Overview
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fring API overview
fring isn't just a communications network - with the fring API, it's also a development platform for building mobile community applications, called fring add-ons. They are implemented as web services, while you can use the same skills you would for any web development assignment. You don’t need to know mobile development technologies since fring client takes care of the add-on presentation on the handset. The fring API is especially powerful because it opens the fring contact list to your application. The contact list is built from fring users, and aggregates with other add-ons such as Skype, MSN, Yahoo Messenger etc. With the fring API, you can initiate actions between your users, independent of their locale, independent of their mode of connectivity, and literally take your social application mobile.
What is a fring add-on?
A fring add-on is a web service that runs on your web server and instructs fring client on the handset how to present and run your add-on. A fring add-on communicates to fring client over HTTP, via the fring API, which is defined in an XML-based language called FAXL (pronounced FAZEL). The API exposes the fring contact list, a browser object, communication components (chat, VOIP, file transfer, etc.), device hardware (camera, speaker, microphone, GPS etc) and user interface elements (list boxes, text areas etc). A typical add-on might be implemented in PHP running on Apache, but it could just as well be JSP, Python, .NET, or any other web technology.
What is FIS?
The add-on and the fring mobile client communicate, via a middle layer called FIS, the fring Interface Server. It is responsible for handling requests and responses between the add-on and the handset. The communication works in both directions: FIS can accept requests from the handset and proxy them to the add-on, or the add-on can initiate communication to a user and be assured that FIS will push the data to the relevant handset.
What is FAXL?
The fring API is expressed in an XML-based language, the fring Application eXtensible Language, called FAXL. FAXL is transported over HTTP, the same way JSON or SOAP-XML is transported over HTTP in other web service protocols. The add-on‘s user interface (UI) is rendered on the fring mobile client .The fring API supports familiar user interface elements - edit boxes, lists controls, dialogs, and so on. You declare, access, and manipulate these in FAXL. You can probably do everything you want with FAXL, but if you need more dynamic control of your add-on's UI, FAXL supports JavaScript and client-side scripting executed by fring client. In addition to programming the user interface in FAXL, you access the fring contact list in FAXL and handle user events in FAXL.
Next Step: Sample Add-on
The only equipment required for fring add-on development are a supported handset and access to a web server. The “Hello World” example gets on the way to develop mobile community applications. The Quick start guide takes you through the basics of developing an add-on. Once you have worked through the example you’ll know enough to start developing your own add-on. You may want to review the API as well.