“Stored Connection” is our term for the way the Form Engine now encrypts User Tokens and App Tokens, so those tokens can provide their functionality without needing to be displayed in a form’s URL any longer. This strengthens security for forms that handle sensitive data. It also improves and simplifies other functions. (Ex. it can enable “Add Record” versions of forms to automatically authenticate users without your Quickbase apps needing EOTI permissions).
The Form Engine will now prompt and require you as a builder to assign a Stored Connection to every new Form Engine form you build (a simple step for best functionality and security).
These new encrypted Stored Connections are built into the form-building workflow for new forms but do not affect existing forms or their buttons/URLs unless you want to create new buttons/URLs for those forms. Any new URLs you create will have encrypted tokens. You should not need to create new form URLs for existing forms that currently use User Tokens unless you think you need to increase the security in those forms. (Form Engine forms have always been secure to Quickbase standards, and they will now be even more secure. Contact us with a support ticket with any questions).
When you apply a Stored Connection to forms, it will include either a User Token or an App Token.
Updating Pre-Existing Templates with Stored Connections
If you create new Add/Edit/Print/Prefill buttons/URLs for pre-existing forms, you will be prompted to select or create a new Stored Connection for that form template. (This replaces the option of adding a User Token directly into the form. So instead of assigning a User Token for use in a form to auto-authenticate users, you will assign a Stored Connection that includes the User Token for that purpose).
If you create new Add/Edit/Print/Prefill buttons/URLs for forms where you have already assigned the form a Stored Connection, you won’t be prompted again. All new URLs you create for the form will use the same assigned Stored Connection (unless you change the Stored Connection assigned to the form).
To see, add, or change a Stored Connection for any form:
1. Open the template in the Builder, click to open the Options popup, and click the Options link to open the Options section of the popup if it isn’t already open.
2. Click the “Update Connection” if you want to choose or create a new connection for your template.
Once a Stored Connection is assigned to a form template, and the connection includes a User Token, any new buttons/URLs created for that template (including the default Add Record’ URL) will use the User Token encrypted in the Stored Connection to auto-authenticate your form users.
Managing Stored Connections
You can see and manage all the Form Engine Stored Connections for your Quickbase Realm by clicking the dropdown next to your name in the Form Engine banner, and clicking the Connections option.
This will pop up the list of all connections you and other FE builders have created and can use. You will see them all but you can only Update or Delete the ones you created. And if you update or delete any, that will affect all the form templates that use them (so be cautious).
In the Templates column, you also see how many of your Form Engine templates use each Stored Connection. Clicking on one of the Template icons displays which templates use that Connection.
And you can navigate to (Open) any of the form templates from this list if the Connection used for that template needs to be changed.
Stored Connections are a powerful feature that adds functionality and even higher security for your Form Engine assets.
Option to update any existing form URLs with User Tokens in the URL to encrypted User Tokens without recreating the URLs/buttons:
You can update your existing buttons to replace the User Tokens in the form’s URL by going into the Formula URL field properties in Quickbase for a button/URL, and deleting just the segment of code that is highlighted here:
Related Article(s)
Stored Connections - New Template