Authentication Servers

Authentication servers allow backend infrastructure to manage accounts and credentials that are used by Sensus.

Required REST Endpoints

Updating Protocols Mid-Study

Since the authentication server is able to serve up new versions of protocols mid-study, care should be taken when editing protocols for distribution. The steps below constitute the recommended approach for editing a protocol mid-study when using an authentication server.

  1. Delete all existing protocols from Sensus.
  2. Scan a study QR code to pull down the most current version of the protocol from the authentication server.
  3. Edit the protocol as desired.
  4. Run the edited protocol on your phone to test the new settings. Test for a period sufficient to exercise all desired functionality (data collection, EMAs, etc.) It is important to test changes before distributing the new protocol version to participants.
  5. Stop the protocol on your testing phones.
  6. After testing the new settings, set the protocol's identifier from within the protocol settings. Use a random identifier to mark the new version. Setting a new protocol identifier is crucial, as it signals participants' devices to update their protocols to the new version. If multiple protocols are used within a single study (e.g., one for Android and one for iOS), ensure that the identifiers match across protocols. If you need to transfer the new protocol identifier from one protocol (e.g., iOS) to another (e.g., Android), copy the new identifier (tap the "Copy Identifier" button for convenience), email it to yourself, and set the new identifier within the other protocol.
  7. From within Sensus on your phone(s), share the protocol(s) with the person responsible for uploading protocols into the authentication server. The best way to share the protocol is to edit it and tap the "Share" button from within the protocol settings.
  8. After confirming upload into the authentication server, delete the protocol from your phone, rescan the study QR code to pull down the new version from the authentication server, inspect the protocol to confirm that it reflects your edits and the new protocol identifier, and run the new version of the protocol to test it again.

There is no need to notify participants about the update. Within a few hours, their devices will notice that the protocol identifier provided by the authentication server is different from the identifier in the protocol running on their devices. When this happens, participant devices will automatically pull down the new protocol and use it to replace their existing protocols.