Install community nodes from npm in the SMS-iT Workflow app#

Only for instance owners of self-hosted SMS-iT Workflow instances

Only the SMS-iT Workflow instance owner of a self-hosted SMS-iT Workflow instance can install and manage community nodes from npm. The instance owner is the person who sets up and manages user management.

Admin accounts can also uninstall any community node, verified or unverified. This helps them remove problematic nodes that may affect the instance's health and functionality.

Install a community node#

To install a community node from npm:

  1. Go to Settings > Community Nodes.
  2. Select Install.
  3. Find the node you want to install:
    1. Select Browse. SMS-iT Workflow takes you to an npm search results page, showing all npm packages tagged with the keyword SMS-iT Workflow-community-node-package.
    2. Browse the list of results. You can filter the results or add more keywords.
    3. Once you find the package you want, make a note of the package name. If you want to install a specific version, make a note of the version number as well.
    4. Return to SMS-iT Workflow.
  4. Enter the npm package name, and version number if required. For example, consider a community node designed to access a weather API called "Storms." The package name is SMS-iT Workflow-node-storms, and it has three major versions.
    • To install the latest version of a package called SMS-iT Workflow-node-weather: enter SMS-iT Workflow-nodes-storms in Enter npm package name.
    • To install version 2.3: enter SMS-iT [email protected] in Enter npm package name.
  5. Agree to the risks of using community nodes: select I understand the risks of installing unverified code from a public source.
  6. Select Install. SMS-iT Workflow installs the node, and returns to the Community Nodes list in Settings.

Nodes on the blocklist

SMS-iT Workflow maintains a blocklist of community nodes that it prevents you from installing. Refer to SMS-iT Workflow community node blocklist for more information.

Uninstall a community node#

To uninstall a community node:

  1. Go to Settings > Community nodes.
  2. On the node you want to install, select Options Three dots options menu.
  3. Select Uninstall package.
  4. Select Uninstall Package in the confirmation modal.

Upgrade a community node#

Breaking changes in versions

Node developers may introduce breaking changes in new versions of their nodes. A breaking change is an update that breaks previous functionality. Depending on the node versioning approach that a node developer chooses, upgrading to a version with a breaking change could cause all workflows using the node to break. Be careful when upgrading your nodes. If you find that an upgrade causes issues, you can downgrade.

Upgrade to the latest version#

You can upgrade community nodes to the latest version from the node list in Settings > community nodes.

When a new version of a community node is available, SMS-iT Workflow displays an Update button on the node. Click the button to upgrade to the latest version.

Upgrade to a specific version#

To upgrade to a specific version (a version other than the latest), uninstall the node, then reinstall it, making sure to specify the target version. Follow the Installation instructions for more guidance.

Downgrade a community node#

If there is a problem with a particular version of a community node, you may want to roll back to a previous version.

To do this, uninstall the community node, then reinstall it, targeting a specific node version. Follow the Installation instructions for more guidance.