Hello Scott and Ross, Was great talking to you the other day at the Open University. Indeed we created an Elgg plugin for the Elgg 1.7.x versions, using the PHP connector framework (http://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/incubator/wookie/trunk/connector/). It is basically a complete rewrite of the plugin developed by Bernhard (http://community.elgg.org/pg/plugins/hoisl/read/385029/wookie-widgets).
It contains for example a search interface for widget, an easier way to select widgets, port filtering mechanism (for example in a setup with an apache forwarding the request to the tomcat server to wookie on port 8080, it filters the response containing 8080 so that the next request will be on port 80 again; this was an issue, because some institutions block port 8080 and thus the widgets were not available for them), and uses the connector framework. We are currently cleaning it up and documenting it a bit more to get it ready for publishing on the Elgg community side (http://community.elgg.org/pg/plugins/all/) within the next two weeks. However you can already have a look at it. Go to http://www.teleurope.eu and create an account there. You can then instantiate Wookie widgets on your dashboard or profile page. I also managed to make Wookie widgets available on the landing page (Elgg custom index widget plugin). See for example the Podcast player widget or the BuRST Search widget (both developed by Lucas). Regarding the enhancements: Take also a look at the EventSpace of TELeurope. This is a plugin for Elgg allowing widgets to have more space on an Elgg page (I will release this as well on the Elgg community page), compared to the three column layout on the Elgg dahsboard and profile page. To make the connector framework work, it just needed a slight modification to get the descriptions of the widgets (as far as I remember), but nothing major. @Ross: However, I am curious what you meant with not fully functional. Thomas > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Scott Wilson <[email protected]> > To: wookie-dev <[email protected]> > Date: Thu, 12 May 2011 15:32:58 +0100 > Subject: Wookie at the UK Open University; White-label app stores > Just a quick note to say I visited the Knowledge Media Institute (KMI) at the > Open University earlier this week to record a lecture, and also had an > opportunity to spend some time talking Wookie development with Thomas and > Lukas, who have done some interesting stuff with Wookie for their projects > involving LSA and all kinds of other goodies, including an enhanced Elgg > plugin using the PHP connector framework. > > Anyway, I know they are both reading this so hope they can share with the > community some of the extensions they've made to Wookie :-) > > While I was there we also had chance to talk about the whole area of widget > stores: things like searching, tagging, reviews and ratings. We've mostly > kept away from that kind of functionality within the Wookie core (except for > services, which are basically tags, and which don't feel quite right), but > its come up in several places now. > > Should we look at developing a "white label app store" over the top of (one > or more) Wookie/Shindig servers as a separate project? Or would it fit better > in Rave? > > S > > > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Ross Gardler <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Date: Thu, 12 May 2011 15:55:24 +0100 > Subject: Re: Wookie at the UK Open University; White-label app stores > On 12/05/2011 15:32, Scott Wilson wrote: >> >> Just a quick note to say I visited the Knowledge Media Institute >> (KMI) at the Open University earlier this week to record a lecture, >> and also had an opportunity to spend some time talking Wookie >> development with Thomas and Lukas, who have done some interesting >> stuff with Wookie for their projects involving LSA and all kinds of >> other goodies, including an enhanced Elgg plugin using the PHP >> connector framework. > > Where is the code for this? I just moved the connector documentation across > to the new CMS, I'd like to make sure we are linking to this "enhanced Elgg > plugin". > > Furthermore, in what way is it enhanced? The PHP connector is not fully > functional, are there any enhancements to our framework code? If so can we > have it please? > >> Anyway, I know they are both reading this so hope they can share with >> the community some of the extensions they've made to Wookie :-) > > Please, pretty please ;-) > >> While I was there we also had chance to talk about the whole area of >> widget stores: things like searching, tagging, reviews and ratings. >> We've mostly kept away from that kind of functionality within the >> Wookie core (except for services, which are basically tags, and which >> don't feel quite right), but its come up in several places now. >> >> Should we look at developing a "white label app store" over the top >> of (one or more) Wookie/Shindig servers as a separate project? Or >> would it fit better in Rave? > > Personally I think this should be a separate project in the sense that it > should be able to run independently of both Wookie and Rave. Given that we > seem to be in agreement that Wookie should not have GUI code this means the > right home for the GUI would be Rave. > > However, I'd like to see the app store, with REST API, here in Wookie (as a > separate code base). > > If we do this then we have low level facilities here in Wookie and high level > GUI features in Rave. Our connector frameworks will allow other platforms to > build GUIs for Wookie + Wookie App Store. > > Ross
