Andreas Krohn Product Manager Kapow Technologies MAX 2007 CONNECT. DISCOVER. INSPIRE.

Everybody would build fantastic applications using Flex with great functionality and GUIs Building apps that can communicate with all other apps And everybody would live happily ever after In a Perfect World

Everybody would build fantastic applications using Flex with great functionality and GUIs

Building apps that can communicate with all other apps

And everybody would live happily ever after

Apps need to communicate with other apps, databases and systems Especially true when we are talking about Mashups ” A Mashup is a website or application that combines content from more than one source into an integrated experience”* Building situational applications ad-hoc using the web as a platform Requires APIs Trend towards more and more open APIs Some examples are Google Maps API and Amazon API * Source: Wikipedia.org No (useful) Application is an Island

Apps need to communicate with other apps, databases and systems

Especially true when we are talking about Mashups

” A Mashup is a website or application that combines content from more than one source into an integrated experience”*

Building situational applications ad-hoc using the web as a platform

Requires APIs

Trend towards more and more open APIs

Some examples are Google Maps API and Amazon API

The lack of APIs It is hard to get to the data and functionality you want to use in your application No access rights No crossdomain.xml file at all Or a crossdomain.xml file with very limited access rights What is Holding us Back?

The lack of APIs

It is hard to get to the data and functionality you want to use in your application

No access rights

No crossdomain.xml file at all

Or a crossdomain.xml file with very limited access rights

The Long Tail #Users #Apps Only the top Apps will have an API. Example: Google, Amazon, Salesforce The majority of the Apps will not have an API. Large International Enterpise: ” We have over 6000 internal websites and no APIs”

Structured Data Databases Only 15-20% of the data is structured in databases! Unstructured Data Email Excel PDF XML ...and of course HTML Data Sources

Structured Data

Databases

Only 15-20% of the data is structured in databases!

Unstructured Data

Email

Excel

PDF

XML

...and of course HTML

Most systems have an HTML frontend What if HTML was an API? Access all the sites on the internet Access all the sites on your intranet Suddenly there would be a way to access almost any system! Challenges Handle HTML tagsoup JavaScript Handle logins, sessions, cookies Kapow Mashup Server HTML

Most systems have an HTML frontend

What if HTML was an API?

Access all the sites on the internet

Access all the sites on your intranet

Suddenly there would be a way to access almost any system!

Challenges

Handle HTML tagsoup

JavaScript

Handle logins, sessions, cookies

Kapow Mashup Server

Inside a Mashup/RIA Mashup/RIA Flex Flash AIR ColdFusion REST Kapow Mashup Server Atom RSS API HTML & JS API SQL Users Data Sources WS* WS* DB Web Apps SQL WS* REST RSS

Enabling Mashups & RIAs by giving access to HTML Repackage functionality from HTML Access data from HTML Publish data & functionality from HTML as REST, RSS or Atom feeds Also Java API, C# API, Portlets, SOAP WS, write to databases etc Automating what a person can do in a browser Robots 250+ customers Audi, Bank of America, Simply Hired etc Kapow Mashup Server

Enabling Mashups & RIAs by giving access to HTML

Repackage functionality from HTML

Access data from HTML

Publish data & functionality from HTML as REST, RSS or Atom feeds

Also Java API, C# API, Portlets, SOAP WS, write to databases etc

Automating what a person can do in a browser

Robots

250+ customers

Audi, Bank of America, Simply Hired etc

Free Mashup Community Download our development tool and get started Build robots and share with the Community See what others have built Create REST services and RSS/Atom feeds from web sites Has a crossdomain.xml file that gives total access to all sites Use openkapow.com as a proxy Openkapow.com

Free Mashup Community

Download our development tool and get started

Build robots and share with the Community

See what others have built

Create REST services and RSS/Atom feeds from web sites

Has a crossdomain.xml file that gives total access to all sites

Use openkapow.com as a proxy

People Search Demo built in Flex Searching LinkedIn & Spock via Kapow Robots Flex calls these robots as REST services and gets XML back The robots interact with LinkedIn.com and Spock.com directly, not via a predefined API Demo Overview Flex App Kapow Mashup Server LinkedIn Spock Robots REST XML

People Search Demo built in Flex

Searching LinkedIn & Spock via Kapow Robots

Flex calls these robots as REST services and gets XML back

The robots interact with LinkedIn.com and Spock.com directly, not via a predefined API

Robots built in the RoboMaker IDE Visual development Robot is executed during development Full control over the process flow Easy deployment Robots

Robots built in the RoboMaker IDE

Visual development

Robot is executed during development

Full control over the process flow

Easy deployment

http://service.openkapow.com/adobemax/SpockSearch.xml?name=Andreas+Krohn&resultformat=xml Format XML JSON HTML CSV <?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;UTF-8&quot;?> <result> <person> <name>Andreas Krohn</name> <description/> <address>Sweden</address> </person> ... </result> </xml> REST Service Request & Response

http://service.openkapow.com/adobemax/SpockSearch.xml?name=Andreas+Krohn&resultformat=xml

Format

XML

JSON

HTML

CSV

<?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;UTF-8&quot;?>

<result>

<person>

<name>Andreas Krohn</name>

<description/>

<address>Sweden</address>

</person>

...

</result>

</xml>

Define HTTPService id = ”spockService” method = ”GET” url = Robot REST Service URL Excluding input parameters resultFormat = ”e4x” Call REST Service using send() spockService.send( { name: search_name.text, format: 'XML' } ); Call REST Service from Flex

Define HTTPService

id = ”spockService”

method = ”GET”

url = Robot REST Service URL

Excluding input parameters

resultFormat = ”e4x”

Call REST Service using send()

spockService.send( {

name: search_name.text,

format: 'XML'

} );

<mx:DataGrid dataProvider=&quot;{spockService.lastResult.contact}“ … > <mx:columns> <mx:DataGridColumn headerText=&quot;Name&quot; dataField=&quot;name&quot; /> <mx:DataGridColumn headerText=&quot;Address&quot; dataField=&quot;address&quot;/> <mx:DataGridColumn headerText=“Description&quot; dataField=“description&quot;/> ... ” contact” in the dataProvider refers to the RESTOutput.groupName in the robots output XML Use the REST Service Result

<mx:DataGrid dataProvider=&quot;{spockService.lastResult.contact}“ … >

<mx:columns>

<mx:DataGridColumn headerText=&quot;Name&quot; dataField=&quot;name&quot; />

<mx:DataGridColumn headerText=&quot;Address&quot; dataField=&quot;address&quot;/>

<mx:DataGridColumn headerText=“Description&quot; dataField=“description&quot;/>

...

” contact” in the dataProvider refers to the RESTOutput.groupName in the robots output XML

Accessed LinkedIn and Spock without using an official API. Access via their web sites! HTML is an API Easy to access all websites from Flex Great possibilities to build killer apps Lack of APIs and lack of crossdomain.xml files are no longer a problem! Demo Summary Flex App Kapow Mashup Server LinkedIn Spock Robots REST XML

Accessed LinkedIn and Spock without using an official API.

Access via their web sites!

HTML is an API

Easy to access all websites from Flex

Great possibilities to build killer apps

Lack of APIs and lack of crossdomain.xml files are no longer a problem!

Access the functionality of a web app without an API Handles multi-page navigation Does it with great stability and robustness Create RSS/Atom feeds, REST services from almost any web site. Advanced JavaScript handling and execution. Handles logins to protected sites using cookies, HTTP & form authentication, HTTPs. Very powerful data extraction and HTML interaction using regular expressions, converters and patterns. Flexible error handling and debugging. Graphical point-and-click development environment with 1-click deployment. Full control over the process flow in a robot, including conditions and loops Highlighted Features

Access the functionality of a web app without an API

Handles multi-page navigation

Does it with great stability and robustness

Create RSS/Atom feeds, REST services from almost any web site.

Advanced JavaScript handling and execution.

Handles logins to protected sites using cookies, HTTP & form authentication, HTTPs.

Very powerful data extraction and HTML interaction using regular expressions, converters and patterns.

Flexible error handling and debugging.

Graphical point-and-click development environment with 1-click deployment.

Full control over the process flow in a robot, including conditions and loops

FAQ Is it legal to access all those sites? It is a tool that should be used responsibly Often it can add value to the site owner if the data is used in new ways Is it stable and robust? Yes! Robots can be built very robust There are of course tools to monitor robots in production Web sites do not change as much as most people think (at least not so much that it causes any problems for robots) Isn’t this really cool?

Is it legal to access all those sites?

It is a tool that should be used responsibly

Often it can add value to the site owner if the data is used in new ways

Is it stable and robust?

Yes! Robots can be built very robust

There are of course tools to monitor robots in production

Web sites do not change as much as most people think (at least not so much that it causes any problems for robots)

Isn’t this really cool?

Start thinking about all the possibilities Download all demo files at: http://demo.openkapow.com/kapowersearch/kapowersearch.zip More informations at Openkapow.com Kapowtech.com Questions? The End

Start thinking about all the possibilities

Download all demo files at:

http://demo.openkapow.com/kapowersearch/kapowersearch.zip

More informations at

Openkapow.com

Kapowtech.com

Questions?