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- The main portlet controller loops through each GatewayEntry associated with the portlet.
- Each GatewayEntry runs through each Interceptor associated with it to ensure that the entry is valid
- The main JSP render the gateway portlet (list of external systems to connect to). Each GatewayEntry is rendered on the page, displaying the name, icon and if valid a link to the external system. Invalid external systems display a message describing the issue (such as credentials not being configured).
- The user clicks on the link for the external system they wish to access. By default this opens a new tab that returns a page with a Javascript AJAX handler to request connection information from the handling controller, but there is a portlet preference to replace the existing page.
- The handling controller gathers all of the information stored in the HttpContentRequestImpl parameters configuration (basically a list of form fields and values) and readies them for return to the browser
- All configured Interceptors perform any substitutions on configuration data, such as inserting usernames and passwords.
- All configured IAuthenticationFormModifier modules run. These can add additional parameter fields to the result and may perform additional custom logic (depending upon the implementation). An example of an IAuthenticationFormModifier is a need to contact an external system to get a token that is submitted with the authentication form to the external system. The custom logic can invoke the external system, parse out the token, and add it as a form field or modify the submit URL to include the token.
- If the GatewayEntry is flagged as requiring a secure URL (default true), the URL (proxiedLocation) is checked and altered to /HTTPSUrlRequiredButNotSpecified if it was not secure.
- The controller returns all of the gathered data to the browser (by default a JSON response).
- The Javascript Ajax handler builds an appropriate html form and submits it to the external system. The external system then handles the call and will render whatever page a successful login would render.
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