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App Examples making use of internet site's API

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 10:45 am
by JosDuchIt
Hi i am new in this forum.

I never did much with Hollywood.
I would like to see some app examples making use of a site's content and "API"
Didn't find one till now.
Isn't there some list of existing Hollywood app's & developments?

Re: App Examples making use of internet site's API

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 2:10 pm
by Bugala
I am not sure what you mean by "sites API".

But maybe at closest you might be meaning HTML parser plugin (at least i think it was plugin) which will be able to read a webpage and recognise HTML commands from there or something like that, never tries that one myself actually.

Re: App Examples making use of internet site's API

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 2:48 pm
by JosDuchIt
As i am not sure how those site interfacing apps are done i call API just what i ignore :)
An example would clarify that I guess,
I remember one vaguely. It might have had to do with time or weather.

Re: App Examples making use of internet site's API

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 8:04 pm
by Bugala
Okay, I think you might have misunderstood something. Its been a while since i have been doing internet things, hence i might be telling slightly wrong.

But idea is that there are basically only two ways to interact with webpages.

The usual one is through HTML. Notice that even if there is Javascript and stuff on websites, they are still interacting with the website based upon HTML.

HTML limits interactivity from users side towards the webpage to only two options. so called POST and perhaps the other one was GET. Difference is that other one is limited to some certain amount of characters, while other one can have endless amount of stuff sent.

I think it was so that GET would be the shorter one and POST the longer one.

There is also difference in that POST sends stuff hidden, while GET uses the URL (website address) to carry the stuff.

As example:

There is a "Log in" form in website. When you put your username and password and click the submit button, if the method is POST, then you will be sent to website address of www.thesite.com/login.

But if it is using GET method, then you will be sent to: www.thesite.com/login?.username=NAME;password=SECRET

The important difference from Hollywood point of view is, that the POST method can only be accessed through that page, while that GET method could be accessed by Hollywood program.

You could for example have a highscore list for a game, and then you could ask user if he wishes to save his hiscore to world record list on webpage. When he clicks yes, you can tell hollywood to go to URL: http://www.mygameswebsite.com/highscore ... E=YourName

And when this page now loads, it is able to use this Score and Name information that you sent using your hollywood program to create new highscore list and compare your score to the old scores.

With POST method this isnt so easy.



Second way that programs can interact with webpages, is by having server software running on server. This would be the case for example in some multiplayer game where your program connects to server software handling the multiplayer game on server. This is however different that a webpage, and there is no general API for this thing, but you have to program that server yourself to work with your game in mind, hence they are always custom softwares instead of some general API thing.

Re: App Examples making use of internet site's API

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 2:28 pm
by JosDuchIt
Thanks for expanding on the subject
I did find more info on the get/post methods here:
http://www.w3schools.com/tags/ref_httpmethods.asp
http://www.w3schools.com/tags/att_form_method.asp
Would this then be possible with Hollywood
- download a html page
- represent the page when the appicon is clicked in a Hollywood window
- customize the page presentation (eg leave out certain elements, restrict some interactions)
-use the buttons & enter info as if the page was in th browser (but no browser elements gadgets visible

Many apps i use on my Ipad just do that eg the desmos graphic calculator

Re: App Examples making use of internet site's API

Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 2:59 pm
by lazi
If I understand correctly, you would like to create something like a custom web browser which can display information from a webpage and can communicate with it by the <form> technics.

As the The Network library of Hollywood can let you fully handle tcp communication with a server, yes you can do it.
You can even make a web or any other servers too.

However there is one thing which you might miss currently is the SSL or HTTPS support.
If your server accept normal http: requests then yes you could do whatever you want with Hollywood.

Re: App Examples making use of internet site's API

Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 12:32 pm
by JosDuchIt
@lazi

Thanks for the info.
Is the SSL & HTPPS support available today, or is progress to make it available known ?

Re: App Examples making use of internet site's API

Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2016 10:21 pm
by airsoftsoftwair
AFAIK SSL is still in the works but a prototype exists. Ask Allanon for more information :)

Re: App Examples making use of internet site's API

Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2016 4:31 pm
by Allanon
Unfortunatly the SSL plugin is suspended because lack of time of the main developer

Re: App Examples making use of internet site's API

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 7:30 pm
by lazi
@Allanon:
Is there any info on that SSL plugin project?
Should I still keep breathless? :)