"There’s an API for that! Why and how to build on the IBM Connections PLATFORM" presentation from Social Connections VI in Prague on 16-17 June 2014.

1. There’s
an
API
for
that!
Why
and
how
to
build
on
the
IBM
Connec=ons
PLATFORM
Mikkel
Flindt
Heisterberg
OnTime®
by
IntraVision

3. Agenda
• Brief
intro
to
IBM
Connec=ons
as
a
PLATFORM
• Briefer
intro
to
widgets
for
IBM
Connec=ons
• Boxer
brief
intro
to
developing
for
the
Ac=vity
Stream
• Ultra
brief
intro
to
event
handlers
• Running
short
on
=me
and
taking
ques=ons
in
the
hall
Mikkel
Flindt
Heisterberg
TwiNer:
@lekkim
E-­‐mail:
mS@intravision.dk
hNp://lekkimworld.com
hNp://slideshare.net/lekkim

4. There’s
more
beneath
the
surface

5. The
IBM
Connec=ons
plaVorm

6. Widgets

7. Widgets
–
descriptor
<iw:iwidget id="com.example.ExampleWidget" supportedModes="view fullpage”
mode="view” lang="en" xmlns:iw="http://www.ibm.com/xmlns/prod/iWidget"
iScope="com.example.ExampleWidget">
<iw:resource uri="http://www.example.com/ExampleWidget.js" />
<iw:resource uri="http://www.example.com/ExampleWidget.css" />
<iw:content mode="view">
<![CDATA[
<div id="_IWID_widgetContent">Loading...</div>
]]>
</iw:content>
<iw:content mode="fullpage">
<![CDATA[
<div id="_IWID_widgetContent">Loading...</div>
]]>
</iw:content>
</iw:iwidget>

8. Widgets
–
iScope
dojo.provide("com.example.ExampleWidget");
dojo.declare("com.example.ExampleWidget", null, {
constructor: function() {},
onLoad: function() {},
onView: function() {},
onEdit: function() {},
onFullpage: function() {},
onSearch: function() {}
});

9. Widgets
–
declara=on
Declara=vely
configured
using
widgets-­‐config.xml
<widgetDef defId="com.example.ExampleWidget”
url="/ExampleWidget.xml" loginRequired="true”
showInPallette=”true”>
<itemSet>
<item name="resourceId" value="{resourceId}" />
<item name="profilesCtx" value="{profilesSvcRef}" />
<item name="myProp" value="Abc123" />
</itemSet>
</widgetDef>

10. Widgets
–
iContext
• An
iContext
instance
is
set
into
the
iScope
instance
• The
iContext
provides
access
to
the
widget
markup
(e.g.
root
element),
I/O
related
func=ons
(i.e.
URL
rewri=ng),
widget
aNributes
etc.
• The
iContext
is
easily
accessed
from
the
iScope
class
using
this.iContext
• Important
func=ons
include:
– iContext.getRootElement() : DOM Element
– iContext.getElementById(id:string) : DOM Element
– iContext.getiWidgetAttributes() : ItemSet
– iContext.getUserProfile() : ItemSet
– iContext.io.rewriteURI(uri:string) : string
– iContext.iEvents.fireEvent(name:string, type:string,
payload:object)

11. Ac=vity
Stream
• The
following
is
based
on
my
highly
acclaimed
(cough,
cough)
presenta=on
on
the
Ac=vity
Stream
• Much
more
detail
and
many
examples
there
• See
hNp://slideshare.net/lekkim
Mikkel
Flindt
Heisterberg
TwiNer:
@lekkim
E-­‐mail:
mS@intravision.dk
hNp://lekkimworld.com
hNp://slideshare.net/lekkim

12. Ac=vity
Stream
• IS
– River
of
news
–
it’s
like
water
flowing
by
you
– No=fica=ons
about
”stuff”
happening
in
(other)
systems
–
we
refer
to
these
no=fica=ons
as
entries
• ISN’T
– A
new
inbox
–
doesn’t
replace
email
– A
perpeptual
data
store
–
entries
are
deleted
based
on
a
server
defined
purge
interval
(default
is
30
days)
unless
saved
or
ac<onable

13. Ac=vity
Stream
• In
my
opinion
it
makes
most
sense
to
not
consider
the
ac=vity
stream
as
one
single
stream
• Instead
think
that
– Each
user
has
his/her
own
(@me)
– There
is
a
public
stream
(@public)
– A
community
may
have
a
stream
if
the
widget
has
been
added
by
a
community
owner
–
if
there’s
no
stream
for
a
community
pos=ng
to
it
will
return
a
”403
Forbidden”

14. Ac=vity
Stream
• You
will
mainly
use
the
POST
and
PUT
methods
to
send
JSON
data
(Content-­‐Type:
applica=on/json)
to
the
API
• JSON
is
super
simple
key/value
data
format.
It
has
simple
datatypes
(strings,
numbers,
booleans),
objects
and
arrays
{
”email”: ”mh@intravision.dk”,
”niceGuy”: true,
”age”: 37,
”name”: {
”first”: ”Mikkel Flindt”, ”last”: ” Heisterberg”
},
”Connectospheres”: [6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14]
}

15. Ac=vity
Stream
{
"actor": {"id": "@me"},
"verb": "post",
"title": "Some entry title",
"updated": "2013-05-17T12:00:00.000Z",
"object": {
"title": "Some object title",
"objectType": "note",
"id": "1234567890-1234567890-1234567890"
}
}

16. Ac=vity
Stream
hNps://<host>/connec=ons/opensocial/<auth>/rest/ac=vitystreams
/<user
ID>/<group
ID>/<applica<on
ID>/<ac<vity
ID>
Component
Meaning
<auth>
(op<onal)
If
using
form
based
authen=ca=on
leave
this
component
out.
Otherwise
op=ons
are
anonymos,
basic,
oauth.
<user
ID>
The
user
whose
stream
you’re
addressing
–
use
@me
for
current
users
stream,
@public
for
public
stream
or
a
community
ID
for
the
stream
in
a
community.
<group
ID>
The
group
of
entries
you’re
addressing
–
use
@all
for
all
posts
or
op=ons
for
special
meaning
such
as
@saved,
@ac<ons,
@men<ons.
Refer
for
InfoCenter
and
resources
slide
for
more.
<applica=on
ID>
When
retrieving
entries
this
refers
to
the
applica=on
(or
”generator”)
that
created
the
entry.
All
the
IBM
Connec=ons
app
names
can
be
used
(profiles,
blogs,
wikis
etc.)
plus
custom
ones
(e.g.
on<megc).
@all
used
for
all
applica=ons.
<ac=vity
ID>
Used
to
reference
a
specific
event
e.g.
for
upda=ng
saved
status.

17. Ac=vity
Stream
1. /activitystreams/@me/@all
List my (current users) entries
2. /activitystreams/@public/@all
List public stream entries
3. /activitystreams/@me/@actions
List my actionable events
4. /activitystreams/@me/@saved/blogs
List my saved events from blogs
5. /@me/@all/@all/
urn:lsid:lconn.ibm.com:activitystreams.story:bdb562f…
Work with entry from my stream based on ID
* All URLs above start with
https://<host>/connections/opensocial/<auth>/rest
Also used
when creating
new entries
(e.g. POSTing)

18. Other
Programming
Interfaces
• SPIs
are
lower-­‐level
programming
interfaces
which
may
be
subject
to
modifica<on
from
release
to
release.
• Event
SPI
– The
IBM
Connec=ons
Event
SPI
allows
third
par=es
to
consume
event
data
generated
by
IBM
Connec=ons.
• Seedlist
SPI
– Use
the
Seedlist
service
provider
interface
(SPI)
provided
with
IBM
Connec=ons
to
integrate
your
search
engine
with
IBM
Connec=ons
content.
• Service
SPI
– You
can
use
the
IBM
Connec=ons
Service
SPI
to
learn
about
the
applica=ons
running
in
your
IBM
Connec=ons
deployment.
• User
SPI
– You
can
use
the
IBM
Connec=ons
User
SPIs
to
access
informa=on
about
the
users
in
your
IBM
Connec=ons
deployment.

19. Event
Handlers
–
declara=on
Declara=vely
configured
using
events-­‐config.xml
<postHandler enabled=”true" invoke="ASYNC"
name=”MyEventHandler” class="com.example.MyEventHandler">
<subscriptions>
<subscription source="*" type="*" eventName="*"/>
<!--
<subscription source=”PROFILES" type="*"
eventName=”profiles.updated"/>
<subscription source=”PROFILES" type="*"
eventName=”profiles.person.photo.updated"/>
-->
</subscriptions>
</postHandler>

20. Event
Handlers
–
implementa=on
import com.ibm.connections.spi.events.EventHandler
public class MyEventHandler implements EventHandler {
public void init() throws EventHandlerInitException {}
public void destroy() {}
public void handleEvent(Event event) throws EventHandlerException {
String eventName = event.getName(); // event name
Person actor = event.getActor(); // person that triggered event
// look at the event name
if (event.getName().equals("profiles.person.photo.updated")) {
// a profile photo was updated
this.doEventProfilesPhotoUpdated(event);
} else if (event.getName().equals("profiles.updated")) {
// a profile was updated
this.doEventProfilesUpdated(event);
}
}
}

21. Event
Handlers
–
summary
• Make
event
handlers
asynchroneous
• What
happens
if
your
event
handler
fail?
• What
happens
if
the
recipient
of
the
event
(3rd
party
API)
fail?
• Be
defensive
–
consider
what
happens
if
events
are
lost

22. Thank
you
• Presenta=ons
on
slideshare.net
–
this
one
is
coming
• Contact
me
–
ojen
=mes
more
than
willing
to
help
–
I’ll
let
you
know
when
it’s
a
project
J
Mikkel
Flindt
Heisterberg
TwiNer:
@lekkim
E-­‐mail:
mS@intravision.dk
hNp://lekkimworld.com
hNp://slideshare.net/lekkim