Desktop Agent Bridging Discussion group 12 Jan 2022

[kriswest]

Group overview

Discussion group for developing proposals for producing bridges between FDC3 implementations (aka Desktop Agents), allowing applications running on one Desktop Agent, to integrate with FDC3 applications running on a second Desktop Agent for the same user.

The interop between applications running on different Desktop Agents aka Platforms would ideally cover

• Channels
• Raising and resolving Intents
• Launching Applications

Relevant issue tags and Discussion

• Current open issues that relate to the above concepts with the label:
  
• The original issue is now a github discussion where content can be added and this issue discussed:
  Desktop Agent Bridging Discussion group #544

Meeting Date

Wednesday 12 Jan 2020 - 9am EST / 2pm GMT

WebEx info

• Meeting Link
  Meeting number: 2559 527 0162
  Password: gAWMq3hyW54

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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)
• Discuss documentation of detailed use-cases (how should this look to the user) (15mins)
• Discuss API proposals (15mins)
  • What are the problems that need to be solved?
• Discuss security / where API should be implemented (15mins)
• AOB & Adjourn (5mins)

Minutes

• Recapped some of the discussion from the last meeting

  • Citi and Natwest desire different topologies for Desktop agent bridging (Centralized + cross machine, vs. decentralize/peer-to-peer)

• Citi team presented a concrete use-case

  • Use case: Run a search (on CitiVelocity) and present results in multiple apps on different containers
    • Demo provided by Citi
      • App in Desktop Agent (ICG, based onFinsemble) + app running in a web browser (acting as its own Desktop Agent)
      • Run search in browser window
      • Results presented in both browser app and app running in container
      • Browser app raises an intent with the search query
        • Currently implemented with intent being resolved by multiple applications currently (changes semantics of raiseIntent which is usually 1:1)
        • findIntent could be used to find all apps that can resolve and raise a copy of the intent multiple times targeting each
        • Could also use a named app channel that each app listens to.
  • Implementation:
    
    (proposed new API calls in green)
    
    • getAllConnections() is used by an application to identify that a connection is available to another desktop agent
      • Intent is specifically targetted at the other agent (and/or app)
  • A participant highlighted that adding the getAllConnections() function and a field for targeting a desktop agent increases the complexity of using FDC3 for apps (need to check for connections and specify additional target fields if targeting apps across them)
    • This should be avoided if possible as it will impact uptake.
  • Alternative approaches proposed:
    • Each Desktop Agent connects to multiple appDs with knowledge of which is used by other agents
      • This will never be able to handle targeting app instances as only the Destkop Agent knows about instances.
    • Desktop Agents handle bridging in a mostly opaque fashion so that apps do not have to change
    • Integrate intent resolution via findIntent - call it on each connected DA to retrieve options for findIntent responses or options to present in a resolver UI
    • Add a desktopAgent field to AppMetadata to identify which DA an app or instance is running on
    • Both apps and intent resolvers can target apps as they do now, by just selecting and using one of the AppMetadata objects presented to it.
      • Doesn't handle showing a resolver on another DA (just target the DA, rather than an app), but this could be handled by returning an additional APPMetadata that represents the DA's resolver.

• Usecase: fdc3.open an app on another Desktop Agent

  • Currently only way to discover apps on other desktop agent is via connecting to its AppD, which requires prior knowledge of that
  • Could be solved via an API function within bridging instead...

• Usecase: Seamless replication of channel messages in same named channel on other agents.

  • Fairly easy to implement via a firehose and message format (that wraps the context objects and add metadata on channel name and source DA)
  • Channel discovery not required as Channels can be created automatically when a message is first received on it.

• Usecase: Desktop Agents from different firms running on the same desktop and not necessarily wanting to share channels, raised intents etc.

  • Multiple participants agreed there are use-cases for controlling communication (app->app, Destktop agent-> agent, user id->user id, where same user is logged in with a different ID in a different container)
    • FDC3 has, in the past, shied away from supporting this through the API, but rather deferred to individual implementations to provide these features.
    • The important thing is that the standard shouldn't preclude the ability to implement security.
      • Include fields that contain data about the container (and user?) allowing logic to built based on it
        • Should metadata be added by sending agent or receiving agent? Easier to trust metadata added by receiving container, if it knows what it connected to and received input from.

• @kriswest ran through a draft set of proposed requirements and problems need solutions to come to a proposal

  • Proposed that we focus on the requirements and problems lists in future meeting agendas as way to guide us to a workable proposal
  • Drafts to be refined and posted

Action Items

• @kriswest to refine and then post draft proposed requirements and problems on Desktop Agent Bridging Discussion group #544 and notify the community when done
• (all interested parties) to post additional requirements or problems perceived for discussion
• @kriswest to find options for next meeting in about 4 weeks
  • n.b. a couple of participants requested a different time/day due to conflicts
  • n.b. meeting in >=4 weeks requested to avoid Chinese new year - cadence to be rechecked at next meeting
• @kriswest to post next meeting agenda based on requirements/problems lists

Untracked attendees

Full name	Affiliation	GitHub username

[agitana]

Aitana Myohl / FINOS

[Julia-Ritter]

Julia / FINOS :)

[donbasuno]

Johan / FactSet 🎁

[saurabhguptanwm]

Saurabh / NWM

[bertrand-s]

Bertrand / Symphony

[opoupeney]

Olivier / Symphony

[pbaize]

Pierre / OpenFin

[mattjamieson]

👋

[MichaelMCoates]

Michael Coates / OpenFin

[lspiro-Tick42]

Leslie Spiro / Glue42

[RandallDang-Citi]

Randall / Citi

[kriswest]

Kris / Cosaic

[ggeorgievx]

Present ✅

[Qiana-Citi]

Qiana / Citi

[thorsent]

Terry / Cosaic

[jgavronsky]

Jane / FINOS

[manishbhutani]

Manish / NWM

[symphony-adnane]

Adnane @symphony

[Julia-Ritter]

Untracked attendees:

• Hugh Troeger / FactSet
• Aaron Haines / NWM

[kriswest]

Options for a next meeting of the group:

• 🎉 Monday 7th Feb 2pm GMT / 9am EST
• ❤️ Thursday 10th Feb 2pm GMT / 9am EST
• 🚀 Thursday 10th Feb 4pm GMT / 11am EST
• 😄 Friday 11th Feb 3pm GMT / 10am EST
• 👎 Need a different option!

Poll closed

selected: Thursday 10th Feb 2pm GMT / 9am EST

[kriswest]

(Will Shotton / RBC - any of the options except Friday)

[lspiro-Tick42]

Thursday is best for me

[kriswest]

Requirements and problems to solve content briefly presented at this meeting has been posted at: #544 (comment)

I recommend we focus on these for the next meeting agenda.

[kriswest]

Based on the poll, the next meeting of the Desktop Agent Bridging discussion group will be:
Thursday 10th Feb 2pm GMT / 9am EST

Do let me know about any agenda items you'd like to see, otherwise we'll focus on the requirements and problems to solve posted at: #544 (comment)

[Soul-Master]

Sumit / LSEG

PS. It's a first time for me to join FDC3 meeting on 10th Feb. Thanks.

[Julia-Ritter]

Welcome, Sumit 👋 We are looking forward to seeing you at the next Desktop Agent Bridging Discussion group on Feb 10th. Please let me know if you have any questions, or if it would be helpful to have a quick chat to help you navigate the FINOS community and FDC3 more specifically. We look forward to your participation!