# Create and Use Your Own Custom Strong Type Connection
Connections provide a secure method for managing credentials for external APIs and data sources in prompt flow. This guide explains how to create and use a custom strong type connection.

## What is a Custom Strong Type Connection?
A custom strong type connection in prompt flow allows you to define a custom connection class with strongly typed keys. This provides the following benefits:

* Enhanced user experience - no need to manually enter connection keys.
* Rich intellisense experience - defining key types enables real-time suggestions and auto-completion of available keys as you work in VS Code.
* Central location to view available keys and data types.

For other connections types, please refer to [Connections](https://microsoft.github.io/promptflow/concepts/concept-connections.html).

## Prerequisites
- Please ensure that your [Prompt flow for VS Code](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=prompt-flow.prompt-flow) is updated to at least version 1.2.1.
- Please install promptflow package and ensure that its version is 0.1.0b8 or later.
  ```
  pip install promptflow>=0.1.0b8
  ```

## Create a custom strong type connection
Follow these steps to create a custom strong type connection:

1. Define a Python class inheriting from `CustomStrongTypeConnection`.
  > [!Note] Please avoid using the `CustomStrongTypeConnection` class directly.

2. Use the Secret type to indicate secure keys. This enhances security by scrubbing secret keys.

3. Document with docstrings explaining each key.

For example:

```python
from promptflow.connections import CustomStrongTypeConnection
from promptflow.contracts.types import Secret


class MyCustomConnection(CustomStrongTypeConnection):
    """My custom strong type connection.

    :param api_key: The api key.
    :type api_key: Secret
    :param api_base: The api base.
    :type api_base: String
    """
    api_key: Secret
    api_base: str = "This is a fake api base."

```

See [this example](https://github.com/microsoft/promptflow/blob/main/examples/tools/tool-package-quickstart/my_tool_package/tools/tool_with_custom_strong_type_connection.py) for a complete implementation.

## Use the connection in a flow
Once you create a custom strong type connection, here are two ways to use it in your flows:

### With Package Tools:

1. Refer to the [Create and Use Tool Package](create-and-use-tool-package.md#create-custom-tool-package) to build and install your tool package containing the connection.

2. Develop a flow with custom tools. Please take [this folder](https://github.com/microsoft/promptflow/tree/main/examples/tools/use-cases/custom-strong-type-connection-package-tool-showcase) as an example.

3. Create a custom strong type connection using one of the following methods:
    - If the connection type hasn't been created previously, click the 'Add connection' button to create the connection.
    ![create_custom_strong_type_connection_in_node_interface](../../media/how-to-guides/develop-a-tool/create_custom_strong_type_connection_in_node_interface.png)
    - Click the 'Create connection' plus sign in the CONNECTIONS section.
    ![create_custom_strong_type_connection_add_sign](../../media/how-to-guides/develop-a-tool/create_custom_strong_type_connection_add_sign.png)
    - Click 'Create connection' plus sign in the Custom category.
    ![create_custom_strong_type_connection_in_custom_category](../../media/how-to-guides/develop-a-tool/create_custom_strong_type_connection_in_custom_category.png) 

4. Fill in the `values` starting with `to-replace-with` in the connection template.
![custom_strong_type_connection_template](../../media/how-to-guides/develop-a-tool/custom_strong_type_connection_template.png)

5. Run the flow with the created custom strong type connection.
![use_custom_strong_type_connection_in_flow](../../media/how-to-guides/develop-a-tool/use_custom_strong_type_connection_in_flow.png)

### With Script Tools:

1. Develop a flow with python script tools. Please take [this folder](https://github.com/microsoft/promptflow/tree/main/examples/tools/use-cases/custom-strong-type-connection-script-tool-showcase) as an example.

2. Create a `CustomConnection`. Fill in the `keys` and `values` in the connection template.
  ![custom](../../media/how-to-guides/develop-a-tool/custom_connection_template.png)

3. Run the flow with the created custom connection.
  ![use_custom_connection_in_flow](../../media/how-to-guides/develop-a-tool/use_custom_connection_in_flow.png)


## Local to cloud
When creating the necessary connections in Azure AI, you will need to create a `CustomConnection`. In the node interface of your flow, this connection will be displayed as the `CustomConnection` type.

Please refer to [Run prompt flow in Azure AI](../../cloud/azureai/run-promptflow-in-azure-ai.md) for more details.

Here is an example command:
```
pfazure run create --subscription 96aede12-2f73-41cb-b983-6d11a904839b -g promptflow -w my-pf-eus --flow D:\proj\github\ms\promptflow\examples\flows\standard\flow-with-package-tool-using-custom-strong-type-connection --data D:\proj\github\ms\promptflow\examples\flows\standard\flow-with-package-tool-using-custom-strong-type-connection\data.jsonl --runtime test-compute
```

## FAQs

### I followed the steps to create a custom strong type connection, but it's not showing up. What could be the issue?

Once the new tool package is installed in your local environment, a window reload is necessary. This action ensures that the new tools and custom strong type connections become visible and accessible.