Connecting Forj to Rhythm sends contacts to your Forj community as their contact and membership details are created or updated. Rhythm also adds them to the right Forj groups and fills their Forj profile fields with data already in Rhythm.
Prerequisites
- A Forj (Mobilize) API key and secret from Forj.
- Access to System & Security in the Console. You do not need a separate permission for this connection.
Connect Forj
- Go to System & Security › Integrations, then choose the Forj Community card.
- Enter the
API KeyandAPI SecretForj gave you. - Turn on the active switch when you are ready for the connection to run.
- Optionally, tick
Only send members?to send only contacts with memberships to Forj and exclude everyone else. - Choose
Save Changes.
Result
Rhythm saves the connection. Your Rhythm account can have only one Forj connection, so saving again replaces the current connection instead of creating another one.
Warning
Rhythm does not check your API key and secret with Forj before saving. If either value is wrong, Rhythm still saves the connection, but nothing reaches your Forj community until you correct the values.
Map Fields and Groups
After you enter both the API key and secret, two buttons become available:
- Edit Forj Fields opens your Forj community’s profile fields, except first name, last name, and email, which Rhythm fills in automatically. Choose the Rhythm contact or membership field that should fill each Forj field. You can choose a standard Rhythm field or a custom field you’ve added.
- Edit Forj Groups opens your Forj groups below the top level. Choose a standard or custom Rhythm field, then choose the matching value that should place someone in each group. For example, a rule might add anyone with a specific membership type to the matching Forj group. The top-level group does not have its own rule because Rhythm records it automatically from the same lookup.
Before you set up a group rule, confirm where that value lives in Rhythm. The same real-world detail, such as a chapter or professional designation, might be stored on the contact record, stored on the membership record, or not captured anywhere the connection can read. If you are not sure, check with the person who manages your custom fields.
The first time you open either dialog in a browser, Rhythm reads your current fields and groups directly from Forj, then remembers the list so the dialog opens faster next time. If you change your Forj credentials, close and reopen the page before you map again so Rhythm fetches the current list. Changes you make in either dialog are not saved to Rhythm until you choose Save Changes on the main connection screen. Closing a dialog with the × keeps your edits on the page, but reopening the dialog replaces them with what is already saved, so save the whole page before you navigate away.
| Setting | Options | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
API Key, API Secret | Text, required | Empty | Credentials issued by Forj; you cannot save the connection without both |
| Active switch | On or off | Off | Must be on for the connection to run; turning it off is the only way to pause the connection from this screen |
Only send members? | Ticked or not | Not ticked | When ticked, only contacts with a membership are sent to Forj; when not ticked, every contact is sent |
Enable Member Opt Out | On or off, with a field type and Rhythm field when on | Off | Lets people leave the Forj community through a value on the Rhythm field you choose |
| Test contact | One contact, optional | None | While set, only that contact’s changes are sent to Forj; leave empty to send everyone |
Let Members Opt Out
You can let members opt out of the Forj community through a field on their Rhythm contact or membership record. Rhythm added this option after the original Forj connection, so if you connected Forj some time ago, you may need to turn it on now. Switch on Enable Member Opt Out, choose whether the field is on the contact or membership record, then choose the field.
Test Before You Go Live
Before you send your whole Forj community, set a test contact on the connection. While a test contact is selected, Rhythm sends only that contact’s changes and ignores everyone else, so you can confirm your field and group mappings in Forj. Clear the test contact when you are ready to send everyone again.
Tip
Group membership in Forj might not update the instant a qualifying field changes in Rhythm. If you update a contact or membership record and do not see the matching Forj group update right away, wait a bit before assuming the mapping is wrong.
Dependencies and Precedence
Field and group mappings depend on the connection credentials, so the mapping dialogs stay disabled until both the key and secret have values. The member-only switch and the opt-out field both narrow who is sent, and they work together: a contact excluded by either one is left out.
Change Impact and How to Revert
After you save a Forj connection, you cannot remove it from the Console. Turn the active switch off to pause it instead. To change any setting, including the credentials, open the Forj Community screen again, make your change, and save. Rhythm replaces the previous values.
Permissions
Anyone who can sign in to the Console and open System & Security can view and change this connection, including its credentials. There is no separate permission for the Forj connection.
Validation and Errors
API Key and API Secret are required. Save Changes will not complete the save until both have a value. Every other setting on this screen is optional.