Including New Server Types or Custom Connectors in Controls Advisor
Controls Advisor can be expanded to display information from new server types or custom connectors.
Adding a New Server Type or Custom Connector
1. In ThingWorx Composer, create a new resource provider thing template with the following settings:
◦ Name—The name for the thing template, for example MyConnector_ResourceProviderThingTemplate.
◦ Base Thing Template—GenericThing
◦ Implemented Shapes—PTC.SCA.SCO.RemoteConnectionResourceProviderThingShape
2. Create a resource provider thing implementing the thing template created in step 1:
◦ Name—For example, MyConnector_ResourceProviderThing.
◦ Base Thing Template—Specify the resource provider thing template created in step 1. In this example, MyConnector_ResourceProvider_ThingTemplate.
◦ Implemented Shapes—Leave this field empty.
3. Create a thing template for your new server type or custom connector:
◦ Name—For example, MyConnector_ThingTemplate.
◦ Base Thing Template—RemoteThing
◦ Implemented Shapes—PTC.SCA.SCO.RemoteConnectionThingShape.
4. Add your new server type or custom connector to the launch point configuration thing.
a. Open PTC.Factory.C_LaunchPointConfigurationThing_[ReleaseVersion].
b. Click Configuration.
c. Add a new row to the RemoteConnectionSettings table with the following settings:
▪ ConnectionType—Enter the name that you want displayed for your new server type or custom connector on the Create Connection window in Controls Advisor. For example, MyConnector.
▪ ResourceProviderName—Enter the resource provider thing created in step 2. In this example, MyConnector_ResourceProviderThing.
▪ RemoteConnectionThingTemplateName—Enter the name of the thing template created in step 3. In this example, MyConnector_ThingTemplate.
▪ EnabledInControlsAdvisor—Select this checkbox to make the connection type visible in Controls Advisor.
As a best practice, disable a connection type by clearing the checkbox for the table row, rather than deleting the row.
▪ EnabledInTagPicker—Select this checkbox to make the connection type visible in the tag picker common component.
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The values for ConnectionType, ResourceProviderName, and RemoteConnectionThingTemplateName must be unique for each row in the RemoteConnectionSettings table.
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Now, when you click 
in Controls Advisor to create a new server, your new server type or custom connector appears in the Connection Type drop-down list.
in Controls Advisor to create a new server, your new server type or custom connector appears in the Connection Type drop-down list.Populating Controls Advisor Columns with Data from the New Server or Custom Connector
When you create a new server or custom connector, only the link to the server details page, and the Name, Status, and Connection Type values are populated on the Controls Advisor main page. The other column values can be populated by overriding the default implementation of the GetServerList service on the resource provider thing created in step 2 of Adding a New Server Type or Custom Connector.
When overriding the GetServerList service, use the default service implementation as a reference. Extensive comments are provided in the default implementation code to guide you in your customization.
| | • The Name and connectionType properties are mandatory. • The table on the Controls Advisor main page is controlled by the PTC.SCA.SCO.RemoteConnectionServerListDataShape data shape. |
The following properties are automatically populated for every new server or custom connector, but can be overridden if needed:
Property Name | Corresponding Column in Controls Advisor |
|---|---|
Name | Name |
Description | Description |
connectionType | Connection Type |
serverStatus | Status |
DetailsPageLink | View |
The following properties require some modifications to the overridden GetServerList service to display data in the Controls Advisor main page.
Property Name | Corresponding Column in Controls Advisor |
|---|---|
CurrentServerTime | Connection Time |
AlertIcon | Alert |
hasAlerts | (Not displayed)—Used for AlertIcon determination |
The following properties pertain specifically to servers or connectors which interact with devices. In most cases, these properties are only used for KEPServerEX type servers.
Property Name | Corresponding Column in Controls Advisor |
|---|---|
displayDevicesStatus | Device Status |
NumberOfDevices | Devices |
clientCount | Client Count |
aggregateThing | Aggregator Name |
isCustomRemoteOPCServer | (Not displayed)—Used for internal calculations |
TagCount | Tag Count |
isRemoteServer | (Not displayed)—used for internal calculations |
devicesStatus | (Not displayed)—Used for displayDeviceStatus determination |
Implementing Custom Mashups for your New Server or Custom Connector
Initially when you create a new server with the Connection Type of your new server or custom connector, the Create Connection window, the Controls Advisor footer, and the detail page for your newly created server all display a message indicating that they have not yet been set up. The following sections provide instructions for implementing the necessary custom mashups.
To display custom mashups for your new server or custom connector:
1. In ThingWorx Composer, open the PTC.Factory.C_LaunchPointConfigurationThing_[ReleaseVersion] thing.
2. Under Configuration, find the RemoteConnectionSettings table.
3. In the table row for your new server or custom connector, remove the default mashups specified in the following columns by clicking the X to the right of the default mashup name, and add your own custom mashup for each:
◦ FooterMashupName—Mashup for the Controls Advisor footer
◦ ServerDetailMashupName—Mashup for the detail page
◦ ConnectionInfoMashupName—Mashup for the Create Connection window
4. Click Save.