OpenSocial support

This topic contains more advanced information about OpenSocial gadget-based widgets, which allow various actions and URLs to be rendered in the client.

OpenSocial gadgets

IBM Notes and IBM iNotes support rendering of OpenSocial-compliant gadgets. All gadgets that are rendered in the client must have corresponding widgets in the widget catalog, and the administrator must have approved those widgets. Once the widgets for the OpenSocial gadgets are approved, they can be pushed via policy by the administrator, or installed via the widget catalog, so that users can open the OpenSocial gadget widgets the same way they open other widgets.

OpenSocial support in the client adds a consistent web programming model across these products. A vast majority of APIs and functionality are available to OpenSocial gadgets inside the client.

Following is a list of functionality highlighted for the client:
  • Notes and iNotes clients are OAuth consumers, and gadgets can leverage these technologies to make requests to OAuth-protected web services
  • OpenSocial gadgets can make requests to web services via gadgets.io.makeRequest or osapi.http.* (OAuth requests must be made through gadgets.io.makeRequest)
  • OpenSocial gadgets may contribute actions and get the current selection in the client
  • OpenSocial gadgets can open dialogs (modal and non-modal), tabs, and sidebars using the gadgets.views.open* APIs in OpenSocial
  • Services can use OpenSocial gadgets and URLs to provide embedded experiences in mail.
    Restriction: Notes client only.
Note: The client does not support everything in all of the OpenSocial 2.0.1 specifications - some functionality may not work as described in the specifications; the following is a list of what is not supported:
  • Everything in the Social Gadget Specification, except for osapi.people.getViewer, osapi.people.getOwner, <os:ViewerRequest> and <os:OwnerRequest>
  • The Social API Server Specification