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Journey by Forj Support Center

Setup & Connect Forj Community to Novi AMS

Harrison
  • Updated

This help article is a reference to Novi, an association management software.  For more information, visit www.noviams.com

Step 1: Initial Setup & Connection

To begin, you must have a created Forj Community

 

To connect Forj with Novi...

First, in Forj:

  1. Navigate to Community Settings by clicking the Community Menu in the top right corner.
  2. In the Community Settings, select the Integrations Tab.
  3. Click Create API Key.
  4. An API Key and API Secret will now appear.
    • Important: Save these somewhere safe! Once saved, the API Key and API Secret will not be displayed again.
  5. Give the API key a description - something like "NOVI AMS - DO NOT DELETE"
  6. Click Save and exit.

Then, in Novi:

  1. Navigate to Association Settings by clicking the gear icon in the top right corner of the backend/admin side.
  2. In the Integrations tab, copy/paste the Forj API Key and API Secret into the appropriate sections.
  3. Before saving, click the “Test Connection” to Forj button to ensure the correct information was entered.
  4. Once the connection is verified, save changes.

At this point, the two systems are now connected! Next, create groups in Forj that will then connect to Novi groups.

Step 2: Single Sign-On Setup

Complete the settings to enable Single Sign-On between the two systems, allowing members to be able to log in to Forj with their Novi login so that the system can recognize they're connected from a Novi group.

 

First, in Novi:

Use the article below to set up the Single Sign-On:

>> Set Up a Single Sign On (SSO) Client for a 3rd Party Integration Partner

Points to consider:

  1. When naming the SSO client, perhaps call it Forj
  2. In the Valid Redirect Urls section, enter the following (replacing my_community with your community's name): https://my_community.mobilize.io/users/auth/openidconnect/callback 
  3. Save the SSO client. Once it has been saved, click on it in the list to re-open the modal.

Then, in Forj:

  1. Navigate to Community Settings by clicking the Community Menu in the top right corner.
  2. In the navigation bar, select Authentication.
  3. Toggle On the Single Sign-On Toggle
  4. Click the arrow next to OpenID Configuration to open the dropdown.
  5. Check the radio button next to “OpenID Configuration”.
  6. Fill in the following information being asked and then save:
    • Directory Document: The full URL of your Novi website (https://www.websiteurl.com - no slash on the end).
      • Note: If this is being set up on a staging site, this will need to be updated to the live website's URL after launch.
    • Forj App ID: The "Client ID" in the Novi SSO settings modal
    • Forj App Secret: The "Secret Key" in the Novi SSO settings modal
    • OIDC Client Authentication Method: Post Body must be selected



  • Button Label Text: What the login button should be labeled for users who will be logging in to Forj.

  • Fields Mapping: Add the member fields you would like to be mapped from your Identity Provider to Forj Community. Ask your Identity Provider for the exact field names and input them accordingly. Note: The Email field is automatically mapped so it will not appear here. 

 

Step 3: Create Groups in Forj

Before syncing Novi groups into Forj, create the Forj group to match it to.

To do this, start by selecting the ( + ) next to Groups in the Forj Groups navigation bar.

On Screen 1 (See below):

  1. Name the Group
  2. Select your Parent Group. Any groups that will be synced with Novi MUST be a "top-level" group, therefore having a parent group of NONE. However, if creating a sub-group that will not be connected to Novi, select a parent group. 
  3. The group email address will populate based on the group name.
  4. Set Group Visibility. Groups synced with Novi MUST be set to Private (Only people invited to this group). This ensures that the Novi group will control the members of the Forj group.
  5. For groups synced with Novi, uncheck "Joining the group requires managers approval." Since this is a private group, this is not needed.
  6. Click on “Create”. 

All groups connected to Novi should follow this pattern so the sync does not override additional Forj self-added group members.

 

However, keep in mind that admins can create groups that aren't synced to Novi that people can join on their own. In those instances, use the "Closed" visibility settings (Anyone logged into <Community Name>) and select "Joining the group requires manager approval."

 

Important Forj Group Notes:

 

Please note that each Forj group has configurable settings that we recommend you review. 

 

 

Step 4: Sync Novi Groups to Your Forj Groups

Once connected and ready to tell Forj which members should be in which groups, navigate to your Groups section inside of Novi.

In Novi, create a group(s) for each different community that includes the individuals to be in that community. Each Forj community can be connected to one Novi group.

Note: If Forj is being set up on your staging website prior to launch, the sync will not run unless a Novi admin updates a setting for you.

Syncing A Novi Group

Once a Novi group is set up, head to its Details tab and find the Forj section here:

In the dropdown, select the appropriate Forj Group and save your Novi Group. This will automatically begin syncing the group members' information to Forj.

How Group Syncs Work

To be synced to Forj, a record must meet two criteria:

  1. It must be an individual's record, not a company.
  2. The individual must have a Novi login/user account already created.

Novi sends the following information about individuals in Novi groups to Forj: 

  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Email
  • Company Name
  • Job Title

As long as an individual is in a synced Novi group and they have a Novi login/user account, they will be in a connected Forj group. 

If someone is added or removed to/from the Novi group, the same will happen in the Forj group. Keep in mind, any manually added Forj group members will be overwritten the next time the Novi group syncs to Forj.

See the status of the Forj sync in Novi in a column on both the main Groups list and within the Members tab of a specific group. As the group is syncing, a spinner indicates changes being made within the column. 

Successfully synced members will show an "Up To Date" message (below). If a record was not synced because it did not meet the criteria above, its status will appear as N/A.

 

Please Note: Unlinking the Forj group from the Novi group will not remove all members of the group in Forj, it will simply unlink the two systems from speaking to each other.

This means that the members would remain in the Forj group unless until manually removed in Forj. To remove members, be sure to do so through the Novi group's conditions.