Overview
In this lesson we will give you a very broad overview of the ScreenSteps Live API and how you can use it to get your content out of ScreenSteps Live to your website, web application or desktop application. By using the ScreenSteps Live API you can manage all of your ScreenSteps content on ScreenSteps Live but then distribute it wherever you want your usres to see it.
Spaces and the ScreenSteps Live API
You make your ScreenSteps lessons available to users by placing them in Spaces. In this example we have placed Manual B in a private space. This means that no user can see the lessons in Manual B unless they have permission to see that space.
Requesting the Manual Via the API
Normally, if I wanted users to see a protected manual I would have to create users accounts for them on my ScreenSteps Live site. But using the API I control the access via any other mechanism I choose.
In the above diagram I have a web application residing on my own server and a desktop application. By making a proper request over the HTTPS protocol I can gain access to the contens of my protected Space.
ScreenSteps Live Responds With XML
If the request is properly authenticated, your web or desktop app will receive an XML response containg the contents of your lessons. You can request the contents of a space, the contents of a manual or the contents of a lesson.
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