Blogger tool development, Request for Team Effort and it's not OT anymore (was.. Re: [OT] Someone looking for a blogger posting program)

[Andre Garzia]

On Mar 19, 2004, at 6:20 AM, Graham Samuel wrote:

> Hi
>
> I noticed that someone on mac-L is looking for a blogger posting 
> program, and the only recommendation so far has been something called 
> ECTO.
>
> I wouldn't know a blogger if it came up and bit me in the leg, but 
> this may be an opportunity for something already done by a Rev 
> developer, from vague (perhaps incorrect) memories I have of this 
> list.
>
> As the info is already in the public domain, it seems OK to reproduce 
> it here:
>

Hi,

I've been doing programs related to Blog from sometime. I did the first 
blogger tool available for macintosh in back in System 9, it was called 
iBlog (not the iBlog from lifli) and was a huge success, it was done in 
RB 2.x.... after that when apple introduced MacOS X, I did made some 
carbon patches in iBlog, but I droped RB for couple reasons. I did a 
natice cocoa app for Blog access then, It has almost all features of 
old iBlog plus it's a nice metal app. It's called blogworkz now, and 
it's gainning popularity.

There are couple possibilities for your friend, the only serious one 
are ECTO, Frequency and BlogWorkz. I am in favor of my app for it's 
more user friendly and I am the only one to have Blogger Title Fields 
implemented, plus my app is more user friendly then the rest (ECTO has 
more features related to third part blog systems...)

As for Revolution, I have a internal beta here  of my new app for Blog, 
it's done in 100% transcript (I had one that mixed transcript and 
applescript) and it is almost usable, thats why it's not released yet. 
I must first be able to parse XML in a non-hack way so that my own 
implementation of XML-RPC becomes fault-proof.

If people here want to join in a kind of team and develop togheter a 
nice Blog App, we could join, create a blog and investigate the 
possiblities of Blogger new API called ATOM, It's based on the REST 
concept where everything is done by GET, POST, PUT and DELETE to 
especial URLs, so it's pretty easy for revolution. I did some 
preliminary studies of the new API, it's possible to implement in 
transcript and if some XML-savvy programmer join this iniciative, it 
could be done in couple days. This is the kind of programm that spread 
like fire in the forest, if we could pop a solution for all the 
plataforms Revolution suppports it would gain great media coverage. 
There are only clients for Mac, Win and Linux, and linux clients are 
strange. AIX admins might want to blog too! :-D

I'll put some URLs of interest here bellow the message, also, if 
someone want to help make this program, just announce and will do the 
first colaborative-made program of the community, it would be fun to 
see people here working togheter build some quick and easy program!

URLs (okay, three urls are mine, but the rest is not):


Soap Dog Studios - my company where you can see some blog development
http://www.soapdog.org

my iBlog - code is deprecated
http://iblog.soapdog.org

BlogWorkz - complete blog posting solution (manage even templates, and 
got cool dictionary-like automatic text replacements)
http://blogworkz.soapdog.org

Blogger.com Weblog for the developers
http://www.blogger.com/developers/

Blogger API 1.0 (it's the old api, but that's the only one wide 
supported, there are some undocumented features tough...)
http://www.blogger.com/developers/api/1_docs/

XML-RPC Standard (XML Remote Procedure Call, very good spec, solves a 
bunch of trouble, I've got it implemented in Rev)
http://www.xmlrpc.com

Blogger new API called ATOM (it's new, poor documented and strange.)
http://www.atomenabled.org

BloggerDev at YahooGroups! (where the flamebait happens)
mailto:bloggerdev-subscribe at yahoogroups.com


Both API 1.0 and ATOM makes heavy use of XML. XML-RPC is easier and 
direct, there's a URL pointing to a CGI then by making correct XML, 
you're able to call remote methods, like for example "Blogger.newPost" 
method that will post a new entry to a blog, just imagine you're 
calling remote Revolution Handlers, it works great. ATOM is different, 
you might want to use it like a SOAP Envelope, this meaning you 
construct a SOAP XML document, but use it thru ATOM/REST spec (this was 
once called PIE too... many name changes), or, you'll craft a very 
special HTTP request, in the headers (our httpheaders property) will go 
all the autentication stuff, in the body of the request, a simple XML 
will sufice the parameters, and thru what URL and Method you're doing 
your request, you'll receive the desired answer. For example by doing a 
GET in the blog, you'll receive blog entries, by doing a PUT, you'll 
make a new entry... DELETE will delete an entry and the like.

Developers are not migrating to ATOM for they trust API 1.0 for many 
years, but the migration will be inevitable since Blogger will no 
longer update 1.0 API (there was even a 2.0 api, but that was never 
fully implemented). The first one to release a ATOM enabled client will 
be a winner. I was trying to make it alone, but I would glad 
participate on a team effort and show the world our Revolution is a 
serious one!

I'll not write more for I don't know if there's anyone interested on 
this here... I'll wait for feedback.

Cheers
Andre


>
-- 
Andre Alves Garzia - Soap Dog Studios - BRAZIL
http://studios.soapdog.org