Navigation:  How to Work with Processes > Working with the Platform Services Processes Group

 

Process Purpose

 

The Platform Services group of processes includes the processes that handle the services provided by MCL-Mobility Platform such as Filebox and Messagebox.

There are 2 subgroups of processes - one devoted to the Filebox service and another one dedicated to the Messagebox service.

Both services are provided by MCL-Mobility Platform which means you must have a subscription that includes these services to access the related modules and options throughout MCL-Designer V4.

 

 

Filebox Processes

 

Filebox Service - Filebox is a virtual storage and forwarding space for business files. It allows for direct file exchange between the mobile devices and MCL-Mobility Platform via each one's Inbox/Outbox which are synchronized. For a more detailed information, refer to the MCL-Mobility Platform User Guide.

 

The Filebox processes are used so that the device/application can:

• post files to the MCL-Mobility Platform (device's Outbox -> platform's Inbox);

• retrieve files from MCL-Mobility Platform (platform's Outbox -> device's Inbox) which is with MCL-Mobility Platform.

 

For instance, an image file contained in the MCL-Mobility Platform's Outbox area can be synchronized with a device's Inbox and that same image file is, then, retrieved to be used in the application.

 

There is one recurring icon in the Filebox processes:

 

Click this icon (located on the upper right corner of the properties window) to create a new data file. It opens an "Add New Data File" window.

Go to Creating a Data File to see how to fill in the options available.

 

 

Messagebox Processes

 

Messagebox Service - This service is used for message exchange between the device and the back-end via MCL-Mobility Platform. It is based on topics, the name given to the queues in the MCL environment. These topics work as mailboxes - the devices post messages in certain topics to be delivered to a back-end and other topics receive the messages from a back-end which are, then, retrieved by the target devices.

For more detailed information, refer to the MCL-Mobility Platform User Guide.

 

MCL-Designer V4 provides the necessary options so that the MCL application can use the Messagebox service to exchange messages with the intended back-end through the MCL-Mobility Platform. The Messagebox service and corresponding options are only available/visible to subscriptions with the corresponding add-on.

The Messagebox related processes are used to:

 

•post messages;

•retrieve messages;

•organize/parse the information of the retrieved messages;

•manage the messages posted by the device/application.

 

MCL-Designer uses profiles to manage the necessary topics. There are 3 types of topic profiles that correspond to the topic types available in the MCL-Mobility Platform. Each type consists of a specific message direction:

 

 

 

Any topic profile created in the MCL-Designer project MUST have a corresponding topic in the MCL-Mobility Platform account.

 

 

For more detailed information on topics, see Messagebox.

 

 

Device Management of Message Traffic

 

When developing your application, consider what the expected message flow will be and how to manage it, at device level, when delivering and receiving messages.

 

Device Message Posting

In terms of device message delivery, it can be set in the foreground (synchronous message posting) or in the background, depending on the used processes.

Check the diagrams below:

 

 

The application includes a process (ex: a "Post Message Foreground" process) that, when executed, sends the intended message to the intended topic, setting the application on stand by until the message is successfully delivered to the Messagebox service in the MCL-Mobility Platform.

This topic is a Mobile to Back-end topic type.

The target back-end is polling the topic and reads the message immediately.

 

 

 

2 devices send multiple messages from the applications, each one to its own back-end.

The applications contain a process (ex: a "Post Message Background" process) that, when executed, uses the device's MCL-Agent to deliver the messages to several back-ends.

Each device's MCL-Agent queues the applications' messages and posts them into the intended topic (ex: the blue message of each device is posted into the blue topic).

Each back-end retrieves its messages from the 2 devices' applications.

This operation is performed in the background, there is no pause in the applications' workflow.

 

Device Message Retrieval/Read

The messages sent by a back-end can also be received by the devices in the foreground or in the background.

Check the diagrams below:

 

 

The back-end has posted the intended messages into the intended topics.

Whenever required, the application executes a process (ex: a "Receive Message" process) to retrieve a message which sets the application on hold until the operation is successful.

Other processes/options are used to store the data contained in the message (ex: a "Parse Message's Header" process).

 

 

The back-end has posted the intended messages into the intended topics.

In a defined screen or screens, the topics are being polled in a loop. When a message is found, it triggers the "Receive Message" action which presents the message to the application. As the action is running in the background, the operator can proceed with the screen flow without waiting for a message to show up.

The action includes processes/predefined local variables (ex: a "Parse Message's Header" process, the "L_Msg_Header_Full" or "L_Msg_Source") that parse and store the received data.

 

 

"Counter" Processes

 

Business Analytics Service - The purpose of this service is to collect metric data (ex: operator interactions with the MCL application) and to send it to the MCL-Mobility Platform so it can be processed and used in dashboards for performance analysis. The MCL application collects/sends the defined metric data to the counters that have been created within the MCL-Mobility Platform and these counters become data sources for the dashboards.

 

MCL-Designer V4 provides the necessary options so that the MCL application can use the Business Analytics service to send messages with the intended metric values to the MCL-Mobility Platform, specifically, to the intended counters.

This service and corresponding options are only available/visible to subscriptions with the corresponding add-on.

Implementing this service in an MCL application requires the use of counter profiles and related processes within the MCL-Designer project:

 

•Counter Profiles - The project must be able to identify the target counter for its metric data, know which metric values to send to it and how to aggregate them (ex: check the existence of a "primary key"). This means creating a counter profile in MCL-Designer representing the target counter created in the MCL-Mobility Platform account.

At MCL-Designer level, the counter's alias of the profile and the metric values it is supposed to handle MUST MATCH the alias and the defined metric values that are defined for the counter itself (at MCL-Mobility Platform account level). Counter profiles are managed in the Project Properties - See Platform Services - Counters section.

 

•There is one counter related process included in the "Counters" subgroup called "Update Metrics" that, when executed, sends the metric values to the target counter.

 

 

The Platform Services group includes the following processes: