Developing Interactive Applications Using Windows Live Robots, Activities, and Alerts

Developing Interactive Applications Using Windows Live Robots, Activities, And Alerts Campbell Gunn Program Manager Microsoft Corporation John Kim Pierre Berkaloff BTB025

Agenda

Introduction

Activity Applications

Alerts

Building and Deploying ‘Bots’

Windows Live™ Messenger Platform

Build interactive multi-user applications

Potential audience of 200 million users

Opportunities for business and hobbyist

API access free upon accepting TOU

Serve ads and share revenue

Purchase advertising

Pay for placement

A new twist on Mash-ups

DHTML and AJAX style development

Multi-user apps without the pain

Windows Live™ Messenger Applications

Its all about user interaction and engagement!

Activities, Bots, Alerts

Client to Client data xfer

Conversation interaction

HTTPS for secure data exchange

Mashup style applications (DHTML & AJAX)

Activities , Bots, Alerts Activity Window

Interact via the conversation, user tile, psm

Broad, or domain specific interaction

Can be combined with Activity apps

Built on 3rd party hosting platforms

Activities, Bots , Alerts Bot Conversation

Published via RSS feeds

Draw users back into Messenger

Launch Activities and Bots from toast

Activities, Bots, Alerts

What Are MSN Alerts?

A great new way to deliver information to consumers

Up to 10x more effective than simple e-mail *

Find where customers are on network, then deliver by

MSN Messenger (Desktop Alert and Tab)

MSN Hotmail

MSN Mobile*

A great new way to partner with MSN

Drive traffic

Reinforce brand

Generate revenues

* Based on 1% average simple email response ** Mobile available in US and Canada only

Windows Live Safety Scanner Activity Application ESPBilly Bot And Activity Application

Activity Applications

How to Create a Messenger Activity

Multi User Activity

Sample Code

Single User Activity

Sample Code

Debugging an Activity App

Demo-Walk through

What Are Activity Apps?

One or two user apps built on the Windows Live ™ Messenger communication infrastructure

Connect Peer to Peer or through the Windows Live Cloud

Work across firewalls and proxies

Run in an IE window attached to the Messenger Conversation window

Can be hosted on the Internet or intranet

Interact with

Messenger conversation stream

Messenger user Info

Launchable from inside or outside Messenger

Contact based invitation model

Launch ability provisioned by Windows Live ™

Messenger Activity Platform

Apps can be built using DHTML or ActiveX

Development options

ASP.NET, C/C++, C#, Visual Basic, VBScript, JScript, HTML, DHTML, XML, and more…

Great international support!

Windows Live ™ Messenger Worldwide Support

25+ languages

45+ Markets

Can be market and/or language specific

Design Considerations

IE 5.01 or greater required

Max window size 500 x 500 pixels

Recommended, but now limited

Connection Types

Indirect – via Messenger cloud

195k per minute

Direct – Peer to Peer

Limited by connection bandwidth

Security considerations require that ActiveX apps be certified by Windows Live

No adult, gambling or hateful content

Application should include a Help link

Messenger Activity Objects

External – Parent object

Channel – Client to client communication

Error – Error code and data

FileInfo – File transfer operations

Messenger – Dialer and Options dialogs

User – User properties

Users Collection – Enumerates user list

Access restricted

Activities Architecture Multi (Two) User Activity Activity Application Activity Application Servers

Required Definitions Apps must sync these events function Channel_OnRemoteAppLoaded() { // The remote application is loaded and ready; start multiplayer } function Channel_OnRemoteAppClosed() { // Remote application is shutting down; game over } function Channel_OnDataReceived() { // Data received from remote app, inspect value of Channel.Data } function Channel_OnDataError() { // Error during SendData, may need to retry. } function Channel_OnTypeChanged() { // Inspect Channel.Type for the state of the connection (Direct, Indirect, Disconnected) } function Channel_OnAppClose() { // Messenger is shutting down, clean up application }

Provisioning Restricted Functionality

SendIM

Exposes EnterIM & SendIM methods in the Channel object

ReceiveIM

Exposes OnIMReceived event and IM property (ro)

ActiveX

load ActiveX controls in local user security context

EnableIP

Allows access to local & global IP addresses

ReplaceIM

Exposes OnIMReceived event and IM property (rw)

SendFile

Exposes file xfer PEMs in the Channel object

UserProperties

Exposes E-mail and Name in User object

Channel Object

Properties

Data

A variant containing the data received from the remote application

Error

An Error object containing data that could not be delivered

FileInfo

A FileInfo object that represents a file being sent or received. Requires SendFile permission

Type

A ConnectionType value representing the type of connection between peers

IM (read-only)

String containing the instant message that was received and displayed. Requires ReceiveIM permission

IM (read-write)

String containing the instant message that was received. The message can be changed before it is displayed. Requires ReplaceIM permission

Use Of XMLHTTP

Given to you with IE 7.0

Windows.External.XMLHTTP

Allowed with IE 6.0

ActiveX control allowed to load

CreateObject(XMLHTTP);

Pull in dynamic AJAX content into your Application without IFrame manipulation

Support for XMLHTTP

Get it with Windows Live Messenger Version 8.0

MSN Messenger 7.5 and lower needs IE 7.0

Building An Activity Application

What Is Provisioning?

Two step process

Enabling you to test your application

Making your app available to Windows Live Messenger users

Why is provisioning required for Windows Live Messenger Activities.

Verify apps use the Activity API properly

Verify app compliance with Terms of Use

Give Messenger users a great experience

Provisioning Settings Creating the msgrp2p.xml file

Enables Messenger to load an un - provisioned application for testing

Same XML as used by Windows Live Servers

Adds item to the “Actions” menu

Start (Name)

(Name) defined by the Name element

Needed on both machines for testing

Creating msgrp2p.xml Important values to set

EntryID = ‘7’ for test apps

Category = ’50’ for test apps

Sequence = ’10’ for testing

Name = String displayed in Actions menu

URL = HTTP address of Activity web page

Type

App=application

Dir=game

Height

max=500

Width

max=500

Launching An Activity App

Launch from Actions menu

Start (App Name)

Works prior to provisioning

Launching From a Web Page

Only works after provisioning

Invoke Windows Live ™ Messenger by calling:

http:// messenger.msn.com/Resource/games.aspx?appID =APPID

The APPID value

Uniquely represents your Activity app

Assigned by Windows Live ™ during provisioning

Debugging Setup

Enable debugging in IE Advanced Tab

Uncheck “Disable script debugging (IE)”

Uncheck “Disable script debugging (Other)”

Place app and resources on web server

Multi-user apps require 2 machines to have 2 Messenger logins

Edit msgrp2p.xml to reference web server

Place msgrp2p.xml on test machines

C:Program FilesMSN Messenger

Debugging Tips And Tricks

Use VisualStudio 2005.net

Have the debugger break post the point where you want to check variables and walk backwards

Check the P2P channel occasionally in application

JavaScript: Use the “debugger” keyword to start script debugging

Place “debugger” keyword at top of page

Enables vars in Immediate window, Enables setting breakpoints

Use Alerts often

Use Channel.SendIM to output debugging text to conversation window

Reopen conversation to reload msgrp2p.xml

App is reloaded on every invocation

Provisioning, Debugging And running Application

Alerts

What Are MSN Alerts? FREE Real-Time Info Delivery A Killer Communications Platform ! Any Kind of RSS-Triggered Information News Sports Blogs Job hunting Travel Products

How Do Users Sign Up?

100% User Opt-In Delivery to: Desktop Email SMS

Using PRESENCE, Our Alerts Platform Automatically Finds User With RSS-Triggered Information

… Which DRIVES Traffic To Your Platform

… And Offers Stunning Click-Thru PERFORMANCE To Almost 200 Million Messenger Users

L’Oreal 24% and 35% (Beauty Alerts)

MSN Autos 18% (Detroit Auto Show)

ILoveMessenger 23% (Contest)

Messenger Beta 37% (Upgrade info)

MSN Alerts Manager Online App To Manage It All Customize Create Report

MSN Alerts Platform Partners Include…

Windows Live Expo

MSNBC

FOX Sports

MSN Spaces (Australia)

Feedburner

MSN Travel

Money Central

Etc.

Best Part ZERO deployment time Please visit http:// SignUp.Alerts.MSN.com or [email_address] for more information MSN Alerts Platform is Free to Developers and Users (Ad Supported)

Building And Deploying Windows Live Robots John Kim Pierre Berkaloff

IM Robots Are Not Web Sites

Conversational nature

Rate of growth

Traffic patterns

Incoming users ramp-up rates at peak times

Responsiveness expectations from users

Off the shelf Web serving technology is not practical in this environment.

Web serving bandwidth constrained

IM Bots are CPU constrained/OS limitations constrained

Case Study Smarter Child

Launched 4 months ago on MSN

300 million+ queries per month

3 million + unique messenger users

Traffic at peak times 300 queries per sec

never promoted or advertised anywhere

viral growth (entirely word of mouth)

[email_address]

What You Need To Build Bots

Natural Language Engine

Conversational System

User Profile

Messenger network faceless client supporting latest large range of features

All these should be highly scalable and cost effective

What You Need Natural language

Comprehensive natural language processing engine

Highly optimized for IM scale traffic

Efficient natural language definition syntax

Support for both Static , dynamic (data-driven) and procedural lexical items

Automatic binding of user input data to variables

Dialog handling

Ability to handle complex conversational dialogs

Context awareness

Giving preference to the current conversation subject

Anaphora ( Ex: Can you show it to me ?}

Ambiguity resolution

recognizes ambiguous queries

Prompts user to clarify intent

Language Libraries

Language Parsing Rules

Lexicons

Industry specific Extensions

Spell Correction

What You Need Conversational Centric platform

Adaptive output

IM centric User Profile Management

Logging

Usage Reporting

Quality Analysis

What You Need Messenger Features Support

Display Pictures

Emoticons

Dynamic Display Pictures

Pretty Name

Personal Messages

Backgrounds

MSN Activities

Ability to invite

Accept invitation

Transfer information between the bot and the user

Page driving

Building An Agent

Adding Basic Natural Language

Starting the Agent

Data Feed Binding

User Input Binding

Adding Conversational Structure

Adding Activity Support

Adding Basic Natural Language And Conversation Structure

? Hello.

- Hi ! Nice to see you.

? I am lost

? Help

- I am here to get you to discover MSN Music.

In Action

? Hello.

? I am lost

? Help

In Action

? Hello.

? I am lost

? Help

- I am here to get you to discover MSN Music

In Action

? Hello.

? I am lost

? Help

In Action

? Hello.

? I am lost

? Help

In Action

? Hello.

? I am lost

? Help

In Action

? Hello.

? I am lost

? Help

Data Binding

5 Line binding to a RSS feed:

datasource GetMSNMusicFeed() => Title,Description,Link

http {timeout="20"}

http://music.msn.com/services/rss.aspx?uid=00000002-0000-0000-0000-000000000000

simple xml

rss

channel {loop=content}

item {loop=content}

title

description

link

Hooking it up to a reference request

? Show me the top 10

TITLE, DESCRIPTION,LINK = GetMSNMusicFeed() show 10

* Here is the Top 10:

- TITLE

* more to see more items.

In Action (Data Feed)

- TITLE

In Action (Data Feed)

- TITLE

User Input Binding

subpattern anArtist

+ eminem

+ shakira

? Downloads for ARTIST=anArtist

- Here are the downloads available for ARTIST

In Action (User Input Binding)

subpattern anArtist

+ eminem

+ shakira

subpattern anArtist

+ eminem

+ shakira

subpattern anArtist

+ eminem

+ shakira

subpattern anArtist

+ eminem

+ shakira

subpattern anArtist

+ eminem

+ shakira

In Action (User Input Binding) subpattern anArtist + eminem + shakira ? Downloads for ARTIST=anArtist - Here are the downloads available for ARTIST

Adding Conversational Structure Dialogs

? What is the number 1 song?

call ShowNumber1Song()

- Do you want me to play it for you?

? Yes

- call DoPlayMusic(1)

? No

- Ok. What would you like to do then?

In Action (Dialogs)

? Yes

? No

In Action (Dialogs)

? Yes

? No

In Action (Dialogs)

? Yes

? No

In Action (Dialogs)

? Yes

? No

Adding Activity Support

Defining which activity to use

function overrides MSNSLPGetAgentMainP4ApplicationName()

return “ MSNMusic"

function overrides MSNSLPGetAgentMainP4ApplicationId()

return "99991046" // Application ID

Inviting the user

? Invite me again.

? Can you reopen the window?

? Invite me!

call MSNSLPSendInvitationToOpenMainP4Application()

Sending Data to the Activity

Procedure ShowMusicLink(LINK)

REQUEST = StringConcat(REQUEST, "url=", LINK)

call MSNSLPSendData(REQUEST)

In Action (Activity)

Live Bot Content Management

Natural language and conversation structure we have built can be edited/approved and published live

Live Editing Reference questions and content

Deployment Develop for free - pay to deploy model

Develop and Test on your Developer edition

When you want to deploy at scale

Buy a Server license

Or

Use Conversagent hosting services

Final Thoughts

SDK Freely available

6 months up to 50,000 sessions a month

Download available at:

http:// buddyscript.conversagent.com

Contact us at:

[email_address]

Developer Resources

Windows Live™ Messenger Dev Center on MSDN

http://msdn.microsoft.com/msn/msnmessenger/

Activity API Download

Windows Live™ Messenger Discussion Forum on MSDN

http://forums.microsoft.com/msdn/showforum.aspx?forumid=112&siteid=1

Windows Live™ Messenger Team Space

http://spaces.msn.com/messengersays/PersonalSpace.aspx

Windows Live™ Alerts Signup

http://signup.alerts.msn.com

Windows Live™ Business Questions?

E-mail: [email_address]

Developing Interactive Applications Using Windows Live Robots, Activities, and Alerts

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