Installing Smart Flows

To download the server component (a zip file), you will need a Freshdesk account. You can request access through our Client and Support Operations team, or you will get it after purchasing the license. The two most popular methods of installing Smart Flows are:

The traditional install that installs Smart Flows on your computer
Using containers, such as Docker Desktop, which allows you to install Smart Flows in a container environment

We recommend using the AdoptOpenJDK 21 LTS build using the Hotspot VM, select here to download.
Please contact Experlogix Support if you need help in updating Java.

Traditional Install

Unzip the server component

1.

Unpack the ZIP file in the installation folder (C:\Xpertdoc-SmartFlows\).

The name of the folder should reflect the intended role such as: project-test, project-prod… resulting in “C:\Xpertdoc-SmartFlows\project-prod”.

2.

Rename the folder to be meaningful.

Create the application.properties file

In the example below, the saved location is project-prod.

1.

In the project folder, create a blank text file and save it with the name application.properties.

If you are upgrading or installing Smart Flows after version 4.24.0, will be JDBC Driver 12.6. This is update automatically when install Smart Flows. You'll also want to ensure that your connection and application properties reflect the latest best practices.

trustServerCertificate is now optional and should only be used when a trusted certificate is unavailable.

Use encrypt=true whenever possible to ensure secure connections.

Verify that your application.properties file includes a valid connection string as outlined in the official Microsoft documentation.

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Example JDBC connection string

project.datasource.jdbc-url=jdbc:sqlserver://PRD-V-SQL-DB02;database=XprtDoc;encrypt=true;hostNameInCertificate=*.database.windows.net;loginTimeout=30;lockTimeout=5000;socketTimeout=300000

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Where users will be accessing Smart Flows

server.port=443 
project.baseurl=https://xsfl-server:443

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SSL certificate details

server.ssl.key-store=../yourpfxfile.pfx 
server.ssl.key-store-password=yourpfxpassword 
server.ssl.key-store-type=pkcs12

trustServerCertificate=false; should not be included unless the environment requires it.

New driver versions do not require this setting unless using self-signed or untrusted certificates.
If trustServerCertificate is still needed, it should be explicitly added (trustServeerCrtificate=true), but only if a trusted certificate is unavailable.
project.datasource.jdbc-url=jdbc:sqlserver://PRD-V-SQL-DB02;database=XprtDoc;encrypt=true;trustServerCertificate=false;

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Where the database is

project.datasource.jdbc-url=jdbc:sqlserver://PRD-V-SQL-DB02;database=XprtDoc;encrypt=true;trustServerCertificate=false;
hostNameInCertificate=*.database.windows.net;loginTimeout=30;lockTimeout=5000;socketTimeout=300000
project.datasource.username=sa 
project.datasource.password=secretsapassword

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Password that will be used as the admin password

sample.user.password=secretadminpassword 
# Uncomment when using HTTP instead of HTTPS: 
# cookie.secure=false

Prerequisite

SSL CertificateThe use of SSL Secure Sockets Layer, is an encryption-based Internet security protocol. It was first developed by Netscape in 1995 for the purpose of ensuring privacy, authentication, and data integrity in Internet communications. SSL is the predecessor to the modern TLS encryption used today. encryption is required for the Smart Flows system to function. To enable SSL encryption, you need an SSL Certificate that matches your FQDN.If you install multiple projects on one server, you can also use a wildcard certificate a digital certificate that is applied to a domain and all its subdomains. Wildcard notation consists of an asterisk and a period before the domain name. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates often use wildcards to extend SSL encryption to subdomains. for the CN . For example *.base.domain.com with *base.domain.com and base.domain.com as alternative names. The "*base" component of the address serves as a a "fill in the blank" to properly direct to all versions of the address that end in ".domain.com"Certificate Format Recommendations and RequirementsThe recommended format is PFX PKCS #12 defines an archive file format for storing many cryptography objects as a single file. It is commonly used to bundle a private key with its X.509 certificate or to bundle all the members of a chain of trust.The Certificate must be validYou must have the PFX password availableStore the PFX file inside the installation folder (C:\Xpertdoc-SmartFlows).

2.

Update the following parameters according to your setup.

project.baseurl: the address of your XSF Flavour in Licensing is related to connectors. For Smart Flows you have the following connector options under Flavour section: Microsoft Dynamic 365 CE, Mocrosoft Dynamic 365 F&O, Salesforce, and Sugar server as seen by the end-user (include port number if not using default port).

server.ssl.key-store.

server.ssl.key-store-password: replace with the password of your certificate.

server.ssl.key-store-type: do not change.

project.datasource.jdbc-url.

project.datasource.username.

project.datasource.password.

sample.user.password: choose a password for your first login (It will be changed at the initial project setup).

JWT tokens

For on-premise clients, we recommend adding the following to ensure secure token handling during setup. Use table below for guidance on creating and setting the JWT tokens.

Properties used to configure JWT and cookie behavior in Smart Flows
Property	Description	Required	Value
jwt.secret	The secret is used when signing and validating JWTs provided by Smart Flows.	No (highly recommended)	Randomly chosen Example: 1e38b0lMFqccDuOA The `jwt.secret` and `cookie.salt` values must be manually created. Do not use the example values from the table, they are provided only for illustrative purposes. Generate unique, long, random strings to secure your installation properly.
jwt.expiration	The duration in seconds for which a JWT is valid.	No	86400 (= 24 hours)
cookie.salt	The value is used to encode cookie stamp. If not set, it will get generated on startup. This means all user sessions will be invalid on restart of the server.	No	Randomly chosen* Example: 797204 The `jwt.secret` and `cookie.salt` values must be manually created. Do not use the example values from the table, they are provided only for illustrative purposes. Generate unique, long, random strings to secure your installation properly.

Configuring DocuSign (Optional)

If you want to configure DocuSign, you need to make changes to the application.properties file. Refer to DocuSign (E-sign) connector set up for more details.

Update the Smartflows-server.xml file

The file can be found in the project folder. Update the content of the file to reflect role of the server.

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<service>    
    <id>smartflows-server</id>    
    <name>Xpertdoc Smart Flows Server</name>    
    <description>Xpertdoc Smart Flows Server</description>    
    ...    
</service>

To differentiate multiple Smart Flows servers on the same machine, change the service parameters as follows:

1.

Rename the service id from ‘smartflows-server’ to ‘smartflows-prod’.

2.

Rename the service name to ‘Xpertdoc Smart Flows Prod’.

Install Smart Flows using Docker

Prerequisites:

Docker for Windows, Notepad ++

1.

Download the Dockerfile zip file and extract. All properties normally in the application.properties file must now be listed in the Dockerfile.

2.

Using Notepad ++, edit the Dockerfile. Use capital letters and underscore instead of period.

You must use capital letters and underscores instead of periods for Docker to read the file.

3.

Unzip the server component zip file and place the unzipped files with the Docker files.

4.

From the command line go to your current location and type:

Ensure your Smart Flows server version matches your actual server version.

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Example Docker Build Command for 4.19 Release of Smart Flows

1
docker build . --build-arg JAR_FILE=smartflows-server-4.19.1.2.jar -t smartflows:4.19.1.2

5.

From the Docker Desktop, select the Run button.

Smart Flows opens in the Docker container.