Test Connector is a graphical interface that presents the structure of a
business object in a tabular view. Connectors exchange data with
applications through business logic and so do not have a graphical
interface. Test Connector emulates connectors using a graphical view,
making it easier to understand the role of a connector in an interface, while
removing the complexity of running actual connectors.
The CustomerSynchronization_SourceToDestination collaboration object tests
the IBM WebSphere Business Integration Server Express system by sending
business objects from one instance of Test Connector to another. The
Customer business object is flat rather than hierarchical. It does not
contain any other business objects. The CustomerSynchronization
collaboration template sends business objects, sent by the source connector in
the interface, to the destination connector, and does not apply any noteworthy
business logic. The SourceConnector and DestinationConnector
definitions represent the server-side component of a connector. They do
not represent executable connectors. These definitions are sufficient
to validate the subsystems of IBM WebSphere Business Integration Server
Express.
The following instructions use Test Connector to emulate connectors
exchanging data through the IBM WebSphere Business Integration Server Express
system.
- Note:
- For the purpose of these instructions, it is assumed that you have started InterChange Server Express, System Manager, registered an InterChange Server Express instance,
and verified that the test connectors and
collaboration objects are active.
- Click Start > Programs > IBM WebSphere Business Integration
Express > Development > Test Connector to start Test
Connector.
- Click File > Create/Select Profile in the Test Connector
menu bar.
- Click to select the SourceConnector profile, and then click
OK. The "Connector Profile" dialog is shown below
with the SourceConnector profile selected.

- Click File > Connect in the "Test Connector" menu
bar. This action connects the current instance of Test Connector with
the SourceConnector profile loaded to the server.
- Repeat steps 1 through 4 to launch another instance of Test
Connector. Specify the DestinationConnector profile instead
of SourceConnector in step 3. The "Connector Profile" dialog is shown below
with the DestinationConnector profile selected.

- Click File > Connect in the "Test Connector" menu
bar. This action connects the current instance of Test Connector with
the DestinationConnector profile loaded to the server.
- In the instance of Test Connector that has the SourceConnector profile
loaded, click Edit > Load BO in the menu bar.
- In the "Open" dialog, navigate to \ProductDir
\Samples\SystemTest, and then open the Customer.bo
folder. The "Open" dialog is shown below.

- Click Open to open the Customer.bo file and display the
"New Instance" dialog.
- Type Customer_0 in the "Enter Name" field, and then click
OK. The "New Instance" dialog, with Customer_0 typed
in the "Enter Name" field, is shown below.

- Note the values, for example FirstName, String, Tom, in the
fields of the Customer business object, as shown below.

- Click Request > Send in the menu bar to send the business
object.
- Give focus to the instance of Test Connector that has the
DestinationConnector profile loaded. If the "BO Request List"
pane contains Customer.Create, as shown below, the Customer
business object has been received.

- Double-click the Customer.create event to view it as a
response business object. The "Response BO" dialog is shown
below.

- Optional: Double-click in each of the fields to edit the
data in the way that a destination application typically assigns its own
unique values to events that it processes. Click Ok when you
have finished editing the fields.
- Click Request > Reply > Success in the menu bar to
simulate the destination application successfully processing the business
object and returning it to InterChange Server Express.
- When you have finished sending and replying to events, click File
> Exit in the Test Connector menu bar, and then click Yes
when prompted to shut down Test Connector.
