Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service: Testing the application with multiple user security roles

In this post, we will see how to test an application by changing the required user roles.

While developing an application in Oracle VBCS, we may need to test some features of the application with a specific user role and other features with a different user role.

To achieve this, we may need multiple user logins which have required roles individually.

However, while developing an application, we have a feature in VBCS to change the roles dynamically at application run time and test.

This feature is very much useful because it reduces the number of logins and skips the navigations in the application development phase.

In this post, we will see the various options available in VBCS to achieve this.

Option 1: We can have a login page and authorize the application based on logged-in users' roles.

Option 2: 

• Go to application settings
• Go to the "User Roles" tab. All the roles will be listed if available to the app. Also, we can create new roles. Below is the screenshot for your reference.

• We can add the users or groups to the roles by clicking on the "Assign groups and users" role listed in the tab. Please check the below screenshots for your reference.

• Click on the "Save Changes" button
• Note, the application should be staged after this change.

Option 3: 

• Go to the "Page designer" of any page of the application
• View the page in "Design" mode
• Click on the icon as shown on the below screen

• Select/de-select the roles required and run the app

For more details on securing the VBCS application, you can visit the documentation here.

Using Kubernetes with Oracle Digital Assistant

 In this blog post, we are going to see how we can include Kubernetes in the Oracle Digital Assistant (ODA) solution. 

Where can we include Kubernetes with ODA:

We can integrate any backend services with ODA using the custom components (using SDK) services in ODA. And these services are of four types.

• Embedded Container: To upload the custom components code into the given embedded container of the ODA
• Oracle Mobile Cloud: To connect the custom components deployed in the Oracle Mobile Cloud Service (OMCS) using its backend and service URL.
• External: To connect the custom components deployed in the external or third-party servers.
• Oracle Function: To connect the custom components deployed in the Oracle Functions cloud service using its URL.

Out of the above given four types of services for the custom components, we can use the type "External" to connect the custom component code deployed in the Kubernetes.

Why do we need to use Kubernetes with ODA:

As you know, ODA has inbuilt AI and ML processing which helps to train the chatbot. And the training is a continuous process to make the chatbot better. And also ODA supports multiple skills development. When ODA has more skills that are connecting with multiple backend services, we may need to write the custom components for multiple skills. And for complex chatbots, changing the code and uploading the ODA every time will be a very tedious task. So, in such scenarios, if the team is willing to use Kubernetes for the custom code development, then they have a choice to do so. They can use the Kubernetes to automate the deployment process without impacting the front end of ODA.

How to connect Kubernetes with ODA:

                     

Once the custom component code is deployed in the Kubernetes, configure its public URL and its authentication as shown in the above image. Then the chatbot is ready to be connected to the backend.

Integrating WhatsApp to Oracle Digital Assistant (ODA) as a client via Twilio

In this post, we are going to see how to connect WhatsApp as a client to have a conversation with Oracle Digital Assistant. 

In order to achieve this integration, we need to create a sandbox in Twilio and create a channel in ODA for Twilio. We need a Twilio account to do this integration. We will see each of these setups.

Setup Testing Sandbox in Twilio for WhatsApp

We need to create a sandbox for WhatsApp, which follows the below procedure. 

• Login to Twilio
• Under "All Products & Services", select the "Programmable Messaging" option. 

• Its dashboard will be opened. You can observe a message like below to start connecting WhatsApp. Click on the link.

• Sandbox setup for WhatsApp will be started

• Save the given phone number on your mobile
• Send the given message (ex: join ring-worried) from your WhatsApp to the above number
• You can observe the confirmation on the screen for your message

• Click on the "Next" button below
• Ignore the step "Send a One-Way WhatsApp Message" and click on Next
• You can send a reply to the message on your device which will be displayed here. You can send a message from the console and see the message on your WhatsApp. This is to test the Two-Way messages from your WhatsApp to Twilio and vice versa, though this step is not mandatory.

• Click on Next
• Copy and paste the webhook URL created in the ODA channel (which will be shown in next steps) into the "WHEN A MESSAGE COMES IN" input field as shown in the below picture

• Click on Save

Setup ODA Channel for Twilio

• Login to ODA
• Go to Channels
• Click on "+ Channel" button to create a new channel
• Enter name & description of the channel
• Select Channel Type as "Twilio SMS"
• Copy-paste the Account SID and Auth Token from the Twilio account dashboard
• In the Phone Number field, enter the phone number you saved on your device which was given by Twilio in the above procedure
• Make sure you prefix the phone number with "whatsapp:" and the phone number should be in international format. You can refer to the below screenshot for the inputs 

• Click on the "Create" button, the channel will be created
• Select a skill or digital assistant from the "Route To" drop-down
• Enable the channel
• Copy the Webhook URL and past it in the "WHEN A MESSAGE COMES IN" input field of the Twilio Sandbox created in the above procedure

Now the WhatsApp is ready to start the conversation with ODA. You can test the chatbot now. See the below screen for your reference.

#chatbot #DigitalAssistant #ODA