1 | |
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2 | |
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3 | Proposal for a Common Groupware Interface Standard |
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4 | |
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5 | (C) 2001-2004 Miles Lott <milos@groupwhere.org> |
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6 | |
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7 | September 13, 2001 and December 29, 2003 |
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8 | |
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9 | Table of Contents |
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10 | |
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11 | 1 Scope |
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12 | 2 The Services |
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13 | 2.1 Overview |
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14 | 2.2 Detail |
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15 | 2.2.1 Contacts |
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16 | 2.2.2 Schedule |
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17 | 2.2.3 Notes |
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18 | 2.2.4 Todo |
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19 | 2.3 Examples in XML-RPC |
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20 | 3 Conclusion |
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21 | 3.1 Contacts: |
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22 | 3.2 Schedule: |
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23 | 3.3 Notes: |
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24 | 3.4 Todo: |
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25 | |
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26 | |
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27 | |
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28 | 1 Scope |
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29 | |
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30 | As many different opensource and freesoftware groupware systems |
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31 | are being developed, the full realization of the dream of |
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32 | a connected world should be prefaced by an agreement to |
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33 | interoperate. There are limited ways in which cooperation |
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34 | with these and commercial groupware systems may be achecived, |
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35 | the majority if not all of which were derived via the establishment |
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36 | of open standards. These might include email (POP3/IMAP), |
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37 | contacts(LDAP,vcard), or scheduling(ical/vcal). It is felt |
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38 | that while these have proven themselves to be very useful, |
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39 | they are insufficient to satisfy the real needs of a typical |
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40 | business environment. |
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41 | |
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42 | This document hopes to provide a reasonable, if limited, |
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43 | recommendation for a set of standardized methods to be used |
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44 | for groupware services interaction. More specifically, it |
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45 | hopes to address the need for such a standard as well as |
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46 | to spur discussion about the common service names and methods |
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47 | themselves. |
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48 | |
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49 | Examples will be given for implementations in XML-RPC, since |
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50 | this standard is relatively fixed and open. |
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51 | |
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52 | This document does not provide recommendations for the underlying |
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53 | access control system which would allow or deny a particular |
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54 | action. |
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55 | |
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56 | Also not discussed here is login and authorization to be |
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57 | used for initial access to a service provider. |
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58 | |
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59 | 2 The Services |
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60 | |
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61 | 2.1 Overview |
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62 | |
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63 | There are a few common services types that will be needed |
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64 | for minimum useability of a groupware server or application. |
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65 | They are: |
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66 | |
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67 | * Contacts |
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68 | |
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69 | * Schedule |
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70 | |
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71 | * Notes |
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72 | |
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73 | * Todo |
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74 | |
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75 | These services are represented already in places such as |
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76 | existing groupware client-server applications and also in |
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77 | the PalmOS basic-4 buttons and applications. Different systems |
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78 | may have different names for these services internally, |
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79 | e.g. Contacts - addresses, addressbook, people, Schedule |
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80 | - calendar, agenda, meetings. |
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81 | |
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82 | Within each of these services are some common methods that |
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83 | would be called to store, retreive, or update data: |
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84 | |
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85 | * read_list |
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86 | |
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87 | * read |
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88 | |
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89 | * save |
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90 | |
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91 | * delete |
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92 | |
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93 | 2.2 Detail |
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94 | |
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95 | 2.2.1 Contacts |
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96 | |
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97 | The concept of contacts may encompass local addressbooks, |
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98 | LDAP, and lists stored in other media. The purpose of the |
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99 | contacts service is not to duplicate or attempt to replace |
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100 | these. In some respects, it might do just that. But its |
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101 | goal is more so to provide a common and shareable way for |
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102 | the other core services to create, edit, and read a common |
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103 | user and address list. All of the other services may use |
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104 | the contact service to obtain record owner information to |
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105 | be used in access control. They would also use them when |
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106 | it is required to share this data, as with a meeting where |
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107 | other local and non-local users will be invited to attend. |
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108 | |
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109 | Contacts may include the local installed user base, users |
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110 | on other cooperative servers, or email addresses used for |
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111 | limited cooperation with other groupware services that are |
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112 | not compliant with this service scheme or implementations |
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113 | thereof. It could also include individuals using web-based |
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114 | or local ISP email services. The scope of this document, |
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115 | however, is to define the service with regard to the common |
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116 | methods to be used for server-server and client-server communications: |
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117 | |
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118 | * read_list |
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119 | |
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120 | This method is used to list contacts, with or without limits, |
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121 | filters, or search criteria. In this way it can be used |
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122 | for simple lists or to search for contact records and their |
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123 | identifiers. The optional search criteria includes: |
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124 | |
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125 | 1. start - Start at this identifier (integer: default 0) |
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126 | |
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127 | 2. limit - Limit to this number of records returned(integer: |
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128 | unlimited by default) |
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129 | |
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130 | 3. fieldlist - limit to showing only these fields (array: |
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131 | default to identifier, owner identifier, possibly firstname |
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132 | and lastname) |
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133 | |
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134 | 4. filter - Show records that are public or private only, |
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135 | or other system-specific filters, e.g group or company(string: |
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136 | default '') |
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137 | |
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138 | 5. query - Search internal fieldlist for a value (string: |
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139 | default '') |
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140 | |
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141 | The return for this method includes: |
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142 | |
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143 | 1. count of number of records returned(integer) |
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144 | |
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145 | 2. array consisting of: array: identifier => (array: fieldlist |
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146 | key => value pairs) |
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147 | |
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148 | * read |
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149 | |
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150 | Once the identifier for a single contact record is known, |
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151 | the contact may be read for more detail using this method. |
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152 | This takes two parameters: |
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153 | |
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154 | 1. identifier - (integer: no default) |
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155 | |
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156 | 2. fieldlist - limit to showing only these fields (array: |
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157 | default to identifier, owner identifier, possibly firstname |
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158 | and lastname) |
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159 | |
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160 | And returns: |
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161 | |
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162 | 1. array consisting of: array: identifier => (array: fieldlist |
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163 | key => value pairs) |
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164 | |
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165 | * save |
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166 | |
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167 | This is a method used to save an existing record or create |
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168 | a new one. If the identifier for an existing record is not |
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169 | passed, a new entry will be created. |
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170 | |
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171 | * delete |
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172 | |
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173 | This will allow deletion of a record by passing its identifier. |
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174 | |
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175 | 2.2.2 Schedule |
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176 | |
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177 | 2.2.3 Notes |
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178 | |
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179 | 2.2.4 Todo |
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180 | |
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181 | 2.3 Examples in XML-RPC |
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182 | |
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183 | Query the contacts service for read_list, using only start |
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184 | and limit to grab the first 5 records, starting with identifier |
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185 | 1. Additionally, return only the firstname and lastname |
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186 | fields n_given and n_family (firstname and lastname in pseudo |
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187 | vcard format): |
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188 | |
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189 | <methodCall> |
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190 | |
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191 | <methodName>service.contacts.read_list</methodName> |
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192 | |
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193 | <params> |
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194 | |
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195 | <param> |
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196 | |
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197 | <value><struct> |
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198 | |
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199 | <member><name>start</name> |
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200 | |
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201 | <value><string>1</string></value> |
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202 | |
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203 | </member> |
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204 | |
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205 | <member><name>limit</name> |
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206 | |
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207 | <value><string>5</string></value> |
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208 | |
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209 | </member> |
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210 | |
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211 | <member><name>fields</name> |
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212 | |
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213 | <value><struct> |
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214 | |
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215 | <member><name>n_given</name> |
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216 | |
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217 | <value><string>n_given</string></value> |
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218 | |
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219 | </member> |
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220 | |
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221 | <member><name>n_family</name> |
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222 | |
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223 | <value><string>n_family</string></value> |
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224 | |
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225 | </member> |
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226 | |
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227 | </struct></value> |
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228 | |
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229 | </member> |
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230 | |
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231 | <member><name>query</name> |
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232 | |
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233 | <value><string></string></value> |
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234 | |
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235 | </member> |
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236 | |
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237 | <member><name>filter</name> |
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238 | |
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239 | <value><string></string></value> |
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240 | |
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241 | </member> |
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242 | |
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243 | </struct></value> |
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244 | |
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245 | </param> |
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246 | |
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247 | </params> |
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248 | |
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249 | </methodCall> |
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250 | |
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251 | 3 Conclusion |
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252 | |
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253 | This document outlined the following services and methods: |
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254 | |
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255 | 3.1 Contacts: |
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256 | |
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257 | * service.contacts.read_list([search criteria]) |
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258 | |
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259 | * service.contacts.read(identifier,[fieldlist]) |
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260 | |
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261 | * service.contacts.save(fields) |
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262 | |
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263 | * service.contacts.delete(identifier) |
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264 | |
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265 | 3.2 Schedule: |
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266 | |
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267 | * service.schedule.read_list([search criteria]) |
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268 | |
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269 | * service.schedule.read(identifier,[fieldlist]) |
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270 | |
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271 | * service.schedule.save(fields) |
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272 | |
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273 | * service.schedule.delete(identifier) |
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274 | |
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275 | 3.3 Notes: |
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276 | |
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277 | * service.notes.read_list([search criteria]) |
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278 | |
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279 | * service.notes.read(identifier,[fieldlist]) |
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280 | |
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281 | * service.notes.save(fields) |
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282 | |
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283 | * service.notes.delete(identifier) |
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284 | |
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285 | 3.4 Todo: |
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286 | |
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287 | * service.todo.read_list(search criteria) |
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288 | |
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289 | * service.todo.read(identifer,[fieldlist]) |
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290 | |
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291 | * service.todo.save(fields) |
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292 | |
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293 | * service.todo.delete(identifier) |
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