Overview and core concepts

Plugin
A plugin is an extension to an existing web application that enables it to show widgets that are being served by Wookie. A plugin implements the Wookie REST API to discover which widgets are available, to request instances for particular users, and to set participant information.

Plugins are usually written in the programming language of the host web application and may make use of an existing "widget" or "plugin" system, extending it to support additional widgets made available by Wookie.

Viewer
The viewer is the current user who is viewing a widget in the browser. Typically an application uses session information to know who the current user is, and this is used to request a particular widget instance. It is up to the plugin to determine how to identify the viewer; for example the user's real id is one possibility; another is an opaque hashcode using the id.

Widget Instance
A widget instance is a persistent instance of a particular widget created for a user. Each widget instance has its own storage area in Wookie. Widget Instances are created by invoking the Wookie REST API using an API Key and supplying values for the viewer and the shared data key.

API Key
An API Key is used to access many of the features of the Wookie REST API. Each individual web application needs its own API key. API Keys are generated from Wookie's administration interface.

Shared Data Key
The shared data key is an arbitrary identifier that marks widget instances as being sibling instances that can share state information. It is up to the plugin to determine this value; typically there is a persistent identifier available for whichever view is being used as the container for a widget.

Creating a widget gallery

...