ThingWorx – Getting Started with the New Developer eSupport Portal

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New to ThingWorx and looking to get up to speed on using the platform?  The new Developer eSupport Portal is here to help! This guide will walk you through the process of gaining access to the Developer eSupport Portal, and will also provide a quick overview of the various content that you will be able to leverage.  Before you know it, you will have all the tools and knowledge needed to begin creating simple applications within the platform and begin establishing connections to a wide array of devices, industrial systems, enterprise applications, cloud services, etc.

Creating an Account

For users that have already created an account through the PTC eSupport website, you should be all set. Simply use your existing account credentials to access the Developer eSupport Portal.  For those who do not yet have an account, you can create one by using one of the following links:

• For customers with an active maintenance agreement, follow the link to create a Customer Account
• For users who do not yet have a maintenance agreement with PTC, follow the link to create a Basic Account

Your account level will determine what you will have access to within the Developer eSupport Portal. Through the remainder of the guide, we will take note of areas where access rights may vary.

Getting Acquainted with the Develop eSupport Portal

Now that you have an account, you will have access to our Developer eSupport Portal.   There are three main areas to focus on in the portal: the Search Area, the various Content Category buttons, and the Learning Path.

Search Area

At the top of the page, you will find a search text box that will allow you to quickly sift through all of our available content, including various support articles, reference documents, training content, and post from our ThingWorx Community forum.  Simply type in any topic revolving around the ThingWorx platform that you are interested in learning about and initiate the search.  Looking for information on how to make better use of our search engine? Click on the Advanced Search link beneath the search text box to learn how to find that exact document or support article you are looking for.

Content Categories

Beneath the search area, you will find various content category buttons that will help direct you to commonly-accessed areas of the eSupport website.  As you click on each content category, a pop-up window will appear with additional popular links related to that category.  Here is a quick summary of each category:

1. Getting Started
   • This category will direct you to links related to setting up your own instance of the ThingWorx platform.  It also contains links to various getting started documents related to the ThingWorx Platform and the world of IoT.
2. Courses and Tutorials
   • This category will provide information on various learning resources related to the ThingWorx platform.
3. ThingWorx Community
   • This category will provide links to our ThingWorx Community site, a forum where developers can interact with one another.  You can also find various documents and blogs written by our expert staff that revolve around using the platform and provide information on recommended field practices.
4. Recommended Readings
   • This category provides links to popular reference documentation and supporting articles related to the ThingWorx Platform.
5. Support
   • This category provides links to various support outlets, like our Knowledge Base articles and the ThingWorx Community.  There is also information on contacting our expert Application Support Engineers for those with customer-level accounts.
6. Marketplace
   • This category provides information on the ThingWorx Marketplace, a website where developers can build and publish innovative applications, add-ons, and extensions for the ThingWorx Platform and share them with the ThingWorx Community. By utilizing these pre-built components, you can expand upon the out-of-the box functionality and develop your own applications more quickly using these components.

Learning Path

To the right of the search area, you will find your personalized path to success.  This path has been put together by our educational team to help you get up to speed on using the ThingWorx platform as quickly as possible.  You can keep track of your progress as you work through the learning path by checking off each completed item.  Let’s quickly discuss the various elements of the path.

1. Explore MOOCs
   • This link will take you to all of our available massive open online courses, or MOOCs. These are short courses intended to introduce you to the concepts of the technology involved in the Internet of Things. Not all of the courses in this area will feature the ThingWorx Platform front and center, but will introduce you to various skills and concepts that will be used as you dive deeper into the platform and the world of IoT.
2. Access the ThingWorx Community
   • Now that you have created an account, you will have access to the ThingWorx Community, a forum where you can interact with other ThingWorx developers and members of the ThingWorx support team.  This is a great place to discover how other users are developing applications within the ThingWorx platform.  You will also have access to various documents and blog posts written by our expert staff that will introduce you to new product features, or introduced you to various field practices that you may find useful when writing your own applications. Finally, this is also a great area to ask questions if you are looking for some assistance as you develop your own applications.
3. Complete a Quick Start
   • This link will direct you to our quick start areas.  Here, you will be given access to a temporary ThingWorx instance and guided through various examples centered on building applications and connecting devices to the platform.  The Application QuickStarts will show you just how rapidly you can design functional applications within the platform, while the Device QuickStarts will demonstrate just how easy it is to connect your devices to the platform, collect data from them, and display them within your applications.  You will also have access to a general tour of the ThingWorx platform in this area, which will walk you through the basic elements of our developer environment, the ThingWorx Composer.
4. Download & Install the ThingWorx Platform
   • The next step in this process will be to install and configure your own local instance of the ThingWorx platform.  For customers with an active maintenance agreement, you can obtain the ThingWorx platform install files from the eSupport Downloads page.  For users with basic accounts, we will be providing access to an evaluation version of the platform.
5. View Learning Resources
   • This link will take you to the PTC Learning Connector.  Here you will discover IoT-based case studies and talks, gain access to short learning tutorial videos centered on key platform functionality and concepts, gain access to a wide array of knowledge base articles written by our expert application support engineers, and access ThingWorx Reference documentation.
6. Explore the Help Center
   • The PTC Help center provides access to all PTC product documentation.  With regards to ThingWorx, this includes access to ThingWorx Utilities, Converge, and Edge Connectivity documentation, in addition to the ThingWorx Platform documentation itself.  Links are provided for both the current release and supported legacy release versions of the platform.
7. Create an Application
   • After going through the previous steps in the learning path, you should now have all the necessary information to begin designing your own ThingWorx application. Try creating an application that takes full advantage of the various IoT concepts used so far that will help you meet your business needs.  And of course, feel free to go back and reference any of the provided material in the previous steps to help you accomplish this task.
8. Get Certified
   • This link provides information on the PTC certification plans for the ThingWorx platform. Various levels of certification are available for application developers, connectivity developers, platform developers, system engineers, and architects intending to develop professional-level applications.  Becoming certified is a great way to showcase your skills and talents in the emerging world of IoT that top employers are seeking.

Feedback

We hope that you find the Developer eSupport Portal helpful in getting up-to-speed on the world of IoT and the ThingWorx platform!  We are also very interested in hearing more about your own experience with the portal. If you would like to let us know, please click on the Feedback link beneath the search area to send your comments directly to us.  We look forward to hearing from you, and will always strive to make the portal as helpful and efficient as possible.