Summary
Integrations lets you attach single sign-on service provider connections to an account through the SSO SP tab. Beyond SAML, which uses a structured form, the tab supports non-SAML service provider types such as SIP2, PatronSSLAPI, OAuth, and Regex. These non-SAML types are configured through a raw JSON editor rather than individual input fields, and this article explains what each type is for and how you work with them.
Introduction
The SSO SP tab manages the service provider connections that let an external system authenticate users into KnowledgeCity. Each connection has a type. When you choose SAML, Integrations shows a structured form with dedicated fields. When you choose a non-SAML type, Integrations shows a collapsible panel that wraps a JSON editor, because those types do not yet have a fixed form.
This workflow is used by administrators who manage account level authentication, including connections to library and patron systems. It gives them a flexible way to define a connection by editing its connection settings directly, which is useful when a provider needs configuration options that a fixed form would not expose.
Key Concepts
- SSO service provider connection: an external system that authenticates your users so they can sign in to KnowledgeCity. Integrations stores one or more of these connections per account.
- SP type: the category of a connection. SAML uses a structured form, while non-SAML types are configured through a JSON editor.
- SIP2: a non-SAML type used for library patron authentication. As a non-SAML type, its connection settings are entered as JSON.
- PatronSSLAPI: a non-SAML type used for patron authentication through a provider API. It is configured through the JSON editor rather than a fixed form.
- OAuth: a non-SAML, token based type that does not yet have a structured form, so its connection settings are defined as JSON.
- Regex: a non-SAML type that matches on a pattern. Like the other non-SAML types, its settings are entered as JSON.
- JSON panel: a collapsible panel that wraps the editor for a single non-SAML connection. Its header shows the connection type and name, and you expand or collapse it to edit the settings.
- Connection settings: the JSON structure that holds all configuration for a connection. The fields available in the editor are whatever this structure contains, and the connection name is taken from the connection's organization name, or from its display label when no organization name is set.
Steps to Follow
Open the SSO SP tab
Navigate to the account edit screen and open the SSO SP tab. This tab lists the service provider connections configured for the account and is where you add and edit them.
Choose the service provider type
Select the connection type for the provider you are connecting. If you choose SAML, Integrations presents a structured form with individual fields. If you choose a non-SAML type such as SIP2, PatronSSLAPI, OAuth, or Regex, Integrations presents a JSON panel for that connection instead.
Decide which type to use
Match the type to the external system. Use SAML when the provider supports SAML federation and you want a guided form. Use OAuth for token based authentication. Use SIP2 or PatronSSLAPI when you connect to a library or patron authentication system that speaks those protocols. Use Regex when access is determined by matching a pattern. For every non-SAML choice, the configuration is entered as JSON.
Edit the connection settings as JSON
For a non-SAML type, expand the JSON panel and use the editor text area to enter or edit the connection settings. Because these types do not use a structured form, every configuration value is defined here as a field within the JSON. Enter valid JSON so the editor accepts your input. The panel header reflects the connection type and its name, where the name comes from the connection's organization name or its display label.
Resolve any validation errors
The editor checks your JSON as you work. If the content is not valid JSON, an error message appears beneath the text area. Correct the reported problem, for example a missing comma or an unbalanced brace, until the error clears.
Save or remove the connection
When your settings are valid, use the Update action in the panel to save the connection. To remove a connection you no longer need, use the Delete action in the same panel.
Conclusion
Integrations supports several service provider types on the SSO SP tab. SAML uses a structured form, while the non-SAML types SIP2, PatronSSLAPI, OAuth, and Regex are configured by editing the connection settings as raw JSON in a collapsible panel. Choose the type that matches the external system, keep the JSON valid, and update the connection so administrators keep full control over providers that do not yet have a fixed form.