A connection is one B2C Commerce instance: a hostname, an account from B2C Credentials and a code version. The active connection is the target for Auto Upload, Deploy Code, the debugger, the remote list in B2C Site Scopes and every WebDAV action. Connections live in the B2C Explorer tool window on the right side of the IDE and are saved with the project
dw.json is imported once, then ignored
When a project has a dw.json (or connections-source.json) and no saved connections yet, the plugin imports it the first time the project opens. After that the file is never read again. Opening it shows a red DO NOT EDIT MANUALLY banner with links to B2C Explorer and B2C Credentials, because changes made in the file won't sync. Manage connections in B2C Explorer instead
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RefArch (3)Add a connection
Add the account
Open B2C Credentials and add the Business Manager account on the Accounts tab, or use the Add button next to the Account field in the next step. See Credentials
Open Connections Settings
In B2C Explorer, click Add... › Add Connection . You can also pick Add Connection at the top of the toolbar Select Connection popup
Fill in the instance
Enter a Name, paste the instance URL into Hostname (copy the full URL from your browser, the plugin strips the protocol and path) and choose the Account
Test it and pick a code version
Click Test Connection. On success the plugin shows "Connected to" with the hostname and loads the code versions. Pick one in Code Version, or create one with Add Code Version
Close and activate
Every change is saved as you type, so the dialog has only a Close button. Then choose the connection in the toolbar Select Connection popup to make it active
Connections Settings
The dialog opens from Add Connection, Edit Connection or Copy Connection. The left side is a tree of groups and connections with its own toolbar (Add..., Delete Connection, Copy Connection, Up, Down, Remove From Group). The right side edits the selected node, and the banner reads "All changes are automatically saved"
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Name | Shown in B2C Explorer, the toolbar and the B2C Sync Log tab |
| Hostname | The instance host. Pasting a full Business Manager URL formats it automatically. The Open Business Manager button next to it opens the instance in the browser |
| Account | An account from B2C Credentials, with Add, Edit and Delete buttons. The username must use the same text case as the account on the instance |
| Use lowercase username on authentication requests | For accounts that exist in lowercase on the instance but are stored in mixed case in the plugin. Without it the debugger may not authenticate. When to use it? explains the case |
| Code Version | The code version that uploads and deploys go to. The version that is active on the instance is marked "[Active on instance]". Add Code Version creates a new one once the test succeeds |
| Test Connection | Connects to the instance and loads its code versions. It runs automatically when you open an existing connection |
OCAPI tab
OCAPI is optional. Turn it on when you want to activate code versions from the IDE or run jobs from the B2C OCAPI tool window
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Use OCAPI | Enables the fields below |
| Obtain a Business Manager user grant | Requests the access token from the instance itself instead of Account Manager. The Shop API uses this grant, in addition to the Data API |
| Credentials | An API client from the OCAPI tab of B2C Credentials |
| Version | The OCAPI version used for requests |
| Test OCAPI Connection | Requests a token and reports "Token received. Credentials are valid." on success |
The instance needs OCAPI permissions for the client. OCAPI & Jobs has the Business Manager settings to paste
Certificate Settings tab
For instances that accept code uploads only with a client certificate
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Use Certificate Authentication | Enables the fields below |
| Secure Hostname | The certificate host, for example cert.staging.<realm>.<customer>.demandware.net |
| Certificate File | The client certificate file |
| Passphrase | The certificate passphrase. The field is not masked, so avoid sharing your screen while you edit it |
| Test Secure Connection | Reports "Connected. Certificate is valid." on success |
With certificate authentication on, the connection menu also offers Copy Secure Instance URL and remote files offer Copy Secure Remote Path
Switch the active connection
Only the toolbar Select Connection popup activates a connection. Click a connection name to make it active; B2C Explorer selects and expands it. Each name is also a submenu with Edit Connection, the copy actions, the browser links (including Open Code Versions in Browser) and Delete Connection
Open Selected Connection next to it opens a popup titled with the connection name: Open Business Manager, and an Open Storefront section with one entry per site found in the project's site.xml files
Most plugin actions stay hidden until the project has a linked cartridge, and the upload, deploy and code version controls also need an active connection. See Cartridges & Modules
Groups and order
Groups keep related instances together, for example one group per customer or realm
- Add... › Add Group opens Create Connections Group with a single Group Name field
- Drag connections onto a group to move them in, or use Remove From Group to take one out
- Edit Group renames a group. Deleting a group removes only the group, the connections inside it stay
- Up and Down reorder connections and groups, and Focus Active Connection scrolls the tree to the active one
Connection menu
Right-click a connection in B2C Explorer
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Refresh | Reloads the connection's folders |
| Edit Connection | Opens Connections Settings on this connection |
| Copy Instance URL, Copy Username, Copy Password | Copy the values to the clipboard |
| Copy WebDAV File Access Key, Copy OCAPI Access Key, Copy Storefront Access Key | Shown only when the account has that key for this host |
| Open Business Manager in Browser, Open Logs in Browser, Open IMPEX in Browser | Open the instance pages in the browser |
| Remove From Group | Shown for grouped connections |
| Delete Connection | Removes the connection after a confirmation. The account stays in B2C Credentials |
Everything below the connection node, the ten WebDAV roots and their files, is covered in WebDAV Explorer
Where connections are stored
- Connection settings are project state in
.idea, so each project keeps its own list - Usernames, passwords and access keys are not part of a connection. They stay in B2C Credentials, in the IDE password safe or in the encrypted credentials file
- The Auto Upload switch is stored per connection, see Upload & Auto Upload
Troubleshooting
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| No Valid B2C Commerce Connection | Deploy, clean or debug started without an active connection. Use Add Connection in the balloon or pick one in Select Connection |
| "Unable to connect to" the host | Check the hostname and the account. The username must match the text case on the instance |
| Sandbox is down | The sandbox is stopped. Start it, for example from On-Demand Sandboxes, and test again |
| "[401] ... User is not authorized" | The account text case differs from the instance. Fix the username or turn on Use lowercase username on authentication requests |
| Connections Source parsing error | The dw.json picked up on first import is not valid JSON. Fix it, or ignore it and add the connection in B2C Explorer |