API Connection Question

[Marshall Shepherd]

Hi All, 

Can someone explain exactly "what" the SCORM API uses to communicate -- from the client/Javascript -- to the server using Moodle? I understand the client side--Javascript--but what exactly is the LMS/server providing to the client so that the Javascript can communicate with the server backend?

Am I only connecting to the mysterious object, "API" or "API_1484_11"? What is Javascript using to communicate back to the server?

Still wondering...

Thanks.

[Ryan Meyer]

Marshall,

According to the SCORM standard, you can only communicate via the API provided in the JavaScript object. Different LMSs then communicate that information in different ways in the backed, depending on their web app implementation technology. The nice part about this is that you can easily transport your course to any LMS regardless of how it's implemented. However, you're restricted to what's available in the API.

-Ryan

Sent from my iPhone

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[John Campbell]

Ryan is right. It's whatever they LMS vendor wants. It might be a
Java Applet, it might be some AJAX thing. But on your end, you are
just guaranteed to have a JavaScript API for all practical purposes.

take care,

jpc

[Marshall Shepherd]

Thanks Ryan, John for the quick response.

My client has an unreliable Internet connection. Yippee. I understand the SCORM API as defined by ADL, however I am still curious about the connection. 

Based on the variable nature of my clients connection, they may have Internet one minute then lose it the next. 

Our calls to the "black box" SCORM API are actually connecting to whatever the LMS vendor uses, AJAX, Java, etc. So my question is, how can I know for sure if their API loaded or not?

For example, if the API fails to respond initially, can I hope to re-attempt again later without forcing the user to close the browser and try again? Or is it always a given that the user has to RE-launch the SCO from the LMS to establish an API connection?

Thanks again.

[John Campbell]

I have one client who deals with this. All they came up with was to
check the status of the API and then print a message to "close and
restart". It solved 90% of their helpdesk calls they said.

I am not sure how they checked the status. Many LMSes will
client-side cache all the data so you never know when you are talking
to the LMS or not. There are ways to check if the API instance
exists, but even then, there may be other layers. It's a hard nut to
crack.

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