How to access the Activity Stream in IBM Connections

Accessing the Activity Stream in IBM Connections
How best to access and some common usage patterns.
Bill Looby, Social Software Architect, IBM Connections
IBM SBT Webinar 08/28/13
Francis Moloney, Software Engineer, Social Business Toolkit

© 2013 IBM Corporation2
Future Webinars
Tentatively:
● September 25th: Development Environments – Quick Start Image, IBM
Greenhouse, IBM SmartCloud for Social Business

© 2013 IBM Corporation
IBM Connections App Dev Contest
● http://connectionscontest.openntf.org
● Chance to win 5 x $1000
● Submit your open source project until November 3rd
● All types of OpenNTF projects can be nominated that utilize IBM Connections
● Developers can use a free shared development environment in the cloud

Disclaimers
IBM’s statements regarding its plans, directions, and intent are subject to change or
withdrawal without notice at IBM’s sole discretion.
Information regarding potential future products is intended to outline our general product
direction and it should not be relied on in making a purchasing decision.
The information mentioned regarding potential future products is not a commitment,
promise, or legal obligation to deliver any material, code or functionality. Information about
potential future products may not be incorporated into any contract. The development,
release, and timing of any future features or functionality described for our products remains
at our sole discretion.
Performance is based on measurements and projections using standard IBM benchmarks in
a controlled environment. The actual throughput or performance that any user will
experience will vary depending upon many factors, including considerations such as the
amount of multiprogramming in the user’s job stream, the I/O configuration, the storage
configuration, and the workload processed. Therefore, no assurance can be given that an
individual user will achieve results similar to those stated here.

Using the Social Business Toolkit
Demo

Activity Stream Events
The Basics

A simple event
URL
http://.../activitystreams/@me/@all
Header
Content-Type : application/json
Content
{
"actor": {
"id": "@me"
},
"verb": "share",
"title": "${share}",
"object": {
"summary": "A totally new way of looking at
things",
"id": "thisid",
"displayName": "Something Interesting",
"url": "http://w3.ibm.com"
},
}

Adding a generator
Content
{
"generator": {
"image": {"url": "http://.../...news.png"},
"id": "DemoApp1",
"displayName": "Demo Application",
"url": "http://www.ibm.com/"
},
"actor": {
"id": "@me"
},
"verb": "share",
"object": {
things",
"id": "thisid",
}
}
Notes :
● The icon is displayed scaled down
● The generator name is displayed on hover

Adding a comment
Content
{
"actor": {...},
"verb": "comment",
"title": "${comment}",
"object": {
"summary": "This is definitely interesting",
"id": "commentid",
"objectType": "comment",
"displayName": "Definitely interesting",
},
"target": {
things",
"id": "thisid",
},
"connections": {
"rollupid": "thisid"
Notes :
● The Target is the previous Object !
● The rollupid is needed so we know not to
display separately
● The objectType is key for embedded display

Adding some formatted text
Content
{
"actor": {
"id": "@me"
},
"verb": "share",
"content":"<table><tr><td><i>Click on this entry
to launch the embedded experience and see
details and event history<p/><b>Note :</b> This is
the default experience</i></td><td><img
src="http://inspirationalgadget.googlecode.com/s
vn/trunk/images/misty.jpg"></td></tr></table>",
"object": {
things",
"id": "thisid",
}
}
Notes :
● We display both content and object summary
● We filter trim all HTML for security and display
reasons.

And adding an embedded experience
Content
{
"actor": {
"id": "@me"
},
"verb": "share",
"content":"...",
"object": {
things",
...
},
"openSocial": {
"embed": {
"gadget":
"http://inspirationalgadget.googlecode.com/svn/tr
unk/wisdom.xml",
"context": {"id":"12345"}
}
}
}

Basic requirements
Use Cases
● Public News
● Huge discounts on SmartStay hotels
● Actions
● Your flight has been rescheduled. Please
approve or cancel
● Follow travel topics
● Train strike in Italy
● Follow people travelling
● John Smith has recommended travelling in
France
● Travel Community
● We now support TopHotels in Australia
Things to consider
● Who is sending the event ?
● What id is used ?
● Who is the actor ?
● Is there one clearly defined ?
● What is the main 'object' ?
● Is it a country ? An airline ? A trip ?
● Who should receive the event ?
● . . . and is it public
● What do I want to say in the event ?
● . . . and how much detail will I provide ?

Public News : Huge Discounts on SmartStay hotels
● Who is sending the event
● We want this to be public, so it has to be a
trusted user* or the actor.
● Who is the actor
● Most likely it is a System User called 'Travel
System as there is no real user.
● What is the main 'object'
● If you want to roll up news (i.e. show only the
latest on this topic) keep track of the topic.
● Who should receive the event
● @public
● What do I want to say in the event
● As much as you like, but it's best to show an
interesting summary and provide a link back
to the travel app for the full story
* A trusted user is any user in the
trustedExternalApplication role.
URL
http://.../activitystreams/@public/@all
Content
{
"actor": {
"id": "userIdForTravelSystem"
},
"verb": "post",
"title": "${post}",
"object": {
"summary": "Huge discounts are currently
available on SmartStayHotels. Book soon !",
"id": "smartstay:123",
"displayName": "SmartStay Discounts",
"url":
"http://www.aroundtheworldsample.com/123"
},
}

Public News : Huge Discounts on SmartStay hotels
● The event appears under discover
● If you want it on a users stream aswell,
you will need to distribute to both.
● The image for the Travel System user
appears.
● You will need to create this user
● You should also assign them the
trustedExternalApplication rôle (you'll need
this later)
● The title is 'SmartStay Discounts'
● You could add more meaning but you may
want to roll up discounts on SmartStay
hotels together.

Actions : Your flight has been rescheduled
● This is a private event, so you can send as a
system user or using Oauth, authorised to
access the users stream.
● Most likely it is a System User called 'Travel
System as there is no real user.
● A 'travel plans' object.
● The relevant user
● Either provide a link or ideally an embedded
experience.
URL
http://.../activitystreams/<userid>/@all
Content
{ . . .
"verb": "update",
"title": "${update}",
"object": {
"summary": "Your flight has been
rescheduled",
"id": "travel:123",
"displayName": "Travel to Madrid",
},
"openSocial": {
"embed": {
"gadget": "http://.../travel.xml",
"context": {"id":"travel:123"}
}
},
"connections": {
"actionable": true

Actions : Your flight has been rescheduled
● The event appears under Action
Required in the users stream
● It will also update the 'badge'
● The example shown uses simple links
● These could link to the Travel System
page for accept or cancel
● However these aren't needed if you
have the EE
● On click, a user can be shown more
information and given accept and cancel
buttons.

Follow travel topics : Train strike in Italy
● This event is likely going to multiple users
(anyone following) so a trusted sender
should be used
● Whoever is updating the followed object (e.g.
The poster if this is a post on an Italy travel
forum)
● A 'Travel in Italy' travel object.
● Depends how you want to roll up
● Anyone following the Italy travel object *
● The news details
URL
http://.../activitystreams/<userid>/@all
Content
{
"actor": {
},
"verb": "update",
"object": {
"summary": "Train Strike in Italy",
"displayName": "Travel in Italy",
"url":
},
}

Follow people travelling : John Smith has recommended travel in
France
● Either a trusted user or John Smith (we'll be
sending a public event)
● John Smith
● A 'France' travel object.
● Send to @public – connections will distribute
to John Smiths followers
● Can send to any followers of 'Travel in
France' also
● A summary of the travel in france object
should be enough.
URL
http://.../activitystreams/@public/@all
Content
{
"actor": {
"id": "userIdForAroundTheWorld"
},
"verb": "like",
"title": "${like}",
"object": {
"summary": "Travelling in France in 2013",
"displayName": "Travel in France",
"url":
},
}

Travel community : We now support TopHotels in Australia
● This event is going to a community so
although any member can send an event (as
long as they are the actor) a trusted sender
should probably be used
● You could be forwarding user actions of
interest to a community, or general travel
information
● An 'Hotels in Australia' travel object possibly.
● Depends how you want to roll up
● The community. Connections will distribute to
anyone following the community
● The news details
URL
http://.../activitystreams/<communityid>/@all
Content
{
"actor": {
},
"verb": "update",
"object": {
"summary": "Hotels in Australia",
"displayName": "We now support TopHotels in
Australia. You can book through normal chanels",
"url":
},
}

Using a system user to access
● Oauth allows us to access on
behalf of every user individually
● Could access for each user
● But this tends to be impractical and
slow
● More practical to create a User to
send events
● . . . can work quite well as an Actor
● . . . you get to look at the profile
● . . . and the user can be followed

Distributing events
● Typically, an event can be sent
to . . .
● @public – if anyone can see and
should be able to discover
● A set of users who have recorded an
interest in the object
● A user at whom the event is actually
directed (this is generally the only
recipient)
● Any associated community (if there is
a means of expressing that
association)
{
openSocial : {
"deliverTo":[
{"objectType":"person",
"id":"thiscompany:id"},
{"objectType":"person",
"id":"@public"},
]
},
"verb":"post",
...
}
}

Batching events
● For performance reasons it's
generally more efficient to send a
number of events at once.
● This can be done by sending all
the events in a single array.
● Typically this is easier to do as a
trusted user as you may be
sending to multiple streams.
[
{"actor":{"id":"abc"},
"verb": "post",
"object":{"id":"a"},
},
{"actor":{"id":"abc"},
"verb": "share",
"object":{"id":"b"},
},
{"actor":{"id":"xyz"},
"verb": "update",
"object":{"id":"b"},
}
]

Activity Streams and Microblogging

Comparing Activity Streams and Microblogging
● Activity Streams don't 'own content
● Activity Streams don't support their
own commenting and
recommendations
● Activity Streams use the Activity
Stream API to POST
● Activity Streams use the Activity
Stream API to GET
Wikis
Blogs
Others
AS API
● Microblogging owns content
● Microblogging supports comments
and recommendations
● Microblogging use the Microblogging
API to POST
● Microblogging use the Activity Stream
API to GET
Ublog
Ublog
API
AS API

Resources and Questions
● Home page: http://ibmdw.net/social
● SDK: http://ibmsbt.openntf.org
● GitHub: https://github.com/OpenNTF/SocialSDK
● StackOverflow: #ibmsbt
● Twitter: @ibmsbt
● YouTube: http://youtube.com/ibmsbt
● Playground: http://bit.ly/sbtplayground

Acknowledgements and Disclaimers
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2013. All rights reserved.
– U.S. Government Users Restricted Rights - Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with
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