Gadget/robot communications - the trick to making it work

[Jason Salas]

Much has been asked in this Google Group about having robots talk to
gadgets. A discussion on this topic follows, copied in part from
today's Office Hours on building Wave extensions. Really good read.
For the full transcript, check out:
http://groups.google.com/group/google-wave-api/browse_thread/thread/9a864e8e8764ef2d#

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jurrien Stutterheim:
Is, or will it be possible to get the wave ID using the Gadget API?
This would be awesome for integrating it in external applications.

Austin Chau:
Hi Jurrien, the way to do that is via Robot interaction. Gadgets are
designed in such a way to be just an embedded html + js, with no
direct access to wave-specific data (other than the gadget states).
But you can certainly do that with a gadget-robot communciation.

Maxim Vasiliev:
does gadget-robo communication alerady works?

Austin Chau:
Yes. Gadget state updates trigger DOCUMENT_CHANGED event on the
robot. If the robot is subscribed to the event, it can
programmatically fetch the gadget state values.

Maxim Vasiliev:
that opens very qurious way to interact with robots...
but how can robot change gadget state?

Avital Oliver:
As far as I know, currently a robot can only remove a gadget and
insert a new one in place of it. Any plans for supporting direct
gadget state manipulation by robots?

Marcel Prasetya:
Hi Avital, what's up? Yes, that's in the work :)

Maxim Vasiliev:
that's shiny! :)

Jurrien Stutterheim:
Hmm.. the wave API does offer wave.getParticipants(), amongst some
other wave-specific data.

Austin Chau:
Yes, participants are exposed. So you are correct, any data other
than participants.

[masouras]

So a gadget state change will trigger a DOCUMENT_CHANGED. But how can
a robot know that what changed was the gadget's state as opposed to
any other editing of the blip ?

On Aug 26, 6:38 pm, Jason Salas <digitalpontificat...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Much has been asked in this Google Group about having robots talk to
> gadgets.  A discussion on this topic follows, copied in part from
> today's Office Hours on building Wave extensions.  Really good read.

> For the full transcript, check out:http://groups.google.com/group/google-wave-api/browse_thread/thread/9...

>
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
> Jurrien Stutterheim:
> Is, or will it be possible to get the wave ID using theGadgetAPI?
> This would be awesome for integrating it in external applications.
>
> Austin Chau:

> Hi Jurrien, the way to do that is viaRobotinteraction.  Gadgets are

> designed in such a way to be just an embedded html + js, with no
> direct access to wave-specific data (other than thegadgetstates).
> But you can certainly do that with agadget-robotcommunciation.
>
> Maxim Vasiliev:

> doesgadget-robo communication alerady works?
>
> Austin Chau:
> Yes.  Gadgetstateupdates trigger DOCUMENT_CHANGED event on therobot.  If therobotis subscribed to the event, it can

> programmatically fetch thegadgetstatevalues.
>
> Maxim Vasiliev:
> that opens very qurious way to interact with robots...
> but how canrobotchangegadgetstate?
>
> Avital Oliver:
> As far as I know, currently arobotcan only remove agadgetand

> insert a new one in place of it. Any plans for supporting directgadgetstatemanipulation by robots?