Amazon Rekognition

Last modified: November 19, 2024

Introduction

The Amazon Rekognition connector provides a way for you to enrich your Mendix app with AI image analysis capabilities by implementing Amazon Rekognition.

Typical Use Cases

Amazon Rekognition allows your app to analyze images by using machine learning. You can use it to address use cases such as the following:

  • Identify where the faces are located in an image
  • Compare faces from two different images
  • Identify where labels are located in an image
  • Identify custom labels like a logo in images
  • Identify if a person in an image is wearing protective equipment

Prerequisites

The Amazon Rekognition connector requires Mendix Studio Pro 9.18.0 or above.

To authenticate with Amazon Web Service (AWS), you must also install and configure the AWS authentication connector version 3.0.0 or higher. For more information about installing and configuring the AWS Authentication connector, see AWS Authentication.

Example

Licensing and Cost

This connector is available as a free download from the Mendix Marketplace, but the AWS service to which is connects may incur a usage cost. For more information, refer to AWS documentation.

Depending on your use case, your deployment environment, and the type of app that you want to build, you may also need a license for your Mendix app. For more information, refer to Licensing Apps.

Installation

Follow the instructions in How to Use Marketplace Content to import the Amazon Rekognition connector into your app.

Configuration

After you install the connector, you can find it in the App Explorer, in the AmazonRekognitionConnector section. The connector provides a domain model and activities that you can use to connect your app to Amazon Rekognition. Each activity can be implemented by using it in a microflow.

Configuring AWS Authentication

In order to use the Amazon Rekognition service, you must authenticate with AWS. To do so, you must set up a configuration profile in your Mendix app. After you set up the configuration profile, the connector module handles the authentication internally.

As of version 3.0.0 of the AWS Authentication Connector, all the resources and logic required to set up authentication are centralized inside the AWS Authentication Connector module.

The AWS Authentication Connector supports both static credentials and temporary credentials. For more information and detailed instructions please refer to the AWS Authentication Connector documentation page.

Configuring a Microflow for an AWS Service

After you configure the authentication profile for Amazon Rekognition, you can implement the functions of the connector by using the provided activities in microflows. For example, to detect labels for a given image, implement the DetectLabels activity by performing the following steps:

  1. In the App Explorer, right-click on the name of your module, and then click Add microflow.
  2. Enter a name for your microflow, for example, ACT_DetectLabels, and then click OK.
  3. In the App Explorer, in the AmazonRekognitionConnector > Operations section, find the DetectLabels activity.
  4. Drag the DetectLabels activity onto the work area of your microflow.
  5. Double-click the DetectLabels microflow activity to configure the required parameters. For the DetectLabels activity, you must attach an image. Optional parameters are MinConfidence and MaxLabels. (Corresponding labels should have at least the provided MinConfidence, and MaxLabels is the maximum number of labels returned.) Other activities may have different required parameters.
  6. For the ENUM_Region parameter, provide a value by using a variable or an expression. This must be of the type ENUM_Region of the AWS Authentication connector.
  7. For the Credentials parameter, provide a Credentials Object from the AWS Authentication connector:
    1. In the App Explorer, in the AWSAuthentication section, find the GetStaticCredentials and GetTemporaryCredentials actions under > Operations.
    2. Drag the one you would like to use to the beginning of your microflow.
    3. Double-click the microflow action to configure the required parameters and provide a value for the AWS Region.
  8. The DetectLabelResponse object is returned by the DetectLabels activity.
  9. In the Toolbox pane, search for the Retrieve activity and drag it onto the microflow work area.
  10. Position the Retrieve activity between the DetectLabels activity and the microflow end event.
  11. Double-click the Retrieve activity.
  12. In the Select Association dialog box, in the Association section, click Select, and then select DetectLabels as the association.
  13. Click OK.
  14. Configure a method for triggering the ACT_DetectLabels microflow. For example, you can trigger a Microflow by associating it with a custom button on a page in your app. For an example of how this can be implemented, see Creating a Custom Save Button with a Microflow.

Technical Reference

The module includes technical reference documentation for the available entities, enumerations, activities, and other items that you can use in your application. You can view the information about each object in context by using the Documentation pane in Studio Pro.

The Documentation pane displays the documentation for the currently selected element. To view it, perform the following steps:

  1. In the View menu of Studio Pro, select Documentation.

  2. Click on the element for which you want to view the documentation.