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From Wiki.zanox.com

This page is for developers looking to make applications developed with zanox Web Services available to 3rd parties via the zanox Application Store.

To better understand the relationship between applications and the zanox Application Store, it is helpful to look at what the Store offers developers:

• a security platform for integrating the zanox Connect security solution into zanox Web Services applications;
• a distribution platform for Web Services applications; and
• a legal framework for cooperation between zanox and developers using Web Services.

The Application Store is at http://apps.zanox.com.

Integrating security

All applications developed in the Application Store must integrate zanox Connect. The life-cycle of a Web Services application begins when the developer creates the application in the Store. The application is assigned:

• a Connect ID, which is required for all API requests, and
• additional credentials required to make secure calls, i.e. to account-specific data.

This credential system is part of the zanox Connect security solution, which also includes a single sign-on solution for all web-based applications in the Store: the user logs on once via a standard zanox-hosted login page, and all Store applications he uses during the ensuing session are passed an authorization token, which includes a Connect ID for retrieving information on the user's behalf.

The second main component of the security platform is zanox Connect rights management, whereby when a customer uses an application for the first time, he is asked to explicitly grant the application permission to use account-specific resources.

The following video offers a good overview of zanox Connect:

Distributing your application

Once the developer is satisfied with his application and ready to unleash it on the world, he must submit it to zanox Web Services for approval.

The developer must specify what kind of application he is submitting. Integration differs substantially for each of the three possibilities:

• Widgets - consists of code that the user copies from the Application Store and pastes into an HTML page
• Tools and Software - software that is downloaded and installed
• Software as a Service (SaaS) - a web application which uses zanox Connect for its login page

Entering into a legal agreement

Users of the Application Store must explicitly accept zanox Terms & Conditions whenever they effectively enter into a partnership with zanox. For developers, this is when they submit an application for inclusion in the Application Store. For zanox publishers and advertisers, this is when they download an application from the Store. In this way, all parties are afforded a measure of legal protection.

A developer can also specify Terms & Conditions specific to an application, and the user is required to explicitly accept these before downloading the application.

Quick start guides

The following tutorials are a mix of overview information and technical details to help you get started:

• File:Zanox Application Store Quick Start Guide Developer EN.pdf
• File:Zanox Web Services Quick Start Guide Developers EN.pdf
• File:Zanox Connect Quick Start Guide Developer EN.pdf

See also

• For in-depth information on development using Web Services, please visit the Web Services wiki.
• The Application Store FAQ contains information of interest to both developers and application users.
• zanox Web Services Homepage
• zanox Web Services Blog