Proposals/Cloud Services

What is the Cloud Services Plugin

The initial idea behind Repository plugin was to upgrade Mahara in a way that Mahara would allow users to connect to their external cloud repository services (e.g. Box.net, Dropbox, SugarSync, Google Docs/Drive, Windows Live SkyDrive, iCloud, etc.) and that tey would be able to include those files in their pages in similar fashion as they include files from local Mahara file repository.

The idea then developed into supporting not only external cloud repository services but also to support adding "content" from other kind of external cloud services (e.g. references from Zotero). At that point plugin was renamed from Repository into Cloud plugin...

Because the initial idea was to support external repositories, the terms "file" and "folder" were used. They are still in use in the source code, but they now have broader meaning:

• file represents actual file, photo, reference or any other item
• folder represents actual folder, album of photos, collection of references or any other collection of items

After this brief intro, let's look at the spec itself.

Where to download from

The different versions of the plugin is available for download from:

https://github.com/anzeljg/mahara-cloud

Gregor is currently working on a version for 15.04. He will start work on 15.10 in January 2016. Thank you Gregor!

Cloud Artefacts

The code for Cloud plugin itself is organized in the following way: every external cloud service (for every user) is represented as cloud artefact.

This artefact hold following information:

• artefacttype, owner, etc. - as every other artefact in Mahara
• title - which is basically the name of external cloud service
• description - which contain all the information to access external cloud service, such as: access token, access token secret, refresh token, etc. (depends on which info external service returns)

Manage Cloud Services

External cloud services can be accessed via Mahara's top menus: Content > Services.

This page is kind of dashboard for external services that are installed and enabled by admin. This page shows if the user has granted access to each individual cloud service or not. If the access is granted than the user can:

• check service account information (which include user id, username, email or profile url and quota)
• "manage" cloud service content, which means that a user can:
  • download file(s) to local computer
  • save file(s) to selected folder in his/her Mahara file repository

jQuery Datatables

To represent tree-like structure of repsitory data (folders, sub-folders and files) a new Pieform element was needed. For the appropriate representation of file, folder and sub-folder data in a table and an option to change the data on-the-fly the jQuery DataTables were chosen.

Individual Cloud Services

To add support for each individual external cloud service the appropriate blocktype should be created in the blocktype sub-folder. This is similar to other Mahara artefacts (e.g. file artefact has the following blocktypes: filedownload, folder, gallery, html, image, internalmedia).

PluginBlocktypeCloud class was created, which extends PluginBlocktype and adds common methods to acces and work with data from external cloud services:

• service_list - method that returns data about cloud service (if the user has granted access or not, etc.)
• request_token - method for requesting OAuth request token
• access_token - method for acquiring OAuth access token
• delete_token - method for deleting token (on Mahara side)
• revoke_access - method for revoking access (on Cloud Service's side), if this is supported by Cloud Service
• account_info - method which returns info about Cloud Service account (user id, username, quota, etc.)
• get_filelist - method that creates list of file which user selected, that are than displayed on a page
• get_folder_content - method to dinamically show the content of a folder; used in manage page and blocktpye config form and allows traversing the folder/sub-folder tree on Cloud Service
• get_folder_info - method that returns info about folder (folder name, description, id, etc.)
• get_file_info - method that returns info about file (file name, description, id, etc.)
• download_file - method that allows user to download a file from Cloud Service to local computer
• embed_file - method that allows user to embed a file from Cloud Service to Mahara page

Currently supported/implemented Cloud Services

Mahara 1.10 and below

Currently the following Cloud Services are supported/implemented:

• Arnes (FTP access)
• BitBucket
• Box.net
• Dropbox
• GitHub
• Google Drive
• SugarSync
• SoundCloud
• Windows Live SkyDrive
• Zotero

The Cloud Service which are currently in development:

• Evernote
• AudioBoo
• Flickr

Mahara 15.04+

Going forward, these Cloud Services will be supported/implemented:

• Box
• Dropbox
• Google Drive
• Microsoft OneDrive
• Picasa
• Zotero

Cloud Services that should/will be supported in the future

The following Cloud Services which (in my oppinion) should be supported in the future:

• Alfresco (?)