Article Type: Concept / Developer Tool Overview
Audience: Application Designers, Integration Specialists, Developers
Module: Orchestration / Developer Tools
Applies to Versions: 2.0.0+
The Plex Datasource Tools package is a developer utility that enables application designers to browse, explore, and rapidly integrate Plex Manufacturing Cloud datasources into Fuuz data flows. Instead of manually looking up datasource keys, input parameters, and output columns in Plex documentation, developers can use this tool to query available datasources directly from a configured Plex connection and copy pre-formatted node configurations to their clipboard for immediate use in the Data Flow Designer.
This package significantly accelerates the development of Plex integrations by providing a visual interface for datasource discovery and eliminating the tedious manual process of configuring Plex Datasource nodes with correct parameter mappings.
| Component Type | Count | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Screens | 2 | Table for browsing datasources, Form for viewing details |
| Routes | 2 | Navigation paths in the Orchestration module |
The Plex Datasource Tools work by querying the Plex API directly through a configured connection:
Developers building Plex integrations often need to find the correct datasource for their use case. Instead of searching through Plex documentation or asking Plex support, developers can browse available datasources directly from Fuuz, filtering by name to find relevant options (e.g., searching "Part" to find part-related datasources).
Each Plex datasource has specific input parameters that must be provided. The tool displays all required and optional parameters with their data types, enabling developers to understand exactly what inputs are needed before building their integration.
Understanding what data a datasource returns is critical for building transforms. The tool displays all output columns with their data types, helping developers plan their JSONata transformations before even adding the node to a data flow.
The "Copy To Node" feature generates a complete Plex Datasource node configuration including the datasource key, parameter template, and descriptive note with column documentation. This eliminates manual configuration and reduces errors in datasource key entry.
The generated node includes a note field documenting the datasource name, key, and all output columns with their types. This serves as inline documentation within data flows, making it easier for other developers to understand what data the node retrieves.
Route: /system/orchestration/datasourceWhitelistings
The main browsing interface for discovering Plex datasources. This screen queries available datasources from a selected Plex connection and displays them in a searchable table.
Filters:
| Filter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Connection | Combobox | Select the Plex connection to query (required) |
| Datasource Key | Text | Filter by specific datasource key number |
| Name | Text | Search datasources by name (partial match) |
Table Columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Datasource Key | Unique numeric identifier (clickable link to detail form) |
| Name | Descriptive name of the datasource |
| Description | Documentation about the datasource purpose |
Route: /system/orchestration/datasourceWhitelistings/form/:id/:connectionId
The detail view for a specific datasource, displaying complete metadata including input parameters and output columns.
Form Fields:
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Datasource Key | Display | The unique datasource identifier |
| Name | Display | Datasource name |
| Description | Markdown | Detailed documentation |
| Inputs | JSON | Input parameters with names and data types |
| Output | JSON | Output columns with names and data types |
Form Actions:
| Action | Icon | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Save | 💾 save | Save datasource whitelisting record (disabled by default) |
| Delete | 🗑️ trash | Delete datasource whitelisting record (disabled by default) |
| Copy To Node | 📋 clipboard | Generate and copy Plex Datasource node to clipboard |
When the "Copy To Node" action is executed, the following node configuration is generated and copied to the clipboard:
{
"type": "plexDatasourceV2",
"selected": true,
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"data": {
"parameterTransform": "{ ... input parameters ... }",
"responseTransform": "$",
"returnErrors": false,
"connectionNameTransform": undefined,
"datasourceKey": "[key number]"
},
"name": "[Datasource Name]",
"note": "Datasource Key: [key]\nDatasource Name: [name]\n--------Columns--------\n[column1]: [type]\n[column2]: [type]\n..."
}| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| type | Always "plexDatasourceV2" for Plex datasource nodes |
| parameterTransform | JSONata template with input parameter names (values set to null) |
| responseTransform | Default "$" to pass through response unchanged |
| datasourceKey | The Plex datasource key number |
| name | Node label displayed in Data Flow Designer |
| note | Documentation including column names and types |
The tool filters connections to only show Plex API connections (connector ID: 72974b11-897f-47bd-896d-133962ef7bbb). Ensure you have at least one Plex connection configured before using this tool.
The screens use remote transforms to query datasource metadata via the Plex API:
/system/orchestration/datasourceWhitelistingsnull values in the parameterTransform with actual parameter values. You may also need to set the connectionNameTransform if not using a default connection.
The Plex Datasource Tools package is designed as a developer utility that can be extended:
The same pattern could be applied to create similar discovery tools for other enterprise systems with discoverable APIs, such as SAP, Oracle, or custom REST endpoints. Clone the screens and modify the connection filter and API calls to support additional connectors.
| Issue | Possible Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| No connections in dropdown | No Plex connections configured | Create a Plex API connection in Connection management |
| Search returns no results | Name filter too specific | Use broader search terms or leave name blank |
| API error on search | Connection credentials invalid | Verify Plex connection settings and test connectivity |
| Copy To Node doesn't work | Browser clipboard permissions | Allow clipboard access when prompted by browser |
| Pasted node shows errors | Null parameters need replacement | Replace null values with actual values or remove unused parameters |
| Form shows empty data | Missing connectionId in URL | Navigate from table (which includes connection) rather than direct URL |
| Version | Date | Editor | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 2025-01-24 | Fuuz Documentation | Initial release documenting Plex Datasource Tools v2.0.0 |