Big Blue Button -Multimedia Web Conferencing
Service Description
The MultiMedia Web Conferencing service is a Flash based conferencing application, providing document voice, video, text chat, document and screen sharing. The MultiMedia Web Conferencing service provides the following operations in relation to the application:
- Create New Web Conference Meeting
- Join Web Conference Meeting
- Check Status of Web Conference Meeting
Service API Information and Usage
The following sections detail the multimedia web conferencing services, their intended function, and the API used to access the service.
Further API Documentation and Examples may be found online at the following locations:
- http://code.google.com/p/bigbluebutton/wiki/API
- http://devbuild.bigbluebutton.org/bigbluebutton/demo/demo1.jsp
- http://devbuild.bigbluebutton.org/bigbluebutton/demo/demo2.jsp
- http://devbuild.bigbluebutton.org/bigbluebutton/demo/demo3.jsp
Coral CEA’s service endpoint, which is specified as the DNS or IP address is the request messages, may be obtained on the System Access Page.
Create Meeting Service
The Create Meeting Service allows for the RESTful creation of a new BBB meeting. The returned XML response will contain all the information to then supply to the Join Web Conference Meeting or Check Status services.
Request parameters
The Create Meeting Service operation takes the following parameter:
| Parameter | Returned | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| name | Required | String | A name for the meeting. |
| meetingID | Optional | String | A meeting ID that can be used to identify this meeting by the third party application. This is optional, and if not supplied, BBB will generate a meeting token that can be used to identify the meeting. |
| attendeePW | Optional | String | The password that will be required for attendees to join the meeting. This is optional, and if not supplied, BBB will assign a random password. |
| meetingToken | Optional | String | The password that will be required for moderators to join the meeting or for certain administrative actions (i.e. ending a meeting). This is optional, and if not supplied, BBB will assign a random password. |
Response
If the Create Meeting Service operation is successful, the Coral CEA Cloud returns the follow- ing response parameters:
| Parameter | Required / Optional | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| returnCode | Always | String | Indicates whether the intended function was successful or not. Always one of two values: FAILED – there was an error of some sort – look for the message and messageKey for more information. Note that if the returnCode is FAILED, the call-specific response parameters marked as “always returned” will not be returned. They are only returned as part of successful responses. SUCCESS – the call succeeded – the other parameters that are normally associated with this call will be returned. |
| meetingToken | Always | String | The internal meeting token assigned by the API for this meet- ing. It can be used by subsequent calls for joining or other- wise modifying a meeting’s status. |
| meetingID | Sometimes | String | The meeting ID supplied by the third party app, or null if none was supplied. If can be used in conjunction with a password in subsequent calls for joining or otherwise modifying a meet- ing’s status. |
| attendeePW | Always | String | The password that will be required for attendees to join the meeting. If you did not supply one, BBB will assign a random password. |
| ModeratorPW | Optional | String | The password that will be required for moderators to join the meeting or for certain administrative actions (i.e. ending a meeting). If you did not supply one, BBB will assign a random password. |
| message | Sometimes | String | A message that gives additional information about the status of the call. A message parameter will always be returned if the returnCode was FAILED. A message may also be re- turned in some cases where returnCode was SUCCESS if additional information would be helpful. |
| messageKey | Sometimes | String | Provides similar functionality to the message and follows the same rules. However, a message key will be much shorter and will generally remain the same for the life of the API whereas a message may change over time. If your third party application would like to internationalize or otherwise change the standard messages returned, you can look up your own custom messages based on this messageKey. |
Service Example
http://[Insert BBB Server]/bigbluebutton/api/create?name=Test+Meeting&meetingID=abcdef&attendeePW=11122 2&moderatorPW=333444
http://[Insert BBB Server]/bigbluebutton/api/create?name=Test+Meeting&meetingID=abcdef&attendeePW=11122 2&moderatorPW=333444
Notes on usage
Currently the name parameter in the request has no effect on the created conference. At present, there is no means to specify a name for the meeting that is different than the meeting ID / meet- me room name. This is a limitation of underlying conference infrastructure.
Join Web Conference Meeting Service
The Join Web Conference Meeting Service is a RESTful URL that can be opened from any supported browser application. There is no response to this service call. The browser will simply connect to the BBB instance and depending on the supplied parameters will automatically join the running meeting session as either the moderator or a participant.
Request parameters
The Join Web Conference Meeting Service operation takes the following parameter:
| Parameter | Returned | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| fullName | Required | String | The full name that is to be used to identify this user to other conference attendees. |
| meetingToken | Optional | String | The internal meeting token assigned by the API for this meet- ing when it was created. Note that either the meetingToken or the meetingID along with one of the passwords must be passed into this call in order to determine which meeting to find. |
| meetingID | Optional | String | If you specified a meeting ID when calling create, then you can use either the generated meeting token or your specified meeting ID to find meetings. This parameter takes your meeting ID. |
| password | Optional | String | The password that this attendee is using. If the moderator password is supplied, he will be given moderator status (and the same for attendee password, etc) |
| redirectImmediately | Optional | Boolean | If this is passed as true, then BBB will not return a URL for you to redirect the user to, but will instead treat this as an entry URL and will immediately set up the client session and redirect the user into the conference. Values can be either a 1 (one) or a 0 (zero), indicating true or false respectively. Defaults to false. |
Response
If the Join Web Conference Meeting Service operation is successful, the Coral CEA Cloud returns the following response parameters:
| Parameter | Required / Optional | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| returnCode | Always | String | Indicates whether the intended function was successful or not. Always one of two values: FAILED – there was an error of some sort – look for the mes- sage and messageKey for more information. Note that if the returnCode is FAILED, the call-specific response parameters marked as “always returned” will not be returned. They are only returned as part of successful responses. SUCCESS – the call succeeded – the other parameters that are normally associated with this call will be returned. |
| entryURL | Always | String | The URL that the user can be sent to in order to join the meeting. When they go to this URL, BBB will setup their client session and redirect them into the conference. |
| message | Sometimes | String | A message that gives additional information about the status of the call. A message parameter will always be returned if the returnCode was FAILED. A message may also be re- turned in some cases where returnCode was SUCCESS if additional information would be helpful. |
| messageKey | Sometimes | String | Provides similar functionality to the message and follows the same rules. However, a message key will be much shorter and will generally remain the same for the life of the API whereas a message may change over time. If your third party application would like to internationalize or otherwise change the standard messages returned, you can look up your own custom messages based on this messageKey. |
Service Example
http://[Insert BBB Server]/bigbluebutton/api/join?fullName=Joe+User&meetingID=abcdef&password=333444
Check Status Service
The Check Status Service provides a RESTful interface for validating the current state of a given Web Conference Meeting. The XML response will contain the current Running State of the queried conference, either True or False.
Request parameters
The Check Status Service operation takes the following parameter:
| Parameter | Returned | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| meetingToken | Optional | String | The internal meeting token assigned by the API for this meet- ing when it was created. Note that either the meetingToken or the meetingID along with one of the passwords must be passed into this call in order to determine which meeting to find. |
| meetingID | Optional | String | If you specified a meeting ID when calling create, then you can use either the generated meeting token or your specified meeting ID to find meetings. This parameter takes your meeting ID. |
Response
If the Check Status Service operation is successful, the Coral CEA Cloud returns the following response parameters:
| Parameter | Required / Optional | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| returnCode | Always | String | Indicates whether the intended function was successful or not. Always one of two values: FAILED – there was an error of some sort – look for the mes- sage and messageKey for more information. Note that if the returnCode is FAILED, the call-specific response parameters marked as “always returned” will not be returned. They are only returned as part of successful responses. SUCCESS – the call succeeded – the other parameters that are normally associated with this call will be returned. |
| running | Always | String | A string of either “true” or “false” that signals whether a meet- ing with this ID or token is currently running. |
| message | Sometimes | String | A message that gives additional information about the status of the call. A message parameter will always be returned if the returnCode was FAILED. A message may also be re- turned in some cases where returnCode was SUCCESS if additional information would be helpful. |
| messageKey | Sometimes | String | Provides similar functionality to the message and follows the same rules. However, a message key will be much shorter and will generally remain the same for the life of the API whereas a message may change over time. If your third party application would like to internationalize or otherwise change the standard messages returned, you can look up your own custom messages based on this messageKey. |
Service Example
http://[Insert BBB Server]/bigbluebutton/api/isMeetingRunning?meetingID=abcdef
SUCCESS
true