Adapter Development Kit 6.5 | webMethods Adapter Development Kit Documentation | webMethods Adapter Development Kit Installation and User’s Documentation | The Adapter Definition | Overview
 
Overview
This chapter describes how to create an adapter definition. An adapter definition is the framework of an adapter. Although an adapter definition is recognized as an adapter by Integration Server, it lacks functionality. Other chapters describe how to add functionality by defining templates for connections, adapter services, polling notifications, and listener notifications.
To create an adapter definition, you perform the following tasks:
*Set up your environment for the adapter.
You modify your classpath, create a package to contain the adapter, and register the adapter's major code with Software AG. For more information, see Setting Up Your Environment for Adapters.
*Create an adapter definition implementation class.
This class, which must extend the base class WmAdapter, represents the main class of the adapter. In this class, you create services and methods that:
*Describe the adapter to Integration Server.
*Describe the adapter's resources to Integration Server, including its connection factories, notification templates, and its default resource bundle implementation class.
*Initialize resources and properties referenced by the adapter definition when the adapter is enabled, and clean up the resources when the adapter is disabled (optional).
*Load the adapter onto Integration Server when the adapter is enabled, and unload the adapter when the adapter is disabled.
For more information, see Creating a WmAdapter Implementation Class.
*Create one or more resource bundles.
This class, which must extend the base class java.util.ListResourceBundle, typically contains all display strings and messages used by the adapter at run time and at design time. A resource bundle is specific to a particular locale. If you plan to run your adapter in multiple locales, you can include a resource bundle for each locale. Doing this enables you to internationalize an adapter quickly, without having to change any code in the adapter. Each adapter must have one or more resource bundles. For more information, see Creating Resource Bundles.
*Deploy the adapter.
You will:
*Create startup and shutdown services.
For more information, see Creating Adapter Startup and Shutdown Services.
*Compile the adapter definition.
You compile your implementation class and construct the Java service nodes for your startup and shutdown services. The ADK provides a sample ANT script that you can run from the packages directory. For more information, see Compiling the Adapter.
*Configure the startup and shutdown services in Designer.
For more information, see Registering the Adapter Startup and Shutdown Services in Software AG Designer.
Finally, the adapter user will use Integration Server Administrator to load the adapter by enabling the adapter package. These tasks are described in Design-Time Tasks.