Creating a Custom OAuth Application

If you do not have access to the user name and password or do not wish to require them, you can use OAuth authentication. Salesforce uses the OAuth authentication standard, which requires the authenticating user to interact with Salesforce via the browser. The connector facilitates the OAuth exchange in various ways.

To obtain the OAuth client credentials, consumer key, and consumer secret, and to ensure you can refresh the OAuth token:

1. Log in to Salesforce.com.
2. From the Salesforce home page, in the top-right corner of the page, click the gear icon (Setup), then, in the menu that appears, click Setup.
3. In the left-hand sidebar, under PLATFORM TOOLS, click Apps > External Client Apps > Settings.
4. On the External Client App Settings page, under Connected Apps, click New Connected App. Salesforce displays a new application creation page.
5. In the Basic Information section:
   • In Connected App Name, enter an application name to be displayed to users when they log in to grant permissions to your custom OAuth application. This auto-populates the required API Name field.
   • Set Contact Email to your contact email address.
6. In the API (Enable OAuth Settings) section:
   • Click Enable OAuth Settings. When this is enabled, other OAuth settings appear.
   • In the Callback URL box, enter a URL as follows:
     • If you are making a desktop application, set the Callback URL to http://localhost:33333 or a different port number of your choice.
     • If you are making a web application, set the Callback URL to a page on your web application where you want the user to be returned to after they have authorized your application.
   • In the Available OAuth Scopes box: select Perform requests at any time (refreshtoken, offline_access), then click the "Add" arrow to move this scope to the Selected OAuth Scopes box. These settings ensure that your custom application will be able to refresh your OAuth token.
   • Select any other scopes for permissions you want your application to request from the user. You must select at least one additional scope to create the application.
7. Click the Save button at the bottom of the page, then click Continue when prompted. You are then redirected to the Manage Connected Apps page.
8. Under API (Enable OAuth Settings), click the Manage Consumer Details button. After confirming your identity, you are brought to a Consumer Details section.
9. Copy the value of the Consumer Key and Consumer Secret for future use.