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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
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| Apr 3 2008, 5:51 PM EDT | alexberg | 2 words added, 1 word deleted |
| Apr 3 2008, 5:50 PM EDT | alexberg | 6 words added, 10 words deleted |
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This section provides a basic overview on the architecture of BALCO as well as deeper links for those seeking more detail. At a high-level BALCO is made possible through the use of:
Any page on your site can feature user-generated content via WetpaintToGo APIs. The APIs allow you to register a user with our system, retrieve content directly to your page, and introduce client-side controls – all before returning an assembled page to the user.
As with any interaction with a page on the web the first action is the request of a page by a user. Without WetpaintToGo enabled on a page, the publisher receives the request and returns a page with standard features and construction for the user to view. When WetpaintToGo is enabled for a page, the experience becomes much richer. When your server generates a page, it requests and receives WetpaintToGo content and features via an API set. The page returned to the user includes static and editable content. The experience for the user is now interactive, editable via WetpaintToGo.
Three types of interface formats are available that allow direct access to the content and user data; and developers may mix and match these methods throughout a site.
\Data APIs (AKA server-side): Data access calls can be made from server-side code, providing you with access to granular features and data. Using RESTful commands, your data can be created, retrieved, updated, or deleted programmatically. The response from these calls is XML. These calls offer you the greatest flexibility of all interfaces, but require more developer effort to integrate. Most calls to the data access API will be made on behalf of an end user. For example, the following types of calls provide access control appropriate to the signed in state and level of permissions of a user: retrieve and edit content, retrieve reputation data associated with a user account, or interact with Wetpaint's social feature set. A small number of API calls, such as to authenticate users, will be system-level calls. Such calls must be made from your server and require additional security parameters.
Client-side APIs: A collection of public methods and event handlers are made available from the WetpaintToGo JavaScript Library. These methods provide your own JavaScript access to the WetpaintToGo client application. By accessing these methods, you are able to affect the appearance and functionality of the user experience.
All JavaScript executed on your pages is contained within a restricted namespace to avoid variable collision. The initial payload includes only a minimum set of functionality to ensure timely loading of your web pages; additional code is retrieved on-demand as the user interacts with the client application.
Server-side includes: To easily allow search engine access to your user-generated content, server-side includes apply browser-ready HTML to your server pages. Because the content is rendered with the rest of your page, it may be crawled and indexed by search engines, which then attribute the content to your domain. The HTML content returned by this API may also include the user controls and JavaScript necessary to engage WetpaintToGo's interactive capabilities, such as the Wetpaint WYSIWYG Content Editor. Standard server-side include snippets provide the quickest and easiest option for most developers to integrate WetpaintToGo capabilities.
- Embedded Content: The user-generated content is embedded directly on your page before it is sent to the browser. This enables search engines to index your user-generated content and improve your search engine ranking.
- Lightweight Integration: Integrating WetpaintToGo into your site(s) is simple. By incorporating the WetpaintToGo client API and server API calls into your page’s architecture, users are able to add and edit content on any page you choose.
- Seamless User Experience: Your users are not required to log in a second time to access the WetpaintToGo features. Instead, their existing credentials are honored by WetpaintToGo. Content is styled to match your site’s look and feel. And WetpaintToGo’s on-demand design and light-weight nature will introduce minimal latency to their browsing experience. Learn more about the features and functionality of BALCO.BALCO.
Any page on your site can feature user-generated content via WetpaintToGo APIs. The APIs allow you to register a user with our system, retrieve content directly to your page, and introduce client-side controls – all before returning an assembled page to the user.
Figure 1: This is the flow of information for page data when integrated with WetpaintToGo.
As with any interaction with a page on the web the first action is the request of a page by a user. Without WetpaintToGo enabled on a page, the publisher receives the request and returns a page with standard features and construction for the user to view. When WetpaintToGo is enabled for a page, the experience becomes much richer. When your server generates a page, it requests and receives WetpaintToGo content and features via an API set. The page returned to the user includes static and editable content. The experience for the user is now interactive, editable via WetpaintToGo.
Three types of interface formats are available that allow direct access to the content and user data; and developers may mix and match these methods throughout a site.
\Data APIs (AKA server-side): Data access calls can be made from server-side code, providing you with access to granular features and data. Using RESTful commands, your data can be created, retrieved, updated, or deleted programmatically. The response from these calls is XML. These calls offer you the greatest flexibility of all interfaces, but require more developer effort to integrate. Most calls to the data access API will be made on behalf of an end user. For example, the following types of calls provide access control appropriate to the signed in state and level of permissions of a user: retrieve and edit content, retrieve reputation data associated with a user account, or interact with Wetpaint's social feature set. A small number of API calls, such as to authenticate users, will be system-level calls. Such calls must be made from your server and require additional security parameters.
Client-side APIs: A collection of public methods and event handlers are made available from the WetpaintToGo JavaScript Library. These methods provide your own JavaScript access to the WetpaintToGo client application. By accessing these methods, you are able to affect the appearance and functionality of the user experience.
All JavaScript executed on your pages is contained within a restricted namespace to avoid variable collision. The initial payload includes only a minimum set of functionality to ensure timely loading of your web pages; additional code is retrieved on-demand as the user interacts with the client application.
Server-side includes: To easily allow search engine access to your user-generated content, server-side includes apply browser-ready HTML to your server pages. Because the content is rendered with the rest of your page, it may be crawled and indexed by search engines, which then attribute the content to your domain. The HTML content returned by this API may also include the user controls and JavaScript necessary to engage WetpaintToGo's interactive capabilities, such as the Wetpaint WYSIWYG Content Editor. Standard server-side include snippets provide the quickest and easiest option for most developers to integrate WetpaintToGo capabilities.
