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Opening new topics by integration with another application

Hi,

We're looking to use Vanilla as a daughter forum for a site that is like a local StackOverflow but for general purpose science and fact based questions.

The Vanilla forum would function as a receiver site of deleted questions on the StackOverflow-like site, so moderators on the main site would essentially move questions from that site to Vanilla if they are deemed unsuitable for that site.

Is this a feasible use case for Vanilla? Are there starting points for such an integration by which Vanilla accepts new topics from another application, including the user info, so that original poster becomes the opener of the new topic?

Thanks.

Comments

  • FWIW: We intend to enable Single Sign-On between the sites too.

  • hgtonighthgtonight ∞ · New Moderator
    edited May 2013

    You would probably be interested in the Vanilla API application.

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  • Thanks, will dive into that.

    One quick question if you happen to know: will the API allow somebody in a moderator role, or the application addressing the API, to open a topic in another user's name?

  • hgtonighthgtonight ∞ · New Moderator

    I would assume that you would have to authenticate as a specific user before posting as them. I didn't see anything in the bundled documentation allowing you to authenticate as one user and post as another.

    @kasperisager might give you more insight.

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  • Thanks. If @kasperisager could provide some insight that would be very helpful. The step by step scenario would be as follows:

    • An SSO user posts a topic on a different (non Vanilla) site that is against that site's guidelines.
    • An SSO user that is a moderator on both sites, removes the topic from that site and opts to move it to the Vanilla forum.
    • The other site's back-end talks to the API of Vanilla to open the same topic with the same content so discussion may continue there. This happens in the absence of the original poster.
  • KasperKasper Scholar of the Bits Copenhagen Vanilla Staff

    That would be entirely possible. Simply do what needs to be done on the first site (permission check, removal of topic etc.) and then issue a POST to http://whatever/api/discussions using the OP's username or email.

    Kasper Kronborg Isager (kasperisager) | Freelance Developer @Vanilla | Hit me up: Google Mail or Vanilla Mail | Find me on GitHub

  • Thanks Kasper. And the API won't demand any kind of token authenticating the OP?

  • KasperKasper Scholar of the Bits Copenhagen Vanilla Staff

    No worries! The API will require that the call is authenticated but this does not involve the OP's password. Instead, it relies on a private API key - more info about that here http://code.webhutt.com/vanillaapi/wiki/Authentication#markdown-header-signature-based

    Kasper Kronborg Isager (kasperisager) | Freelance Developer @Vanilla | Hit me up: Google Mail or Vanilla Mail | Find me on GitHub

  • Awesome. Thank you very much.

  • KasperKasper Scholar of the Bits Copenhagen Vanilla Staff

    You're most certainly welcome! Let me know if anything else comes up

    Kasper Kronborg Isager (kasperisager) | Freelance Developer @Vanilla | Hit me up: Google Mail or Vanilla Mail | Find me on GitHub

  • SSO does not mean the user account will automatically exists, unless you explicitly do this.

    Presumably you will want to copy the comments over too. which you can do one by one.

    By my understanding is what you really want to do is copy or import whole discussions in including comments.

    then you will have to implement appropriate formatter (although htmLawed could handle pre parsed data up to a point)

    either you use a restful API (which you can extend), or make an import system that does it it one swoop.

    then you will have to implement appropriate formatter (although htmLawed could handle pre parsed data up to a point).

    All of this for display purposes? Or is this goign to be more than an archive?

    grep is your friend.

  • Thank you for your input.

    It's going to be more than an archive. It's essentially going to be a sub product to which topics will be moved that are not suitable for a knowledge site, which is the main product.

  • Will opening the required account in name of the original poster, be a problem, upon copying the topic?

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