Basic fact finding for Brightspace local file integration

[jon-betts]

In order to guide future development effort we should gather some basic details about each of the integrations before we start to ensure we don't go down any blind alleys.

Questions to answer

What is the integration method? JSON API? XML RPC?

• JSON API

Where are the docs?

• https://docs.valence.desire2learn.com/reference.html

How do we authenticate?

OAuth2

• https://docs.valence.desire2learn.com/basic/oauth2.html
• OAuth2 is also mentioned as "now" being supported (suggesting it came more recently)
• We should very much hope this is true

ID-key authentication

• https://docs.valence.desire2learn.com/basic/auth.html
• Most of the docs talk about using ID-key authentication
• This looks like a home-brew version of OAuth2 grant flow to me
• A 15 step process to authenticate is detailed in the docs
• All the fun of OAuth2 with none of the standardisation!

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How do you get the list of files?

I really don't know. Some of the Brightspace specific language might make more sense to someone who knows about Brightspace.

Content topics :heavy_check_mark:

Use the Content tool to post and organize course content so that information about course expectations, course syllabus, lecture notes, and important dates display to users clearly.

Course materials you post in Content can include documents, images, media files, CaptureCast presentations, URL links, and existing course activities. You can add release conditions, grade items, and learning objectives to topics to ensure users navigate through course materials while fulfilling specific course requirements and learning expectations. https://documentation.brightspace.com/EN/le/content/instructor/content_tool_intro.htm?Highlight=content%20topic

Not sure if this is the same thing, but looks likely.

• You can download a "content topic list"
• https://docs.valence.desire2learn.com/res/content.html#get--d2l-api-le-(version)-(orgUnitId)-content-topics-(topicId)
• It looks like items are either "Topics" or "Modules"
  • :warning: I think this might be a nested folder structure (modules = folder) :warning:
• Each topic can have an associated file
• https://docs.valence.desire2learn.com/res/content.html#get--d2l-api-le-(version)-(orgUnitId)-content-topics-(topicId)-file

Learning Repository Objects / Learning Object Repositories (LOR) :no_entry_sign:

Brightspace Learning Repository is an online library for storing, managing, and sharing your learning objects. A learning object can be a quiz, presentation, image, video, or any other kind of document or file you use to create course content and learning materials for online learning. _https://documentation.brightspace.com/EN/instructors/lor_instructor_intro.htm?tocpath=Instructors%7CManage%20and%20share%20learning%20resources%20with%20Brightspace%20Learning%20Repository%7C_____0_

What can I do with my Brightspace Learning Repository search results?

Copy the object into the Content tool, keeping the navigational structure of the object intact and creating a copy of all associated files in your course files _https://documentation.brightspace.com/EN/lor/-/instructor/what_can_i_do_with_search_results.htm?tocpath=Instructors%7CManage%20and%20share%20learning%20resources%20with%20Brightspace%20Learning%20Repository%7CSearching%20for%20learning%20objects%7C_____6_

Looks like the LOR is just a library of things which can be imported into courses. So the teacher might pick from this, but we shouldn't.

• https://docs.valence.desire2learn.com/res/lor.html
• You find them with a "CQL-V2.0 query"
• This seems to be some search engine style language: https://www.loc.gov/standards/sru/cql/spec.html

Lockers :no_entry_sign: :question:

Your personal locker area is not course-specific. You can access the locker from anywhere in Brightspace Learning Environment and store all of your files together.

Group lockers are restricted locker areas where members of a group can share files. Any group member can modify files posted in group locker areas. _https://documentation.brightspace.com/EN/le/locker/learner/what_is_locker_1.htm?Highlight=locker_

Probably not the thing as it looks like everyone with access can edit. Which is a bad solution for homework.

• Users and groups and share files in "Lockers"
• https://docs.valence.desire2learn.com/res/locker.html
• This appears to operate like a directory with sub-directories and files in them which can be navigated by path starting from '/'
• https://docs.valence.desire2learn.com/res/locker.html#get--d2l-api-le-(version)-locker-myLocker-(path)

E-Portfolios :no_entry_sign:

Brightspace ePortfolio is a personal portfolio tool for storing, organizing, reflecting on, and sharing items that represent your learning. You can include items such as documents, graphics, audio files, videos, presentations, and course work to demonstrate your improvement or mastery in certain areas. _https://documentation.brightspace.com/EN/eportfolio/-/all/eportfolio_intro.htm_

So for students then not teachers?

• Has files you can download - https://docs.valence.desire2learn.com/res/epobject.html

Dropbox :no_entry_sign:

• Looks like there is some kind of dropbox support, but I think this is explictly for student submissions and grading them, and so isn't what we want

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How do you get the file?

• Depending on the type, all methods listed above seem to have some way of downloading the file

Do we need to proxy the file or can we return a direct URL?

• No idea

Does a particular assignment have one list of files or many?

• No idea - without knowing what the correct method is, it seems difficult to know
• At this point any combination seems possible

[jon-betts]

Brightspace docs are not easy to understand. I can't work out what anything is as it's already assumed you know what everything is. I think I'm going to have to ask for some help to work out if what we want is even supported by the API.

[jon-betts]

I think Sean has given this a once over now.