Environment Library

The Environment Library is often used when you have multiple K2 environments, for example Development, Test, QA and Production. These environments usually have different server names, URL’s settings and so on. The Environment Library is essentially a repository of environment-specific values or "placeholders" for each of your K2 environments. Environment-specific values, usually things like server names, connection strings, “from” email addresses and so on.

From time to time, you may need to manage the existing values or add new values in the Environment Library. By default K2 is installed with two Environments: Development and Production, but your environment may have additional or different environments registered.

To learn more about the K2 Environment Library, we recommend that you review the topic Understanding Environment Libraries and download the K2 Environment Library whitepaper, available at http://help.k2.com/en/environmentLibrary_Whitepaper.aspx

In the K2 Management site, the environment library allows for the configuration of available environments and the associated variables and security.

If more environments are needed to be added in addition to the standard environments, this can be achieved via the API.

The Default Environment is the "current" K2 environment. Any executing components (e.g. workflows or smartforms) that refer to environment variables, will use the values of the Fields for the environment that is set as the Default environment. In practice, this means that "Development" should be the default environment in your development K2 environment, and "Production" should be the default value in your production K2 environment, so that executing workflows or forms will use the appropriate values for development or production, based on the K2 environment where those components are currently executing.

There are two ways an environment can be set to the default environment:

  • Via the Environment Library page.
  • Via the Environment settings page.

The following steps show how to select a default environment via Environment Library page.

  1. Click on the Environment Library node.
  2. On the Environment Library page select the appropriate environment and click Make Default.
  3. The default environment is represented by the following icon:

The following steps show how to select a default environment via environment settings page.

  1. Select an environment from Environment Library node.
  2. On the environment page under the Set as Default Environment section, click Set Default.