools associated with the categories listed above.

Discovery Hub

Unqork's Discovery Hub is where you and your team can share application ideas. When you have light-bulb moments, add a new concept for your team to discuss. Want to add one of our Marketplace snippets or templates to your idea? No problem, the Discovery Hub lets you do that. If you have an idea for an update or modification to an existing app, you can also link that app to the idea. You can even assign team members to the idea and track its progress.

The Discovery Hub also includes a dashboard to view all your team's ideas. If you have lots of ideas, use the filters to help you find a specific one. View its details, update its collaborators, and move it along to the next step. Use the Discovery Hub to keep your ideas in one place and make team collaboration easier.

Open the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit or click the Unqork Life Cycle Toolkit icon in your toolbar to open this tool. To use the Discovery Hub tool, click Use This Tool. Or, select Discovery Hub from the Life Cycle Toolkit Chrome extension.

API Docs Dashboard Tool

The API Docs Dashboard tool shows a dashboard view of the modules connected to every API (application programming interface) and remote execute. The tool builds documentation for the module when you select one from the dashboard. This documentation includes API call descriptions as well as their request and response parameters. The data type and description of each field also displays when you select one of the modules.

Remote executes interface with a module via an API call instead of loading the module in the browser. You build an API endpoint that other modules in your application can use when you build a remote execute module. So, the term API module can refer to a remote execute module or a module with a basic API call.

Follow three best practices to make sure this tool works:

  • Add the api Tag to your module. This makes your module easier to find in the API Docs Dashboard.

  • Follow the API Specification snippet to help you build API modules. APIs work as intended when you use these guidelines, and their documentation displays in the dashboard. Plus, The use of this template makes your Unqork configuration more consistent.

  • Set the Server Side Execution Only toggle to ON.

Open the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit or click the Unqork Life Cycle Toolkit icon in your toolbar to open this tool. To use the API Docs tool, click Use This Tool. Or, select API Docs from the Life Cycle Toolkit Chrome extension.

Schema Docs Dashboard Tool

As long as your schema module follows best practices, you'll see it in the Schema Docs Dashboard. This applies to all schema modules in your environment. Think of a schema module as a blueprint for the database. You can use these modules to store submission data. The dashboard has a variety of filters to help you find a specific module. Once found, you can view the component information of that module. Finally, you can view information about that module's submission data in your browser. This lets you analyze submissions and generate a URL you can use to pull the data into your application.

Open the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit or click the Unqork Life Cycle Toolkit icon in your toolbar to open this tool. To use the Schema Docs tool, click Use This Tool. Or, select Schema Docs from the Life Cycle Toolkit Chrome extension.

Application Dependencies Dashboard Tool

The Application Dependencies Dashboard lets you view application modules dependent on each other. This tool is beneficial for someone new to your project. As it helps you visualize how the modules work together in your application.

Relationships between modules could imply one module executing a remote execute with another module. For instance, a module pulling submission data from a schema module. Or where the creator imported one module into the Panel component of another module.

Open the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit or click the Unqork Life Cycle Toolkit icon in your toolbar to open this tool. To use the Application Dependencies tool, click Use This Tool. Or, select Application Dependencies from the Life Cycle Toolkit Chrome extension.

Module Revisions Dashboard Tool

The Module Revisions Dashboard is a tool that helps keep track of all your module changes. You'll find many similarities between the module Save History and Module Revisions Dashboard. Both show revision history, which includes new or deleted components.

The Module Revisions Dashboard goes a step further. One of its most powerful features is the ability to compare any 2 modules side-by-side. You can also see all previous component edit and setting changes, star priorities, and create notes.

The module Save History is great if you want a big-picture view of a single module's history. The Module Revisions Dashboard tool is the way to go for detailed analysis.

Open the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit or click the Unqork Life Cycle Toolkit icon in your toolbar to open this tool. To use the Module Revisions tool, click Use This Tool. Or, select Module Revisions from the Life Cycle Toolkit Chrome extension.

Transform Revisions Dashboard Tool

As you work in Unqork, you may need to convert data from one format or structure to another. That's where a transform comes in handy. As the name suggests, transforms can change one data type into another. On the surface, a transform is like a set of how-to instructions you give your modules to reformat your data. You'll create the transform to either input or output data to or from your Unqork applications.

You'll use the Transform Revisions Dashboard tool to view and manage transforms. It lets you filter for a specific transform and displays its key information. The tool also lets you restore a transform to a previous version. The tool's final feature is the ability to test your transform. You can test your transform with specific data or your transform's module submissions.

Open the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit or click the Unqork Life Cycle Toolkit icon in your toolbar to open this tool. To use the Transform Revisions tool, click Use This Tool. Or, select Transform Revisions from the Life Cycle Toolkit Chrome extension.

Config Search Dashboard Tool

The Config Search Dashboard tool lets you find a specific configuration value in your applications and modules. For instance, this could be a Property Name of a Panel component. Or, it could be the Canvas Label Text of a Decisions component. More specifically, the tool will let you search JSON values.

Let's say you need to update a value shared by multiple applications and modules. That's where the tool comes in handy. You can use the tool to request a list of all module components where that value exists. Then, you'll receive a report showing components with your searched value. You can use this report as a checklist to make updates to your values. That way, you're not spending time searching through all your modules one by one for that value.

Open the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit or click the Unqork Life Cycle Toolkit icon in your toolbar to open this tool. To use the Config Search tool, click Use This Tool. Or, select Config Search from the Life Cycle Toolkit Chrome extension.

Service Logs Dashboard Tool

The Service Logs Dashboard tool logs and displays all remote execute and service requests. You can use the dashboard to view the performance of your API APIs (application programming interfaces) are a set of protocols and definitions developers use to build and integrate application software. APIs act as the connective tissue between products and services. calls. That way, you can determine if all your calls are working correctly.

The tool also offers a variety of filters so you can locate service logs easily. Once you've located your API call, you can view details like Service Type, Request Method, Root and Parent Service Log ID, and so on.

The Service Logs Dashboard also includes a Charts panel with a range of KPI A quanitifiable measure of performance of a specific objective for a specified time. (key performance indicator) widgets. You have the choice of exporting, printing, or creating PDFs from each chart.

Open the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit or click the Unqork Life Cycle Toolkit icon in your toolbar to open this tool. To use the Service Logs tool, click Use This Tool. Or, select Service Logs from the Life Cycle Toolkit Chrome extension.

Testing Tool

Let's explore one of the most powerful tools in the Unqork Designer Platform — the Testing tool. You can use this tool to create and monitor tests in Unqork.

The tool lets you perform a variety of tests on API (application programming interface) modules. These include:

  • Testing the execution sequence of your API modules.

  • Comparing an expected API response to the actual API response received.

  • Confirming data fields in your API response meet specific criteria.

So, why should you set up tests in your configuration? Running tests on your module ensures your modules run as expected. And the Testing tool is here to help track your module's behavior. Not only does the tool show you the test status but it also notifies you of status changes and the module affected.

To learn more about creating API tests at Unqork, search Creating API Tests in our In-Product Help.

Open the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit or click the Unqork Life Cycle Toolkit icon in your toolbar to open this tool. To use the Testing tool, click Use This Tool. Or, select Testing from the Life Cycle Toolkit Chrome extension.

Unqork's Testing tool consists of many dashboards. Each dashboard gives you information about the tests in your workspace, application, and module. The 3 dashboards are the:

  • Testing Workspace Dashboard

  • Testing App Dashboard

  • Testing Module Dashboard

Let's take a look at each of the Testing dashboards.

Testing Workspace Dashboard

The Testing Workspace Dashboard is the entry point to Unqork's Testing tool. Here you see every test set up in a workspace. At this high level, you see everything from:

  • Test metrics for a workspace.

  • The number of workspace applications with tests.

  • The success and failure rates of those tests.

This dashboard also populates with all the applications in your workspace. The dashboard includes a variety of filters to help you find and sort this information. Some of these filters include:

  • Finding workspace applications with no tests set up.

  • Sorting application tests by success rate.

  • Sorting by application test coverage.

Testing App Dashboard

The Testing App Dashboard is a lot like the other Testing tool dashboards. But, this dashboard shows you the test metrics of a specific application in your workspace. You also see the application's modules and their individual tests. You'll find important details like:

  • The test coverage for that application.

  • The percent success rate.

  • The overall test status of that application.

This dashboard also populates with all the modules in your application. The dashboard includes a variety of filters to help you find and sort this information. Some of these filters include:

  • Helping to determine which application modules are API (application programming interface) modules.

  • Sorting module tests by success rate.

  • Sorting by test coverage.

Testing Module Dashboard

The Testing Module Dashboard is like the other dashboards of the Testing tool. But, this dashboard is where you'll see test details for a specific module in your application. On the dashboard, you'll find everything from:

  • Test coverage.

  • Test success rate.

  • The overall test status of that module.

This dashboard populates with all the tests in your module. You can also see which tests are active and inactive. Active tests are those that run on module save. Inactive tests don't run on module save.

The dashboard also includes a variety of filters to help you find and sort your information. Some of these filters include:

  • Finding active or inactive tests.

  • Sorting tests based on the date of creation.

  • Sorting tests by test type.

Config Analysis Dashboard Tool

The Config Analysis Tool helps resolve complex issues that come up as you build in the Unqork Designer Platform. With this tool, Unqork provides feedback on your applications as you build.

Use the Config Analysis Tool to submit your configurations for review. The team at Unqork runs multiple tests on each configuration, and they suggest possible improvements. They also send you a detailed report from the tests, so you avoid similar configuration issues in the future. Upload your report to the Config Analysis Dashboard tool to filter and organize your information with ease. Track changes as you and your team update the project to see progress in real-time. The tool includes a variety of charts as visualization aids for the report. Use these KPI A quanitifiable measure of performance of a specific objective for a specified time. widgets to print, export, and share test results.

Open the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit or click the Unqork Life Cycle Toolkit icon in your toolbar to open this tool. To use the Config Analysis tool, click Use This Tool. Or, select Config Analysis from the Life Cycle Toolkit Chrome extension.

Release Management Dashboard Tool

The Release Management Dashboard tool makes promoting releases between Unqork environments easy. You can take your creations from the Unqork Designer Platform and promote them to live. Let's have a look at the tool's best features:

  • The Release Management tool lets you create a release with one or more applications. This feature lets you save time with grouped releases.

  • When setting up your release, you can include release name, notes, and version number. With the Release Management tool, you can keep your promotions beautifully organized.

  • Detailed release information makes it easier to search for your releases. Be it a troubleshooting fix or an upgrade; this tool makes it quick and easy to make changes.

  • If your app breaks, the Release Management tool lets you restore your app to a previous version. This feature lets you quickly troubleshoot without interfering with your application in Production. Once fixed, the tool lets you re-release the upgrade.

Open the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit or click the Unqork Life Cycle Toolkit icon in your toolbar to open this tool. To use the Release Management tool, click Use This Tool. Or, select Release Management from the Life Cycle Toolkit Chrome extension.

Submission Revisions Dashboard Tool

The Submission Revisions Dashboard tool lets you filter for a specific submission ID and compare changes made to its revisions. You can compare 2 revisions at a time. These could be submission revisions from modules or workflows. They can also be revisions from the same submission ID or 2 different ones. You can also compare submission revisions from different modules or workflows, if you choose.

Open the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit or click the Unqork Life Cycle Toolkit icon in your toolbar to open this tool. To use the Submission Revisions tool, click Use This Tool. Or, select Submission Revisions from the Life Cycle Toolkit Chrome extension.

Flexible Data Updater Tool

There are a couple of Life Cycle tools that make it easier to find and change data in schema modules. These tools are beneficial as long as you follow Schema Module Specifications. The Schema Docs Dashboard tool lets you find and view schema module information. But the Flexible Data Updater takes it one step further. This tool lets you find and change schema module information. The tool gives you the option to update information in a single submission or make a bulk change. The tool lets you pick a field to update and change its value or data type. You can also update the owner of the submission, which is helpful for RBAC (role-based access control) purposes.

Open the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit or click the Unqork Life Cycle Toolkit icon in your toolbar to open this tool. To use the Flexible Updater tool, click Use This Tool. Or, select Flexible Updater from the Life Cycle Toolkit Chrome extension.

Monitoring Dashboard

The Monitoring Dashboard is where you'll go to see application and environment behavior. From this dashboard, you can access 3 helpful tools:

  • Logs Dashboard tool: Monitors issue-prone and slow API requests.

  • Metrics Dashboard tool: Monitors application and environmental performance metrics.

  • Alerts Dashboard tool: Lets you set up monitors to receive alerts when a configuration isn't working correctly.

Let's look at each of these monitoring tools in a little more detail.

Logs Dashboard Tool

Use the Logs Dashboard Tool to find troublesome API requests. Without it, you'd have to search through your entire environment's API requests. The tool also comes with extra filters to make it even easier to find a specific request. Once found, you can return to the module performing the request and fix it.

You can use the Logs Dashboard tool to look at 2 types of API (application programming interface) requests in your environment:

  • API requests with 400 and 500 level response codes. All 400 codes are client error codes. And 500 codes are server error codes.

  • API requests that take longer than 2 seconds to complete.

Open the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit or click the Unqork Life Cycle Toolkit icon in your toolbar to open this tool. To access the Monitoring Dashboard, click Use This Tool. Then, click Search Logs.

Metrics Dashboard Tool

The Metrics Dashboard tool shows your application and environment performance metrics. You can look at everything from CPU usage to completed operations.

The dashboard also includes filters to help you see metrics over a date and time range. Or, you can use the filters to look at a specific date and time. After you set your filters, performance metrics appear in 9 user-friendly charts. Hover over each to see precise measurements at that date and time. Or, export and print any of the charts to share with your team.

Open the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit or click the Unqork Life Cycle Toolkit icon in your toolbar to open this tool. To access the Monitoring Dashboard, click Use This Tool. Then, click View Metrics.

Alerts Dashboard Tool

The Alerts Dashboard tool alerts you to problems in your applications and environment. It lets you create alters to monitor your applications and modules. When unexpected behaviors occur, you'll be notified of the issue.

The tool lets you track:

Open the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit or click the Unqork Life Cycle Toolkit icon in your toolbar to open this tool. To access the Monitoring Dashboard, click Use This Tool. Then, click Setup Alerts.

Check back often. Unqork's Resource Center has regular updates and announcements regarding the Unqork Development Life Cycle Toolkit.