--- schema_version: "1" id: 98078ad0c4c02cec8a35728adb261fd4e01ecd96b8208feaca10314e6370ef27 title: TACO Toolkit Reference collection: tableau version: current locale: en-us portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/tableau/current/en-us/api/webdataconnector/docs/wdc_ref_taco_toolkit.md canonical_url: https://help.tableau.com/current/api/webdataconnector/en-us/docs/wdc_ref_taco_toolkit.html source_site: help.tableau.com content_type: documentation content_hash: 963d07e5d96500915502a9c0493d73a8790f0ca9be2164458fd59bb12fca64b2 description: Documentation for the Tableau Web Data Connector --- **Deprecated** - This repository will be removed with the Tableau 26.3 release. The Web Data Connector 3.0 framework is deprecated and will not receive further updates. Migrate to the [REST API Connector on Tableau Exchange](https://exchange.tableau.com/products/1111)—built by Tableau, supports JSON and CSV over HTTP GET, Basic/Bearer/OAuth authentication, and runs on Tableau 2023.3 and later. Note: this connector is extract-only and requires a JDBC driver installation. # TACO Toolkit Reference 🕐 _4 min read_ This topic contains information to help you understand the TACO Toolkit and its associated command-line interface (CLI). ## Overview The TACO Toolkit is a set of tools that helps simplify Tableau web data connector development. It contains a command-line interface (CLI) to create and publish Tableau web data connectors and a software development kit (SDK) that enables you to develop your connectors efficiently. - The TACO CLI provides a global way to create and build a TACO project that contains your connector source code. The CLI can also pack a built TACO project into a Tableau TACO connector (the .taco file). - The TACO SDK provides application programming interfaces (APIs) to help you develop your TACO projects (the source code). The SDK also provides some npm scripts, which allow you to build and test your projects with the standard npm commands. - The EPS is started by the TACO CLI or the npm scripts to load and test your connector source code. ## Prerequisites The TACO Toolkit requires that you have the following installed on your machine: - [Java 8 or above](https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/javase-downloads.html) - [Python 3.x](https://www.python.org/downloads/) ## TACO development scripts (`taco-scripts`) The TACO Toolkit project has standard npm support for development. It provides three npm scripts from the local taco-toolkit dependency. ``` // connector/package.json "scripts": { "build": "taco-script build", "clean": "taco-script clean", "start": "taco-script start" } ``` You can use npm commands under the `/connector` directory for local development without worrying about the global taco CLI version. ``` npm run build npm run clean npm start ``` ### `taco-scripts build` The `build` script generates the runtime artifacts of a connector, including the JS bundle of app and handlers, and connector.json, which contains the connector configurations. ### `taco-scripts clean` The `clean` script removes all artifacts generated from build. ### `taco-scripts start` The `start` script starts an EPS server and loads the connector from the built taco project. You can use this script for testing a connector during local development. **Note**: The EPS server doesn’t consume any TACO infrastructure files. It's only used for testing the EPS connector logic. ## TACO global commands (`taco-cli`) ### `taco create` `taco create` creates a TACO project with a boilerplate type option. You can use the boilerplate TACO project as the starter to develop your own TACO connector. **Usage:** ``` taco create --boilerplate earthquake-data ``` `taco create` also provides git support. The command can initialize a taco project a git repo when `--git` option is present. ``` taco create --boilerplate earthquake-data --git ``` ### `taco build` `taco build` is a wrapper of `taco-scripts build`, which allows you to run build at the root level of a TACO project. `taco build` also provides a `--clean` option that removes all existing artifacts in the project and reinstalls dependency packages before performing the build. ```Bash taco build --clean ``` ### `taco clean` `taco clean` is a wrapper of `taco-scripts clean`, which allows developers to run clean at the root level of a TACO project. By default, `taco clean` only removes the artifacts related to EPS connector. It also provides a few options to clean other generated sources. ``` --include-optional remove the optional taco infrastructure files (e.g. manifest.xml) --include-log remove taco CLI log files --all remove all generated taco files and directories ``` ### `taco start` `taco start` is a wrapper of `taco-scripts start`, which allows developers to run build at the root level of a taco project. ### `taco pack` `taco pack` packs a taco-built project into a `.taco` file, which contains a connector’s runtime artifacts generated from the `taco build` command. The `.taco` file can be tested with Tableau apps and be used for distribution. **Usage:** ``` cd taco-project taco pack ``` `taco pack` have 3 stages: - **prepare**: create the required TACO files according to the information in connector.json - **validation**: validate connector.json and required files - **pack**: generate `.taco` file for the given TACO project To perform a single stage operation, you can use the corresponding flag: ``` taco pack --prepare // only perform prepare stage taco pack --validate // only perform validation stage ``` You may also skip the **prepare** stage with `--skip-prepare`, when you have any manual modification on the taco files. ### `taco run` `taco run` launches a Tableau app with loading the taco connector(s) under a certain directory. The target taco connector has to be built and packed. The default taco directory is the current working directory. ``` taco run Desktop --version near taco run Desktop --version 2022.3 --taco-dir 'path/to/taco/dir' ``` You can also specify a Tableau app’s executable file path with `--app-path`. When `--app-path` is provided, the `tableau-app-name` argument and `--version` option will be ignored. ``` taco run --app-path '/Applications/Tableau Desktop near.app' --taco-dir 'path/to/taco/dir' ``` ### `taco unpack` The `unpack` command unpacks the `.taco` file into the current directory. It unzips the taco file. ``` taco unpack earthquake-data.taco ``` The `unpack` command unpacks the `earthquake-data.taco` into the `earthquake-data` directory in the command’s current working directory. The command returns an Error if there’s already an `earthquake-data` directory.