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How-to install and configure JConnect with Elgg .
Featured, Phase-Deploy
Updated Jul 26, 2009 by arunoda....@gmail.com

Before You Begin

There are few things that you need to have |know| before you go any funther

  • A Working Joomla(Version 1.5) Site and Install Extensions - (more info)
  • A Working Elgg(Version 1.5) Site - (more info)
  • How to install and enable an elgg plugin (More Info)

What is JConnect

JConnet is a Integration Engine Which can Integrate External Application to Joomla.Using JConnect it makes easier the communication between Joomla and External Application. And also There can also be communication between External Application.

In the sense of Communication currently

  • users can be synchronized
  • activities can be shared
  • more features is to be added...

What is an External Application

External Application is an application or a software which is going to be communicate with Joomla using JConnect. In order to do that External Application much implement a set of methods and should give xmlrpc access to those methods... Anyway this is not a wiki to tell you howto do that kind of work and also such a kind of document is to be arived.

We have build a plugin which makes Elgg as an External Application and rest of this wiki will show You how to configure it with JConnect. The configuration procedure is pretty much same for any application

Getting JConnect

JConnect engine

Elgg plugin

Install JConnect

Installing JConnect is pretty much straight forward.All you have to do is goto administration section of Joomla and install downloaded jconnect engine as an extension. If successful you will a get a menu item called JConnect in the Components menu.If you click that you'll get an view like this.

Configure JConnect (with Elgg)

Actually there is no configurations you've do with JConnect. All the things are automatically done by JConnect. Only thing you've to do is configure an External Application in this case with Elgg In order to do that we need some information

  1. appName - A Unique name for your external Application call this exApp
  2. A secret key - which is used as a password to communicate with External Application
  3. Host - The host of the exApp (eg:- www.joomla.org)
  4. Path - The path to implemented methods which used to communicate (for elgg it's something like this : /pg/jconnect)
  5. Port - The port used to communicate (normally it's 80)

That's all what you basically need..

Configuring Elgg

OK then we'll need an ExApp in our case Elgg. but normally Elgg doesn't have built-in support for JConnect. So need to plugin it. That's where our elgg_jconnect plugin needs.Then install that plugin into Elgg. (More Info)

Then You'll get a menu in the admin section named JConnect Configg - thats where what we interested. click on that you'll get a view like this...

Now you can see basic requirement for JConnect under the Information for JConnect. copy those info.

Now goto JConnect in Joomla and click External Applications then click addNew in the top bar... Then You'll get a view like this..

  1. Then fill appName as whatever you want
  2. generate a secret key by clicking generate button
  3. infomation next three field are the things what you've copied. Fill those;
  4. Then click apply..
  5. goto Elgg and paste the secret key for relevent textbox and do update.
  6. In the right handside of JConnect there will be button named "Send Info"
  7. Click that also which sends necessary details to Elgg ExApp.
  8. Now You are done..

Go to the Elgg and again click the JConnect config button.. Then You'll get a view like this..

Ok Now You've successfully,

  • downlaod and install JConnect
  • configured an external Application with JConnect
in future setting up an another External Application is pretty much the same.

In the next-wikies features of JConnect will be described.. And also leaning by the scrach will be encouraged!

Comment by tot2...@gmail.com, Jul 2, 2009

I think you forgot to specify an important thing, which is the version of Joomla and Elgg supported by this JConnect :)

Comment by cristian...@gmail.com, Jul 3, 2009

Which application does the authentication? I'd like to delegate authentication to an external application...does it seem feasible?

Comment by project member arunoda....@gmail.com, Jul 3, 2009

@tot2ivn - I really forgot to mention the versions..

JConnect works for.
Joomla 1.5 Elgg 1.5

@ cristiano.cucco - JConnect is designed in a way like this... all the user details are synchronized between External Applications.. So after You synced the authentication done @ locally...

eg:- If user abc in Elgg is synced into Joomla using JConnect. then You can logon to Joomla as abc, and change password and emails... and that changes will inform to Elgg... Then next time you logged into Elgg with this new password..

Vise versa of this case is also true...

Comment by marck.go...@gmail.com, Jul 4, 2009

Hello, I need a bit of help because I get this error in joomla admin when I try to send file.

ser Error:(some_appName) 5 :: Didn't receive 200 OK from remote server. (HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found)

I have a frech Elgg 1.5 install + joomla 1.5.12 fresh, did it like you decribed.

I have elgg in /elgg/httpdocs/ joomla in /elgg/httpdocs/joomlafolder/

Nothing joomla en elgg gave any error problems. Do you have any idea whay should be done ?

Regards, Marck

Comment by marck.go...@gmail.com, Jul 4, 2009

looks like the problem with this was, I should have entered host: mydomainname.com and not localhost

Comment by marck.go...@gmail.com, Jul 4, 2009

I still do have some issiues and questions.

1.) How does bulk sync wokr ... what is the correct way to use it? 2.) I get some error: string(3) "124" when I try to resolve conflicts via sync

Comment by project member arunoda....@gmail.com, Jul 6, 2009

Hi Marck, Thanks for trying this... For the first problem I think the connection details you provide might not be correct..(The full URL for JConnect Server was not found) I recommend you to give jconnect connection details you can found @ the Elgg..

The bulk user-sync does work like this.. First I'll get the new users from Elgg and create user accounts for them in Joomla. Then If there are username conflicts.. (jconnect record them) Then If there are new users for Elgg then JConnect send that Infomation for Elgg. After that the process will asks from users what 2 do with the conflicts.. (as a whole)

Passwords are not-synced to Joomla or Elgg.. So in-order to use the Elgg account for existing Joomla user, he has to log into Joomla once. then the password will be sent to Elgg only for that time..

I'm not sure.. but this(string(3) "124") would caused by a php var_dump(); does it show as a error message or normal HTML text?

Comment by marck.go...@gmail.com, Jul 11, 2009

Thank you for aditional explanation. I have started testing with clean install now with both joomla and elgg.

Here is a new issue.

1.) clean install of joomla in: somename.com 2.) clean install of elgg in folder /public_html/club/ so it points to subdomain club.somename.com

3.) jconnect installed on both loccations, conecction succesful ... joomla sent info to elgg, everything is updated and saved.

4.) now here is the issue, in process of registering a new user I get a blank page when submiting registeration info. 4.1) user is added to elgg table, but no confirmation email is sent so user can't authorize it self 4.2) I can not logout as admin 4.3) I can not delete user that didn't get authorised even if I am logged as admin

5.) if I disable jconnect everything works again

6.) I assume the issue here is because elgg is installed in subdomain, it should be in same domain as joomla ??

Comment by marck.go...@gmail.com, Jul 11, 2009

Also, when I try to log out as an admin as stated under 4.2 above, I get this error

user Error :: Invalid return payload: enable debugging to examine incoming payload (XML error at line 1, check URL)

Comment by marck.go...@gmail.com, Jul 11, 2009

I also tried in without subdomain, so both everything installed in same domain and I allways get the same issue. So no errors during installation or activation but once jconnect mod is activated in elgg then elgg doesn't work like it should anymore.

I am sorry to write all this stuff in this thread, if possible delete and move to your bug thread and I will continue there.

Comment by olo...@gmail.com, Aug 26, 2009

hi,

I would like to be able to synchronize only the users of only one group in joomla and only one group in Elgg, is it possible ???

thanks

Comment by project member arunoda....@gmail.com, Aug 26, 2009

@kghemm...@vkproject.com,

not directly possible... but indirectly u can try.. try importing elgg users and map user-groups .... then disable elgg extenal App (very important) then delete all the users u map-to elgg user-group you don't need to sync

for the joomla->elgg u can try ban users in the sync-user management tab..

anyway I'll put into consideration as a new requirment..

Comment by fiore.sa...@gmail.com, Oct 5, 2010

I read on Elgg site that you can also use this plugin to use multiple instances of Elgg. But I can not find the instructions for this configuration. Can you help?

Comment by my.offhe...@gmail.com, Aug 4, 2011

Hi,

I have an SMS based application. Here, what I want to do:

1. User registered with Joomla. 2. Once logged in into Joomla, the user will be presented with Registered User Only Menu, which is my External Application. 3. Once the user clicked on my External Application menu, the application will ask the user to enter their mobile number. 4. I need to link the Joomla User with the Mobilephone in my External Application. 5. Once they are link, they can see the report from my external application from the user input through SMS. The report that related to the mobilephone number and the current logged in user in Joomla.

Does JConnect can help me on achieving this?

Thanks M Sopian H (my.offhegoes@gmail.com)


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