Channels, Feeds & Transactions Discussion group meeting 29 July 2021

[kriswest]

Group overview

There are currently 11 10 12 open issues in the FDC3 repository, under consideration for the 2.0 release, that relate to the existing concept of channels (both the 'system channels' used via the desktop agent API, and 'app channels' interacted with through the Channels API) and new concepts we've discussed introducing: transactions (a standardized way to make a request and receive a response back) and feeds (a standardized way to request a stream of data, such as a pricing stream).

Relevant issue tags

Current open issues that relate to the above concepts with the label:

Meeting Date

Thursday 29 July 2021 - 9am EST / 2pm GMT

WebEx info

• Meeting Link
• Meeting number: 127 111 4958
• Password: e3EeiZkzF25

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Meeting notices

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Agenda

• Convene & roll call, review meeting notices (5mins)
• Review action items from previous meeting (5mins)
• Review (relevant) new issues raised since last meeting (45 mins)
  • Rename 'System Channels' 'User Channels' #430 (confirm recommendation, and firm up details)
  • Make optional: fdc3.joinChannel and fdc3.leaveChannel #431 (confirm recommendation)
  • Make it possible to return data from a raised intent #432 (review proposal and firm up details)
  • Add the concept of a feed or stream to FDC3 to handle use-cases not covered by channels or intents #433 (solicit proposals for next meeting)
  • Clarify how apps should handle broadcast and receipt of multiple context types #434 (discuss)
  • is Argument order in addContextListener overloads complicates implementation #215 still relevant?
• Agenda items for next meeting, AOB & Adjourn (5mins)

Minutes

• Rename 'System Channels' 'User Channels' #430
  • All accept this proposal
  • Also rename joinChannel -> joinUserChannel and deprecate joinChannel
  • Create PR and add to 2.0 scope
• Make optional: fdc3.joinChannel and fdc3.leaveChannel #431
  • These functions are needed where an application can't adopt the Destkop Agent's UI
    • Several participants related direct experience with this in (legacy) native applications that want to use FDC3
  • Soft option preferred - make these functions optional, if we fully deprecate and they are needed we're forcing people into proprietary APIs
  • We should improve the documentation of fdc3.addContentListener and fdc3.broadcast to mention joining the channels
• Make it possible to return data from a raised intent #432
  • Later proposal preferred by several participants
    • Desktop agent can resolve IntentResolution promise as soon as the intent/context is delivered to resolving app
    • Then the app that raised intent can wait on the intenthandler to resolve the promise for the data (or void)
  • Several participants are nervous about returning data from intents, which they think of as 'fire and forget'.
  • Other participants think introducing a separate set of concepts that mirror intents, but allow the return of data would add unnecessary complexity to the standard
    • The proposed additions are optional - you do not need to wait on the promises
  • @mattjamieson to raise an alternative proposal for this issue for consideration

Action Items

• Schedule next two discussion group meeting for 12 August and 9 September - Aitana/Julia
• Raise PRs for Rename 'System Channels' 'User Channels' #430 and Make optional: fdc3.joinChannel and fdc3.leaveChannel #431 - @kriswest
  • Raise PR to improve documentation of fdc3.addContentListener and fdc3.broadcast to mention joining channels @kriswest
• Alternative proposal for Make it possible to return data from a raised intent #432 - @mattjamieson
• Agenda items to roll over to next meeting:
  • Add the concept of a feed or stream to FDC3 to handle use-cases not covered by channels or intents #433 (solicit proposals for next meeting)
  • Clarify how apps should handle broadcast and receipt of multiple context types #434 (discuss)
  • is Argument order in addContextListener overloads complicates implementation #215 still relevant?
  • Make it possible to return data from a raised intent #432 alternative proposal

Untracked attendees

[kriswest]

🚀

[pbaize]

Present

[thorsent]

Present

[rikoe]

🎉

[mattjamieson]

🇬🇧

[ggeorgievx]

Present ✅

[Julia-Ritter]

Julia / FINOS

[agitana]

Aitana Myohl / FINOS

[openfin-gavin]

here