Ernie H.'s Posts - Ning Developer Docs2024-03-28T15:37:26ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieHhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2979031238?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://developer.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=1cq1fmcpwtgum&xn_auth=noNing Developer Challenge Winners announced!tag:developer.ning.com,2010-04-14:1185512:BlogPost:2638842010-04-14T18:30:00.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
<div>We're excited to announce the results of the Ning Developer Challenge!<br></br><br></br>The Ning Developer Challenge is a worldwide OpenSocial development competition that launched at Campus Party 2010 in São Paulo, Brazil. Carlos de Oliveira Caminha, Germán Gail and Mick Thompson will each receive a US $3,000 award for having the top Ning Apps in the Public Management, Environment and Entrepreneurship categories, respectively.</div>
<div><br></br></div>
<div>The competition began on January 25th with…</div>
<div>We're excited to announce the results of the Ning Developer Challenge!<br/><br/>The Ning Developer Challenge is a worldwide OpenSocial development competition that launched at Campus Party 2010 in São Paulo, Brazil. Carlos de Oliveira Caminha, Germán Gail and Mick Thompson will each receive a US $3,000 award for having the top Ning Apps in the Public Management, Environment and Entrepreneurship categories, respectively.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>The competition began on January 25th with all submissions due on March 31st. The entrants were judged on creativity, usability, how well the apps integrate with Ning Networks, viral features, and relevance to<br/> their respective categories.</div>
<div class="im"><div><br/></div>
<div>The winning Ning Apps are as follows:</div>
<div><br/></div>
</div>
<ul>
<li>WikiCrimes Social - A social version of <a href="http://www.wikicrimes.org/">WikiCrimes</a> which can alert your friends about illegal events that happen in a specific area.</li>
<li>Environment Friends - Lets you determine how your lifestyle affects carbon dioxide emissions.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.collecta.com">Collecta</a> Brand Tracker - Enables the ability to monitor real-time feedback about your brand across the web.</li>
</ul>
<div><br/></div>
<div>The winning Ning Apps will be added to the Ning Apps Directory shortly -- thanks to the folks at Campus Party for hosting a successful Developer Challenge!</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>If you’re interested in building a Ning App, <a href="../" target="_blank">http://developer.ning.com</a> is the place to start. For a complete list of Ning Apps, please visit <a href="../ningapps" target="_blank">http://developer.ning.com/ningapps</a>.</div>Selected Ning Apps now available through an Apache 2.0 Licensetag:developer.ning.com,2010-02-09:1185512:BlogPost:2565252010-02-09T22:37:49.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
Hi everyone!<br></br><br></br>For everyone who isn't a Ning App developer, this won't make much sense to you, but for everyone else, read on:<br></br><br></br>As a way to reach out to the developer community -- as well as show examples of best practices of OpenSocial based applications that are used internally within Ning -- we have made our Twitter Tracker and Top Friends Ning Apps available via github, through an Apache 2.0 License. This means that developers looking to develop Ning Apps for the first time…
Hi everyone!<br/><br/>For everyone who isn't a Ning App developer, this won't make much sense to you, but for everyone else, read on:<br/><br/>As a way to reach out to the developer community -- as well as show examples of best practices of OpenSocial based applications that are used internally within Ning -- we have made our Twitter Tracker and Top Friends Ning Apps available via github, through an Apache 2.0 License. This means that developers looking to develop Ning Apps for the first time can take a look at how our team has built some of the Ning Apps used across the millions of Ning Networks available today, and it offers an opportunity for more advanced Ning Apps developers to contribute features and bug fixes, by forking from the central repository. <br/><br/><br/>You can find the repositories here:<br/>Top Friends: <a href="http://github.com/ning/ningapp-topfriends">http://github.com/ning/ningapp-topfriends</a><br/>Twitter Tracker: <a href="http://github.com/ning/ningapp-twittertracker">http://github.com/ning/ningapp-twittertracker</a><br/><br/>Our hope is to have additional Ning Apps available for the developer community soon. Stay tuned!<br/><br/>Thanks,<br/>- Ernie<br/><br/>OpenSocial Documentation v1.0.9 released, now available as HTMLtag:developer.ning.com,2010-02-06:1185512:BlogPost:2561992010-02-06T00:30:00.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
Hi Everyone!<br></br><br></br>A new iteration of the Ning Apps documentation has been uploaded, with the following items:<br></br><ul>
<li>Added ning.app.Field("DESCRIPTION") and ning.app.Field("TAGLINE") as a way to get a Ning Network's description and tagline</li>
<li>Added Twitter Tracker and Top Friends to the <a href="http://github.com/ning">Ning github repository</a></li>
</ul>
<br></br>In addition, as a way to try to make Ning Apps more accessible to developers, the documentation for Ning Apps - already…
Hi Everyone!<br/><br/>A new iteration of the Ning Apps documentation has been uploaded, with the following items:<br/><ul>
<li>Added ning.app.Field("DESCRIPTION") and ning.app.Field("TAGLINE") as a way to get a Ning Network's description and tagline</li>
<li>Added Twitter Tracker and Top Friends to the <a href="http://github.com/ning">Ning github repository</a></li>
</ul>
<br/>In addition, as a way to try to make Ning Apps more accessible to developers, the documentation for Ning Apps - already available as a PDF since launch - is now available for HTML pages on Developer.<br/><br/>You can find the documentation in both HTML and PDF formats here:<br/><a href="http://developer.ning.com/notes/Ning_Apps_Documentation">http://developer.ning.com/notes/Ning_Apps_Documentation</a><br/><br/>Thanks!<br/>- Ernie<br/>jQuery Meetups, Sponsored by Ningtag:developer.ning.com,2010-01-27:1185512:BlogPost:2549642010-01-27T02:09:50.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
<p style=""><a href="http://meetups.jquery.com" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2997583810?profile=original" style=""></img></a></p>
jQuery - the lightweight cross-browser JavaScript library that is used on many websites, including Ning - has always been a reason for developers to meet each other in person, ask for development help or just as a way to network with other engineers. The jQuery Project now has an official page where developers can meet face-to-face to talk about the library at the jQuery Meetups page at…
<p style=""><a href="http://meetups.jquery.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2997583810?profile=original" style="" alt=""/></a></p>
jQuery - the lightweight cross-browser JavaScript library that is used on many websites, including Ning - has always been a reason for developers to meet each other in person, ask for development help or just as a way to network with other engineers. The jQuery Project now has an official page where developers can meet face-to-face to talk about the library at the jQuery Meetups page at <a href="http://meetups.jquery.com/">http://meetups.jquery.com/</a> . Check it out!Introducing the Ning Developer Challenge!tag:developer.ning.com,2010-01-25:1185512:BlogPost:2548422010-01-25T19:50:28.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
The Ning Developer Challenge is kicking off today at Campus Party 2010 in São Paulo, Brazil!<br />
<br />
This month-long OpenSocial development competition focuses on applications devoted to Public Management, Environment and Entrepreneurship. Each winner in the Public Management, Environment and Entrepeneurship categories will receive a $3,000 (US dollars) cash award.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://developer.ning.com/challenge">Read more about the challenge</a>, or visit the official Developer Challenge pages in…
The Ning Developer Challenge is kicking off today at Campus Party 2010 in São Paulo, Brazil!<br />
<br />
This month-long OpenSocial development competition focuses on applications devoted to Public Management, Environment and Entrepreneurship. Each winner in the Public Management, Environment and Entrepeneurship categories will receive a $3,000 (US dollars) cash award.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://developer.ning.com/challenge">Read more about the challenge</a>, or visit the official Developer Challenge pages in Portuguese. (<a href="http://www.redecim.com.br/page/ning-developer-challenge">redecim.com.br</a>, <a href="http://www.teia.mg.gov.br/page/ning-developer-challenge">teia.mg.gov.br</a>, <a href="http://ambientesp.ning.com/page/ning-developer-challenge">ambientesp.ning.com</a>)<br />
<br />
Thanks!<br />
- ErnieNing Creators is Live: General Discussion is now read-onlytag:developer.ning.com,2009-11-09:1185512:BlogPost:2461142009-11-09T21:30:00.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
Today, <a href="http://creators.ning.com" target="_blank">we are launching Ning Creators</a>, a new public Network Creator Network designed to help you get the most out of your Ning Network. While the Ning Developer Network will continue to be the place for developers to ask questions about the OpenSocial APIs, Javascript and CSS that power your Ning Network, Ning Creators offers articles, blog posts, screencasts, updates on new releases and a staffed forum. <b>Questions and discussions about…</b>
Today, <a href="http://creators.ning.com" target="_blank">we are launching Ning Creators</a>, a new public Network Creator Network designed to help you get the most out of your Ning Network. While the Ning Developer Network will continue to be the place for developers to ask questions about the OpenSocial APIs, Javascript and CSS that power your Ning Network, Ning Creators offers articles, blog posts, screencasts, updates on new releases and a staffed forum. <b>Questions and discussions about features on Ning should now go to Ning Creators</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>As a result, the General Discussion category on the Ning Developer forum will be marked read-only; in addition, all questions in the OpenSocial forum discussion not directly to OpenSocial implementation is subject to deletion without warning.</b><br />
<br />
If you are experiencing an issue with your specific Ning Network, please <a href="http://help.ning.com" target="_blank">contact the Ning Help Center</a>.<br />
<br />
For more information about Ning Creators, check out the blog post here:<br />
<a href="http://blog.ning.com/2009/11/ning-creators-is-live.html">http://blog.ning.com/2009/11/ning-creators-is-live.html</a><br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
- ErnieNing Apps Documentation v1.0.7 Released!tag:developer.ning.com,2009-10-22:1185512:BlogPost:2400712009-10-22T22:33:03.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
A new iteration of the Ning Apps documentation has been uploaded, with the following items:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Added screenshots of Tab Manager integration, Profile View "My Apps" screens.</li>
<li>There is no longer a need to create a separate development sandbox - just create a Ning Network. All references to developer sandboxes have been removed.</li>
<li>Added additional notes on Ning App caching.</li>
<li>Added notes on how to remove a Ning App.</li>
</ul>
<br />
To download a PDF of the newest version…
A new iteration of the Ning Apps documentation has been uploaded, with the following items:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Added screenshots of Tab Manager integration, Profile View "My Apps" screens.</li>
<li>There is no longer a need to create a separate development sandbox - just create a Ning Network. All references to developer sandboxes have been removed.</li>
<li>Added additional notes on Ning App caching.</li>
<li>Added notes on how to remove a Ning App.</li>
</ul>
<br />
To download a PDF of the newest version of the Ning Apps documentation, <a href="http://developer.ning.com/notes/Ning_Apps_Documentation">visit the documentation page</a>.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
- ErniePublic Ning Apps Permalinks Now Availabletag:developer.ning.com,2009-10-22:1185512:BlogPost:2399512009-10-22T00:28:57.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
Hi everyone!<br />
<br />
We're excited to let you know that we've rolled out a public-facing version of the Ning Apps directory, complete with permalinks that can be used to promote Ning Apps directly to prospective Network Creators. It's available here:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://developer.ning.com/ningapps">http://developer.ning.com/ningapps</a><br />
<br />
Here's how to grab a permalink:<br />
<br />
1) Click on the logo of a Ning App <a href="http://developer.ning.com/ningapps" target="_blank">in the public directory</a> to visit…
Hi everyone!<br />
<br />
We're excited to let you know that we've rolled out a public-facing version of the Ning Apps directory, complete with permalinks that can be used to promote Ning Apps directly to prospective Network Creators. It's available here:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://developer.ning.com/ningapps">http://developer.ning.com/ningapps</a><br />
<br />
Here's how to grab a permalink:<br />
<br />
1) Click on the logo of a Ning App <a href="http://developer.ning.com/ningapps" target="_blank">in the public directory</a> to visit your Ning App's description page.<br />
2) Copy the description page's URL.<br />
<br />
You can then spread your permalink to Network Creators as you see fit (Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.). When a prospective Network Creator clicks the "Add to My Network" link on your permalink page, they'll enter their Ning Network's URL, then be bounced directly to your app's install page on their network.<br />
<br />
Please let us know if you have any questions!<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
- ErnieWant to develop a Ning App? Here are some suggestions!tag:developer.ning.com,2009-10-07:1185512:BlogPost:2355342009-10-07T22:30:00.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
Since launching Ning Apps last month, we've received a lot of great feedback from our Network Creators about additional apps they'd love to see on their Ning networks. We thought we'd post a short suggestion list to help inspire you, our awesome developers.<br />
<br />
Reviews - Enable members of a Ning Network to share reviews of restaurants, local businesses and services, electronics, movies, music and more. Or create an app that lets the Network Creator create their own custom reviews…
Since launching Ning Apps last month, we've received a lot of great feedback from our Network Creators about additional apps they'd love to see on their Ning networks. We thought we'd post a short suggestion list to help inspire you, our awesome developers.<br />
<br />
Reviews - Enable members of a Ning Network to share reviews of restaurants, local businesses and services, electronics, movies, music and more. Or create an app that lets the Network Creator create their own custom reviews application.<br />
<br />
Favorites - A Ning App that lets members of a Ning Network build a list of their favorite things. They can choose from default list types (favorite posts, movies, music, books or TV) or create their own custom favorites type.<br />
<br />
Give Away - Whether you're a Freecycling or Freesharing group that is dedicated to giving stuff away or you're a group that wants to make exchanges possible among people in your Ning Network, an application like this would make it easier for folks to give stuff away.<br />
<br />
Places Map - A way for members of a Ning Network to share information about places that are relevant to the group. You can customize the map to make it about a specific type of place (e.g. restaurants, dog parks or tourist attractions) or leave it open to anything.<br />
<br />
Questions & Answers - Enable members to ask and answer questions<br />
<br />
Quote Me - Create a collection of your group's favorite quotes<br />
<br />
Recipes - Enable recipe sharing among members of a Ning Network<br />
<br />
Happy building! If you create a Ning App, <a href="http://developer.ning.com/opensocialapps" target="_blank">you can submit it here</a>. If anyone has any questions or comments, let us know. Thanks!Introducing Ning Apps for your Ning Network!tag:developer.ning.com,2009-09-10:1185512:BlogPost:2313642009-09-10T15:00:00.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
As our Senior Vice President of Business Operations Jason Rosenthal has announced, we have made Ning Apps available for all social networks on Ning. You can <a href="http://blog.ning.com/2009/09/introducing-ning-apps.html" target="_blank">read more information about Ning Apps</a> on the Ning Blog, or <a href="http://developer.ning.com/notes/Ning_Apps_Documentation" target="_blank">find some documentation how to build your own Ning Apps</a> here at the Ning Developer Network.<br />
<br />
You can also use…
As our Senior Vice President of Business Operations Jason Rosenthal has announced, we have made Ning Apps available for all social networks on Ning. You can <a href="http://blog.ning.com/2009/09/introducing-ning-apps.html" target="_blank">read more information about Ning Apps</a> on the Ning Blog, or <a href="http://developer.ning.com/notes/Ning_Apps_Documentation" target="_blank">find some documentation how to build your own Ning Apps</a> here at the Ning Developer Network.<br />
<br />
You can also use our <a href="http://developer.ning.com/forum/categories/opensocial-development/listForCategory" target="_blank">OpenSocial forums for specific developer questions</a>, although if you have questions on how Ning Apps work in general, we ask that you write them <a href="http://developer.ning.com/forum/categories/general-discussion/listForCategory" target="_blank">in our general discussion forum</a> or use the <a href="http://help.ning.com" target="_blank">Ning Help Center</a>.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
- ErnieWhat happens after you submit an App?tag:developer.ning.com,2009-09-07:1185512:BlogPost:2287352009-09-07T18:59:37.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
We here at Ning thought it would be useful to let you know a bit about the policy and usability processes we have in place to review your Apps. These processes are in place to ensure you are putting your best foot forward to in providing a quality product for all of our 1.4 million Ning Networks and 30 million members.<br />
<br />
What happens after you submit your App? You may find the following article useful:…
We here at Ning thought it would be useful to let you know a bit about the policy and usability processes we have in place to review your Apps. These processes are in place to ensure you are putting your best foot forward to in providing a quality product for all of our 1.4 million Ning Networks and 30 million members.<br />
<br />
What happens after you submit your App? You may find the following article useful:<br />
<a href="http://developer.ning.com/notes/After_Your_App_is_Submitted" target="_blank">http://developer.ning.com/notes/After_Your_App_is_Submitted</a><br />
<br />
(And if your App is still in the queue, we appreciate your patience as we continue getting caught up to speed due to our work on Ning Apps. We'll get everyone who submitted an App a response as soon as we can.)<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
- ErnieNing Apps Documentation v1.0.6 Released!tag:developer.ning.com,2009-08-18:1185512:BlogPost:2257592009-08-18T00:00:00.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
A new iteration of the Ning Apps documentation has been uploaded, with the following items:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Sandboxes must now be created by contacting the Ning Help Center.</li>
<li>Removed ning.main view, UserPrefs and EnumValues sections.</li>
<li>Added a section explaining that Network Creators and Admins can display or hide all profile views to members.</li>
</ul>
<br />
To download a PDF of the newest version of the Ning Apps documentation,…
A new iteration of the Ning Apps documentation has been uploaded, with the following items:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Sandboxes must now be created by contacting the Ning Help Center.</li>
<li>Removed ning.main view, UserPrefs and EnumValues sections.</li>
<li>Added a section explaining that Network Creators and Admins can display or hide all profile views to members.</li>
</ul>
<br />
To download a PDF of the newest version of the Ning Apps documentation, <a href="http://developer.ning.com/notes/Ning_Apps_Documentation">visit the documentation page</a>.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
- ErnieNing Apps to launch in early Septembertag:developer.ning.com,2009-08-11:1185512:BlogPost:2250762009-08-11T21:30:00.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
<i>(Note: <a href="http://blog.ning.com/2009/08/ning-apps-to-launch-in-early-september.html" target="_blank">This is a re-post of Nick's post on the Ning Blog</a>. Please direct any particular feedback there so we can manage responses more efficiently. Thanks!)</i><br />
<br />
We are excited to announce that Ning Apps will debut in early September!<br />
<br />
When you create a Ning Network around a specific interest or passion, you need a diverse feature set that allows you to be creative and customize the…
<i>(Note: <a href="http://blog.ning.com/2009/08/ning-apps-to-launch-in-early-september.html" target="_blank">This is a re-post of Nick's post on the Ning Blog</a>. Please direct any particular feedback there so we can manage responses more efficiently. Thanks!)</i><br />
<br />
We are excited to announce that Ning Apps will debut in early September!<br />
<br />
When you create a Ning Network around a specific interest or passion, you need a diverse feature set that allows you to be creative and customize the experience for your members. For example, if you run a Ning Network around a non-profit organization or a cause you care about, you can take a poll with a new Ning App that allows you to check the pulse of your members to better understand what moves them. Then you can use a direct donation Ning App to drive contributions to your cause within your Ning Network.<br />
<br />
By offering more than 90 different applications, Ning Apps provide a unique opportunity for Network Creators to further customize the social experience on their Ning Network based on their goals. This flexibility will allow Ning Network Creators to spark more relevant engagement, enhance collaboration, and conduct e-commerce.<br />
<br />
We want to thank the Network Creators who are participating in our private beta and the application developers who partnered with us to create such a diverse set of features.<br />
<br />
We look forward to launching Ning Apps next month!Updating the Latest Activity Stream in Your Ning Apptag:developer.ning.com,2009-08-10:1185512:BlogPost:2248612009-08-10T19:30:00.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
Having a Ning App write to the activity stream (using opensocial.requestCreateActivity) is the most effective way to drive visibility and traffic to your application directly from the main page of a social network.<br />
<br />
We can see opensocial.requestCreateActivity in action by using the OpenSocial Dev App tool; you can install the OpenSocial Dev App tool on a Ning Apps sandbox by going to http://NETWORKNAME.ning.com/opensocial/ningapps/addByUrl to add an XML file manually (replacing NETWORKNAME with…
Having a Ning App write to the activity stream (using opensocial.requestCreateActivity) is the most effective way to drive visibility and traffic to your application directly from the main page of a social network.<br />
<br />
We can see opensocial.requestCreateActivity in action by using the OpenSocial Dev App tool; you can install the OpenSocial Dev App tool on a Ning Apps sandbox by going to http://NETWORKNAME.ning.com/opensocial/ningapps/addByUrl to add an XML file manually (replacing NETWORKNAME with the name of your social network) and adding the url <a href="http://gadgetstore.ning.com/gadgets/coderunner/coderunner08.xml" target="_blank">http://gadgetstore.ning.com/gadgets/coderunner/coderunner08.xml</a>. Once the OpenSocial Dev App tool is installed, paste the following code into the development window:<br />
<br />
<code><br />
function postActivity(text) {<br />
var params = {};<br />
params[opensocial.Activity.Field.TITLE] = text;<br />
var activity = opensocial.newActivity(params);<br />
opensocial.requestCreateActivity(activity, opensocial.CreateActivityPriority.HIGH, callback);<br />
};<br />
<br />
function callback(data) {<br />
/* callback is an optional function which is called after requestCreateActivity. */<br />
/* do what you would like with the data attribute. */<br />
document.getElementById("dom_handler").innerHTML = "Latest activity will be shown when you refresh your profile page.";<br />
};<br />
<br />
postActivity("This is a sample activity, created at " + new Date().toString());<br />
</code><br />
<br />
The activity object is created through opensocial.newActivity(), and that object is placed -- along with a callback function -- as a parameter to the opensocial.requestCreateActivity method. The callback function is optional, and is specifically called after requestCreateActivity is invoked.<br />
<br />
Now that you understand how to ping the Latest Activity stream, you can update your OpenSocial code appropriately to ping the latest activity feed on the main page.<br />
<br />
<b>NOTE:</b> The requestCreateActivity API has a quota of 5 invocations per member, per application, per day. This means that a member can call the functionality five times a day for each application. With the exception of the <a>tag, all HTML is stripped from the text before the API is invoked due to abuse prevention purposes.Another Update on Ning Appstag:developer.ning.com,2009-07-14:1185512:BlogPost:2214752009-07-14T19:07:18.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
Hi everyone,<br />
<br />
After a private beta period and some extensive performance and feature analysis, we're currently planning to make Ning Apps available to all social networks on Ning in mid-August. We appreciate your patience and flexibility as we finalize the last of our product testing and development, and will follow-up as the date gets closer with more specific information.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
- Ernie
Hi everyone,<br />
<br />
After a private beta period and some extensive performance and feature analysis, we're currently planning to make Ning Apps available to all social networks on Ning in mid-August. We appreciate your patience and flexibility as we finalize the last of our product testing and development, and will follow-up as the date gets closer with more specific information.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
- ErnieNing Apps Documentation v1.0.5 Released!tag:developer.ning.com,2009-07-07:1185512:BlogPost:2200622009-07-07T20:00:00.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
A new iteration of the Ning Apps documentation has been uploaded, with the following items:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Added section "What Ning Apps Can and Can Not Do"</li>
<li>Further clarified the section "UserPrefs and EnumValues" -- UserPrefs are unavailable in the Profile or Canvas View.</li>
<li>All Ning Apps titles should have a maximum length of 24 characters.</li>
<li>Fixed a broken PNG file related to the subnavigation.</li>
<li>Added…</li>
</ul>
A new iteration of the Ning Apps documentation has been uploaded, with the following items:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Added section "What Ning Apps Can and Can Not Do"</li>
<li>Further clarified the section "UserPrefs and EnumValues" -- UserPrefs are unavailable in the Profile or Canvas View.</li>
<li>All Ning Apps titles should have a maximum length of 24 characters.</li>
<li>Fixed a broken PNG file related to the subnavigation.</li>
<li>Added <a href="http://os.ning.com/tutorials/ningapps/docs/app-screen-template-455.psd" target="_blank">a PSD file</a> that designers can use to make screenshots appropriate for submission to the Ning App Directory</li>
<li>Removed Weather Sharer, to be replaced with a different sample application in a later doc release.</li>
</ul>
<br />
To download a PDF of the newest version of the Ning Apps documentation, <a href="http://developer.ning.com/notes/Ning_Apps_Documentation">visit the documentation page</a>.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
- ErnieNing Apps Documentation v1.0.4 Released!tag:developer.ning.com,2009-05-26:1185512:BlogPost:2098582009-05-26T23:30:00.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
A new iteration of the Ning Apps documentation has been uploaded, with the following items:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Added section "Getting Ning Container-Specific information with ning.core.AppStatus"</li>
<li>Changed XML sample for section "Navigating Between Views and Passing Parameter Information"</li>
<li>Added content for the section "UserPrefs and EnumValues"</li>
<li>author_email in the ModulePrefs header is now accessible to Network Creators in the Ning Apps Directory; the "What you MUST do" section…</li>
</ul>
A new iteration of the Ning Apps documentation has been uploaded, with the following items:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Added section "Getting Ning Container-Specific information with ning.core.AppStatus"</li>
<li>Changed XML sample for section "Navigating Between Views and Passing Parameter Information"</li>
<li>Added content for the section "UserPrefs and EnumValues"</li>
<li>author_email in the ModulePrefs header is now accessible to Network Creators in the Ning Apps Directory; the "What you MUST do" section has been edited accordingly.</li>
</ul>
<br />
To download a PDF of the newest version of the Ning Apps documentation, <a href="http://developer.ning.com/notes/Ning_Apps_Documentation">visit the documentation page</a>.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
- ErnieAn Update on Ning Appstag:developer.ning.com,2009-05-07:1185512:BlogPost:1811212009-05-07T06:00:00.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
Hi everyone!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://mashable.com/2009/05/06/ning-apps/">As you may have heard</a>, beta testing for Ning Apps are currently underway for a select group of social networks.<br />
<br />
Ning Apps is similar to Profile Apps in that they both use OpenSocial APIs to get data about members of a social network, but Ning Apps contain additional views to show functionality at the main page of a social network, along with additional canvas and profile page views. As Ning is unique to other social network…
Hi everyone!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://mashable.com/2009/05/06/ning-apps/">As you may have heard</a>, beta testing for Ning Apps are currently underway for a select group of social networks.<br />
<br />
Ning Apps is similar to Profile Apps in that they both use OpenSocial APIs to get data about members of a social network, but Ning Apps contain additional views to show functionality at the main page of a social network, along with additional canvas and profile page views. As Ning is unique to other social network containers, there are also some Ning-specific methods and objects specifically geared towards your social network. (And we'll be adding more of these methods and objects as Ning Apps are further defined.)<br />
<br />
To create a development sandbox, use the following URL:<br />
<a href="http://www.ning.com/main/createyourown?source=networkapplications">http://www.ning.com/main/createyourown?source=networkapplications</a><br />
<br />
The sole purpose of the sandbox is to test your Ning Apps XML file, not to use this as a permanent social network, and content on these social networks can and will change without notice. Also, do not review any Ning Apps through development sandboxes; the Ning Apps Directory on sandboxes are tied directly into the directory on social networks, so any reviews made through sandboxes will also show up there.<br />
<br />
That said, developers can begin reading <a href="http://developer.ning.com/notes/Ning_Apps_Documentation">the Ning Apps documentation</a>, and we plan on adding more examples and tutorials to help developers add additional functionality for social networks everywhere. Stay tuned!<br />
<br />
- ErnieAn Update on Network Applicationstag:developer.ning.com,2009-01-26:1185512:BlogPost:1288112009-01-26T21:30:00.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
Hi everyone,<br />
<br />
A number of people have asked about when OpenSocial Applications will be available from the main page of social networks instead of only being served off of profile pages.<br />
<br />
We are currently going through a private beta period, but soon will make Network Applications available for all Network Creators. I'll follow-up here when there's more information to announce. Stay tuned!<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
- Ernie
Hi everyone,<br />
<br />
A number of people have asked about when OpenSocial Applications will be available from the main page of social networks instead of only being served off of profile pages.<br />
<br />
We are currently going through a private beta period, but soon will make Network Applications available for all Network Creators. I'll follow-up here when there's more information to announce. Stay tuned!<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
- ErnieHow to add an OpenSocial Application on your own social network!tag:developer.ning.com,2008-12-16:1185512:BlogPost:1095842008-12-16T01:00:00.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
To add an Application, click on the "Add Applications" link that appears in the left column of your profile page, beneath your photo:<br />
<br />
<img alt="Image" border="0" id="IMG1" name="IMG1" src="http://help.ning.com/rnt/rnw/img/enduser/knowledgebase/aboutaddappek.jpg"></img><br />
<br />
This will take you to the Application Directory, where you can browse all Applications or view them by category. When you find an Application that you'd like to add, click on the "Add to My Page" button and then confirm by clicking "Add Application". The Application will now appear on your profile!<br />
<br />
<img alt="Image" border="0" id="IMG1" name="IMG1" src="http://help.ning.com/rnt/rnw/img/enduser/knowledgebase/add%20app%20-%20directory%20view%20-%20final.png"></img><br />
<br />
You can also add other OpenSocial…
To add an Application, click on the "Add Applications" link that appears in the left column of your profile page, beneath your photo:<br />
<br />
<img id="IMG1" alt="Image" src="http://help.ning.com/rnt/rnw/img/enduser/knowledgebase/aboutaddappek.jpg" name="IMG1" border="0"/><br />
<br />
This will take you to the Application Directory, where you can browse all Applications or view them by category. When you find an Application that you'd like to add, click on the "Add to My Page" button and then confirm by clicking "Add Application". The Application will now appear on your profile!<br />
<br />
<img id="IMG1" alt="Image" src="http://help.ning.com/rnt/rnw/img/enduser/knowledgebase/add%20app%20-%20directory%20view%20-%20final.png" name="IMG1" border="0"/><br />
<br />
You can also add other OpenSocial Applications that do not appear in the Application Directory. To do this, click on the "Add By URL" link at the top of the Application Directory page. You can enter the address of any compatible OpenSocial Application and click the "Add Application" button. After confirming by clicking the "OK" button, the Application will be added to your profile.<br />
<br />
<img id="IMG1" alt="Image" src="http://help.ning.com/rnt/rnw/img/enduser/knowledgebase/add%20app%20-%20by%20URL%20-%20final.png" name="IMG1" border="0"/>Ning's Presentation at the OpenSocial's First Birthdaytag:developer.ning.com,2008-12-03:1185512:BlogPost:1031362008-12-03T01:00:00.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
A couple of weeks ago, OpenSocial had its <a href="http://opensocialapis.blogspot.com/2008/11/opensocials-birthday-wrap-up-its-good.html">first birthday party in San Francisco</a>, and Ning was one of a couple of social network containers that was fortunate enough to attend.<br />
<br />
Here is a presentation given by Jay Parikh (VP of Engineering) on how Ning is using OpenSocial. Of possible interest to developers is our future implementation of Network-wide OpenSocial Applications, to be launched some…
A couple of weeks ago, OpenSocial had its <a href="http://opensocialapis.blogspot.com/2008/11/opensocials-birthday-wrap-up-its-good.html">first birthday party in San Francisco</a>, and Ning was one of a couple of social network containers that was fortunate enough to attend.<br />
<br />
Here is a presentation given by Jay Parikh (VP of Engineering) on how Ning is using OpenSocial. Of possible interest to developers is our future implementation of Network-wide OpenSocial Applications, to be launched some time early next year:<br />
<br />
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OT2mWkTTaN4&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OT2mWkTTaN4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="never" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>OpenSocial Wikis and Compliance Teststag:developer.ning.com,2008-11-05:1185512:BlogPost:904902008-11-05T02:00:00.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
Hi everyone!<br />
<br />
Here are two more two additional tools that OpenSocial developers may find useful:<br />
<br />
1. As <a href="http://opensocialapis.blogspot.com/2008/10/now-you-can-share-your-stuff-on.html">previously mentioned on the OpenSocial API Blog</a>, <a href="http://wiki.opensocial.org/index.php?title=Main_Page">there is now a wiki for all things OpenSocial</a>. The wiki contains tutorials, API references and information about other social network containers. While still in its infancy stage, the…
Hi everyone!<br />
<br />
Here are two more two additional tools that OpenSocial developers may find useful:<br />
<br />
1. As <a href="http://opensocialapis.blogspot.com/2008/10/now-you-can-share-your-stuff-on.html">previously mentioned on the OpenSocial API Blog</a>, <a href="http://wiki.opensocial.org/index.php?title=Main_Page">there is now a wiki for all things OpenSocial</a>. The wiki contains tutorials, API references and information about other social network containers. While still in its infancy stage, the wiki could prove especially useful if you're a developer porting your OpenSocial Application into Ning from a different container or vice-versa.<br />
<br />
2. Different social network containers handle OpenSocial APIs differently. As a result, compliance tests are created in the form of test gadgets. The <a href="http://code.google.com/p/opensocial-resources/wiki/ComplianceTests">page on Google Code</a> gives a bit more detail:<br />
<br />
"... These gadgets should run on any container and will output whether the container passes or fails compliance. Right now there are three levels of tests, p0, p1, and p2. The p0 tests must pass in order for a container to be spec compliant. The p1 and p2 tests should pass but are more about developer usability issues and are not required for spec compliance. Lower numbered issues are more urgent, for example, a p1 test failure indicates a higher priority issue than p2 test failure. Sets of related tests are grouped into test suites. A list of all current test suites and tests is at the end of this document."<br />
<br />
In other words, these tests go into greater detail as to what OpenSocial 0.7 APIs are supported and which are not. You can <a href="http://opensocial-test.ning.com/profile/EricPollmann">view the application running on a test social network here</a>.Guidelines for Developers porting their OpenSocial Applications from a different social network container to Ningtag:developer.ning.com,2008-10-20:1185512:BlogPost:841872008-10-20T20:30:00.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
Hi everyone!<br />
<br />
So, the good news is that there have been a lot of applications to review for the Ning Application Directory. More Applications mean more variety, and that's a good thing.<br />
<br />
But the bad news is this: because a lot of OpenSocial Application developers haven't taken the time to look at the Best Practices page on the Ning OpenSocial Documentation, we've had to reject a lot of the applications right off the bat, or at least it's been a lengthy process.<br />
<br />
The biggest guidelines to follow…
Hi everyone!<br />
<br />
So, the good news is that there have been a lot of applications to review for the Ning Application Directory. More Applications mean more variety, and that's a good thing.<br />
<br />
But the bad news is this: because a lot of OpenSocial Application developers haven't taken the time to look at the Best Practices page on the Ning OpenSocial Documentation, we've had to reject a lot of the applications right off the bat, or at least it's been a lengthy process.<br />
<br />
The biggest guidelines to follow are the following:<br />
<br />
1. <b>Make sure the attributes of your Application are properly filled out.</b><br />
The attributes in the tag of your Application stores important meta-data about your OpenSocial Application. Some of these attributes are required, such as the title, description, thumbnail, and screenshot attributes, but if you wish you can include other pieces of meta-data such as the author and author_email fields, and the respective values will be displayed in your Application's "About View" page.<br />
<ul>
<li>Title: This will be the name of your application in the Directory, Profile Page, About Page and Canvas Page. Try to keep it under 40 characters.</li>
<li>Thumbnail: This should be 120x60. It is a logo that you want to associate with your application, and will be displayed in the Application Directory.</li>
<li>Description: The description is displayed in the Directory, and also on the About Page above the screenshot.</li>
<li>Screenshot: This can be a maximum of 502 px wide (and 1000 px high). It will be displayed on the About page below the description.</li>
</ul>
<br />
2. <b>Preview your Application on a social network on Ning.</b><br />
<a href="http://developer.ning.com/notes/Testing_and_Submitting_Your_Ning_OpenSocial_Application">Follow these instructions on how you can manually add your XML file</a> to test your OpenSocial Application. Please do this - if there are obvious errors or blank screens or usability errors, we will instantly reject your application.<br />
<br />
3. <b>We can not accept Applications which shares a profile photo of a Ning Network with other social networks.</b> Ning allows people to create networks about anything and we recognize that some subject matter that is acceptable to one group can be offensive to other people. As a result, we are not adding applications to the directory that use avatars shared across multiple social networks at this time.<br />
<br />
I'm available to answer any questions you as a developer may have.<br />
<br />
Thanks!<br />
- ErnieUpgrade from PHP 5.2.3 to PHP 5.2.6tag:developer.ning.com,2008-10-16:1185512:BlogPost:824802008-10-16T20:43:07.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
Hi everyone!<br />
<br />
As part of the <a href="http://networkcreators.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=492224%3ATopic%3A371429">10/17 platform release</a>, we are upgrading all social networks to a new configuration that uses <a href="http://www.php.net/releases/5_2_6.php">PHP 5.2.6</a>, an upgrade from PHP 5.2.3. This will occur at a gradual basis, with groups of networks upgraded at once. As this is a minor release it's very unlikely that it will impact any of the software that you've developed.<br />
<br />
Let me…
Hi everyone!<br />
<br />
As part of the <a href="http://networkcreators.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=492224%3ATopic%3A371429">10/17 platform release</a>, we are upgrading all social networks to a new configuration that uses <a href="http://www.php.net/releases/5_2_6.php">PHP 5.2.6</a>, an upgrade from PHP 5.2.3. This will occur at a gradual basis, with groups of networks upgraded at once. As this is a minor release it's very unlikely that it will impact any of the software that you've developed.<br />
<br />
Let me know if you have any questions.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
- ErnieHello, World!tag:developer.ning.com,2008-10-08:1185512:BlogPost:779312008-10-08T22:00:00.000ZErnie H.https://developer.ning.com/profile/ErnieH
Something look different? Yeah, we think so too. Hopefully, in a good way :)<br />
<br />
As you've figured out by now, we just launched a redesigned Ning Developer Network to emphasize the amazing stuff you can do on Ning with OpenSocial 0.7 APIs.<br />
<br />
From our new Ning Developer Network, you also now have the opportunity to submit your OpenSocial applications to the Ning Application Directory, where your applications will be showcased to millions of members across the over 500,000 social networks on…
Something look different? Yeah, we think so too. Hopefully, in a good way :)<br />
<br />
As you've figured out by now, we just launched a redesigned Ning Developer Network to emphasize the amazing stuff you can do on Ning with OpenSocial 0.7 APIs.<br />
<br />
From our new Ning Developer Network, you also now have the opportunity to submit your OpenSocial applications to the Ning Application Directory, where your applications will be showcased to millions of members across the over 500,000 social networks on Ning.<br />
<br />
Not to fear, we still have all the same great documentation that was here before, as we know that writing code to customize your social network on Ning isn't limited to taking advantage of OpenSocial APIs to develop new applications. All the tutorials and resources previously available are still here - the forum is still your place to go if you have any questions about the code that powers your social network, and if you're looking for your PHP, Javascript and CSS tutorials and reference documents, you can find them all in the Resources dropdown menu.<br />
<br />
As for this blog? Think of it as your first stop for announcements and resources on developing on Ning. As always, we're excited to hear your feedback as we continue to iterate and make it awesome. Stay tuned!<br />
<br />
Thanks!<br />
- Ernie<br />
<br />
PS: Okay, there's been so much demand for people asking how the team made the Developer Network's main page look the way it does without decentralizing code that <a href="http://cssdemo07.ning.com/">I created a test network with instructions on how to do so</a>. A word of warning though -- it's recommended for advanced CSS gurus ONLY; the reason for creating this is to prove that with a little bit of smoke and mirrors and creativity, you can really have your main pages look a LOT different from the other social networks.