MNet API

Introduction

This page aims to serve as the canonical location for documenting the MNET API, both the XMLRPC functions and the associated code.

It is a work in progress, please add to it as you discover undocumented code.

How does work MNET

This paragraph will explain you how to setup a connection between a client and a server with mnet. It will also explain where to write the functions you wanna call in the server.

Basic Client/Server code

In this example we'll ask the server which methods we can access. The system server methods 'ListMethods' is already implemented, so we will only write client code:

   require_once($CFG->dirroot . '/mnet/xmlrpc/client.php'); //mnet client library

   /// Setup MNET environment
       global $MNET;
       if (empty($MNET)) {
           $MNET = new mnet_environment();
           $MNET->init();
       }             
  
   /// Setup the server
       $host = $DB->get_record('mnet_host',array('id' => 4)); //we retrieve the server(host) from the 'mnet_host' table
       $mnet_peer = new mnet_peer();                          //we create a new mnet_peer (server/host)
       $mnet_peer->set_wwwroot($host->wwwroot);               //we set this mnet_peer with the host http address

   /// Connect to the remote moodle and retrieve the list of methods (synchronous transmission)
       $client = new mnet_xmlrpc_client();        //create a new client
       $client->set_method('system/listMethods'); //tell it which method we're going to call       
       $client->send($mnet_peer);                 //Call the server
       $services = $client->response;             //Receive the server response 

Entry points/XMLRPC documentation

The entry point is wwwroot/xmlrpc/server.php, which at some point calls mnet_permit_rpc_call, which sets some member variables in the MNET_REMOTE_CLIENT object (mnet/remote_client.php) so that later when mnet_server_dummy_method is called, it can dispatch the call accordingly. I think mnet_server_dummy_method is the only way functions get called.

Currently you can call class methods, static methods and functions. However, for a class method, there is currently only support to construct the object with no constructor arguments.

Authentication Functions

Documentation TODO

Enrolment Functions

Documentation TODO

Repository Functions

Documentation TODO

Portfolio Functions

send_content_intent

• Defined in: portfolio/type/mahara/lib.php
• Implemented in: Mahara. Moodle has this function but it is not an xmlrpc function, only a helper function to call the xmlrpc function in Mahara. (See MDL-16269)
• Parameters:
  • username: username of user to find or create
• Returns: Stdclass object with keys:
  • sendtype: string - either 'queue' or 'immediate' depending on what the remote system has decided
  • token: string - to use for all further communication

send_content_ready

• Defined in: portfolio/type/mahara/lib.php
• Implemented in: Mahara. Moodle has this function but it is not an xmlrpc function, only a helper function to call the xmlrpc function in Mahara. (See MDL-16269)
• Parameters:
  • token: string, previously return from from send_content_intent
  • username: string, username of user to find
  • format: string: currently just 'file', could be more later
  • data: keyed array, information per format
    • shared keys, expected by all formats:
      • totalsize: total filesize of included files (in bytes) - used for quota checks
    • 'file' format keys:
      • filesmanifest: keyed array of file information (keyed by filename):
        • filename: desired name of file
        • sha1: sha1 of file
        • size: size of file (in bytes)
      • zipfilesha1: sha1 of the zipfile containing the file(s)
      • zipfilesize: size of the zipfile containing the file(s)
  • wait: boolean. whether the remote system is expected to immediately launch a request to fetch file or queue it for cron.
• Returns: Stdclass object with keys:
  • status: boolean, success or failure
  • type: string, 'queued' or 'complete'

fetch_file

• Defined in: portfolio/type/mahara/lib.php
• Implemented in: Moodle.
• Parameters:
  • token: string, same that was returned in send_content_intent and used subsequently in send_content_ready
• Returns: base64 encoded file (currently a zipfile, as can include multiple files)