Implicit Flow

The implicit grant type is used to obtain access tokens and is optimized for public clients known to operate a particular redirection URI. These clients are typically implemented in a browser using a scripting language such as JavaScript. The following diagram shows an overview of the implicit flow.

The sequence begins by redirecting a browser to an Accela Authentication Server URL with a set of query parameters. The Civic Platform handles the user authentication and user consent, and responds back with an access token. The application can access an Accela API after it receives the user access token. The flow does not support the issuance of refresh tokens.

To get access token using the implicit flow

Note: The line breaks shown in the sample request and response URLs in the following steps are only to make these better readable. Delete the line breaks for your actual use.

1. Request access token

The app constructs the request URI by adding the following parameters to the query or form component of the authorization endpoint URI using the "application/x-www-form-urlencoded" format, and sends the request URI by user-agent (e.g. browser).

· HTTP Request URI: https://auth.accela.com/oauth2/authorize

· HTTP method: GET or POST

Request Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
response_type	Required	Indicates the grant type that the client requests. The value must be set to "token". NOTE: For implicit login flow, make sure the response_type value is "token".
client_id	Required	Enter your app ID value from Accela Developer Portal.
redirect_uri	Optional	Indicates the URI that the authorization server redirects back to the client with an authorization code. This must be a valid URL. Note: special characters in the URL should be encoded.
environment	Required	Indicates the Accela environment name, such as "PROD" and "TEST", for more information, please contact agency administrator.
agency_name	Optional	Indicates the agency name defined in the Accela Administrator Portal. The agency name is required in the majority of cases. It is optional only for citizen apps that utilize dynamic agency routing functionality, for more information, please contact agency administrator.
forcelogin	Optional	Indicates if Accela Auth server forces end-user login each time client requests access token. true: always force end-user login false: not force end-user login. The sever determines if the current request needs login. This is the default behavior.
scope	Optional	Indicates the scope of the resources that the client requests. Enter a list of APIs scope names separated by spaces. You get these names at Accela API Reference. Note that your app cannot use APIs beyond what is requested here while obtaining the token.
state	Optional	Indicates an opaque value that the client uses for maintaining the state between the request and callback. Enter some unique value. This can be used for CSRF protection.

Request Sample

HTTP Method	GET
URL	https://auth.accela.com/oauth2/authorize?client_id=63492273279 &agency_name=ISLANDTON &environment=PROD &redirect_uri=http%3a%2f%2fMyServer%2fLoginResponse &state=abcxyz123 &scope=get_records%20get_record%20search_records &response_type=token

2. Redirect user to the login dialog

If the end users have not logged in during access token request, they will be redirected to the citizen or agency login dialog based on the app type (citizen app or agency app). After login, they will be redirected to a page where they need to authorize the app. After they authorize the app, it will be redirected back to redirect_uri with an access token and other result data.

3. Get access token in redirect URL

HTTP Response

If the resource owner grants the access request, the authorization server issues an access token and delivers it to the client by adding the following parameters to the fragment component of the redirection URI using the "application/x-www-form-urlencoded" format.

HTTP content type: application/json

Response Data

Parameter	Type	Description
access_token	Required	Indicates the user access token.
token_type	Required	Indicates the type of the token issued. It contains the fixed value "bearer" for authorization code grant type.
expires_in	Required	Indicates the lifetime in seconds of the access token. For example, the value "3600" denotes that the access token will expire in one hour from the time the response was generated.
environment	Required	Indicates the environment name that the user selected when signing into the app.
agency_name	Optional	Indicates the agency name that the user entered when signing into the app.
scope	Optional	Indicates the scope of the resources authenticated by the authorization server.
state	Optional	Indicates an opaque value that the client uses for maintaining the state between the request and callback. Enter some unique value. This can be used for CSRF protection.

Error Response

Parameter	Type	Description
error	Required	Indicates the error code. Refer here for details.
error_description	Optional	Indicates error description text.
error_uri	Optional	Indicates the URI of web page with more information about the error.
state	Optional	Indicates the exact state value received from the client request.

Response Sample

URL

http://MyServer/LoginResponse#access_token=UZgs!IAAAAMxBrPKyPkReA9c439-ED2UlAUINyz286KXUf1I4bNy0QIAAAGP1Dds68ynOulQ2ZGs0dKgOfLNshNtTXZazcZvmW-S4ocq7RZrBSdbHfNUOtst7kqQxZ6MO3cLwVHem52KzjzgPSM3HnDmbPLX_
&token_type=bearer
&expires_in=86400
&environment=PROD
&agency_name=ISLANDTON
&scope=get_records%20get_record%20search_records
&state= abcxyz123

4. Validate the token.

It may be necessary to validate a token from the Accela Auth server to check whether it is the token requested by your client and generated for your client. To validate and match token information with the information used to request the access token, call the token validation API:

· HTTP Request URI: https://auth.accela.com/oauth2/tokeninfo

· HTTP method: GET

· HTTP headers: Authorization: {access token}

Response Data

Parameter	Description
appId	Your app ID value from Accela Developer Portal. This value is passed in your access token request.
userId	The logged in user's unique id.
agencyName	The agency name defined in the Accela Administrator Portal. The agency name is passed by client request or chosen by the end-user during access token request flow.
environment	The Accela environment name, such as "PROD" and "TEST". The environment is passed by client request or chosen by the end-user during access token request flow.
scopes	The scopes of the resources that the client requests
expiresIn	The lifetime in seconds of the access token.

Request Sample

URL	https://apis.accela.com/oauth2/tokeninfo
HTTP Method	GET
HTTP Header	Authorization:3xGDezCgbB3BC4eAb4llKWfxiM0pnTGXzpUR61aSNP2frS8T3zOnU R3jxZeN08Xzn-5RCJ7XJzD02X3ZP8Pq2z_Hp_0IpQKtIy0d4g8nvaXTyNc1IUKD4uNO92KlQ1Q -O5Ds782a0zB6jfxmpvpnfMMnm7Vn8Be6hPCKFr3nO7gGwCXfyAnWpcb0uTfv5usC fwcwdatXv6nCOH_qTQtbEeWfx0

Response Sample

{

"appId": "123450949800276721",

"userId": "63e79004",

"agencyName": "myAgency",

"environment": "DEV",

"scopes": [

"addresses",

"agencies",

"get_civicid_profile",

"records",

"settings"

"expiresIn": 85158

}

Error Response Sample

If the token has expired or has been invalidated, the Accela Auth server returns an error with a 400 status, as shown below:

{

"status": 400,

"code": "invalid_token",

"message": "Invalid token.",

"traceId": "140530084954807-61409b20"

}

5. Invoke APIs using access token

After getting an access token, assign the value of the token to the “Authorization” header to invoke APIs.

Request Sample

URL

https://apis.accela.com/v4/civicid/profile

HTTP Method

GET

HTTP Header

Content-Type: application/json
Accept: application/json

Authorization:3xGDezCgbB3BC4eAb4llKWfxiM0pnTGXzpUR61aSNP2frS8T3zOnU
R3jxZeN08Xzn-5RCJ7XJzD02X3ZP8Pq2z_Hp_0IpQKtIy0d4g8nvaXTyNc1IUKD4uNO92KlQ1Q
-O5Ds782a0zB6jfxmpvpnfMMnm7Vn8Be6hPCKFr3nO7gGwCXfyAnWpcb0uTfv5usC
fwcwdatXv6nCOH_qTQtbEeWfx0

feedback | print