Proposals/MNet replacement/Connection manager

Summary

This specification describes the new functionality for managing client connections (Mahara is the client) for web service interactions.

Target Release

Mahara 15.04

Owner

TBD

References

Inspiration for the implementation pattern was source from Developer_Area/Core_Subsystems/Artefact_Plugins_//_Artefact_Types, and the Web Services plugin .

Motivation

The idea behind this requirement is to abstract away the management of connection details from individual components of Mahara (eg. a plugin), so that each component does not need to maintain a set of configuration, and the management of that configuration is consistent in behaviour, look and feel.

Once there is a consistent management of Web Service client connections, it is also possible to abstract away the code in helper classes and functions for executing Web Service calls, which should streamline and component development, and ensure that components use a common code base for Web Service interaction.

Use Cases(Stories)

Plugin Developer

Description

As a plugin developer, I want to be able to have a logical reference to a list of connections that refer to 1 or more web service end points that I can pass attributes to for web service call execution.

Preconditions

• Developing a plugin is dependent on inheriting from class 'Plugin' .

Steps

1. With each plugin developed, specify a list of connection 'handles' that represent client connections that my plugin will interact with.
2. When I wish to execute a remote web service call, I can call a function that returns a list of prefabricated client connections. These client connections are an abstraction from the complexity of dealing with different web services protocols, authentication, and encoding schemas, so that I can concentrate on formulating the data packet, and interpreting the results.

Postconditions

Metadata for the Plugin related client connections has been defined.

Mahara administrator

Description

As a Mahara administrator I want an interface that enables me to configure a logical reference to a a list of web service connections.

Preconditions

• Plugin developers have defined the client connection related metadata.

Postconditions

These web service connections must adequately describe the supported protocols of SOAP, XML-RPC, and REST using the payload encodings of SOAP, XML, URL, and JSON where appropriate. The connections must also support the configuration of authentication options of token, user+password, OAuth1.x and WSSE where appropriate.

Specification

Description

What the changes are that are required

UX

This should contain discussion of the UX implications of the change. If the UX discussion already has a design proposal, a link should be inserted here. If the discussion is ongoing it can take place in the whiteboard area.

Wireframes, Mocks, Videos and UI Markup

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Links to any visual assets that describe the changes.

Discussion of use cases and actors is encouraged where applicable.

Connection Manager

Connection Manager Master Switch

Testing

Brief instruction for reviewers to exercise the changes, including expected results where non-obvious.

Dependencies

Is this functionality already supported in other services? List the appropriate API calls and if they are extensions or base API functionality.

This should describe any cross project dependencies. This should include:

 * changes to Mahara services
 * changes in external projects

Links to particular patches should be included in the whiteboard area.

Doc Impact

This should describe any changes to Mahara documentation that will be required. This could include:

 * settings file changes that will be required
 * changes to default behaviours
 * any deprecation or obsolescence notices

Milestones

How the work can be broken up