If you work with Creatio, Clio is an invaluable tool that allows you to perform actions on Creatio from a command line. You can execute SQL statements, install and create packages, check or set system settings and Creatio features, compile the system, restart the system or clear it’s cache, and so much more. Even better than Clio is Clio Explorer. Clio Explorer is a UI front end for Clio. It’s an extension for Visual Studio Code that provides a UI for executing Clio commands and performing just about any action you would ever need to do with Creatio. For developing and supporting Creatio, Clio and Clio Explorer is a must have. The best part is that Clio and Clio Explorer works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. This article will outline the steps to install and set up Clio and Clio Explorer.
Step 1: Install .NET 8.0
Clio is created as a .NET (.NET Core) command-line tool. Side note, even if you’re only ever intending to use Clio Explorer, you must have Clio installed (since Clio Explorer is just a front-end for the Clio commands), which means you need .NET 8.0 installed. If you’re not sure if you already have .NET 8.0 installed, it’s ok to run the install again. Use the link below to go to the .NET 8.0 install page:
DOWNLOAD .NET 8.0 – Select the SDK installer for your OS
Or go direct to download for Windows x64
Step 2: Install Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code (VSCode) is a free code editor from Microsoft. If you’re not a developer, that’s ok. You’ll just use this as the tool for Clio Explorer – Clio Explorer is an extension for VSCode.
Step 3: Install the Clio Explorer Extension
Now that you have VSCode installed, open it. Then on the left side, locate the icon for extensions (it looks like 4 squares). Then search for “clio explorer” and click install.
Alternatively, you can go to the Clio Explorer extension page on visualstudio.com
Step 4: Install Clio command-line
Once you have Clio Explorer installed, a new icon will show up on the left side of VSCode that looks like the Creatio logo (a triangle on it’s side). Do the following steps:
- Click the Clio Explorer (Creatio) icon on the left
- At the top of the Clio Explorer pane that opens, click the three-dot ellipsis button to show the Clio menu
- Click the “Install/Update clio” menu item
Once complete, you will see a notification in the bottom right of the VSCode window:
You can also install Clio by executing the following command in a command window:
dotnet tool install clio -g
After installing Clio, close and reopen VSCode.
Step 5: Register Your Creatio Environment in Clio Explorer
Once you’ve installed Clio and reopened VSCode, you’ll need to Add your Creatio environment in Clio Explorer. Perform the following steps:
- In the Clio Explorer pane, click the add (+) button at the top
- Enter your system’s login credentials (typically you’ll just need the URL, name, username, and password)
- Click Save
- If the Clio Explorer pane doesn’t refresh to show the added environment, click the refresh button next to the add button
One thing to note if you’re adding a Creatio trial system into Clio Explorer. By default, you log into a Creatio trial system using a Creatio ID. There’s a link on the login page where it uses the creatio.com login to log into the trial. In order to add the trial into Clio Explorer, you must add a password to your user account in the trial, then add that user & password here. You cannot use your Creatio ID login credentials here.
Step 6: Install the Clio Api Package in your Creatio System
To get the most out of Clio and Clio Explorer, you’ll need to install the Clio Api package in your Creatio system. This is a package that will install in your Creatio that provides a gateway to Clio for functionality like executing SQL queries etc. Note, this will install a package in your Creatio, so make sure you’re doing this at a time that won’t interrupt users (although the install is quick). As an FYI, the package itself is named “cliogate”.
Installation Complete
Now that Clio and Clio Explorer are installed, you can also add other Creatio environments to it as needed. Also, if you’d like to try it out you can try clicking the three-dot ellipsis button next to your environment, then click “Info”, “Execute Sql” or view the contents of packages.
Last thing I want to mention, when using Clio Explorer, at times it can seem like nothing is happening. Remember that this is connecting to the Creatio APIs remotely and some actions take some time, especially things like installing packages etc. It helps to make sure that the Terminal pane is open in VSCode (Using menu select View -> Terminal). This will show the Clio commands being executed and the details of what is happening – don’t forget, Clio Explorer is simply a UI to execute the Clio commands for you.
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