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General Concept…
Modern society has advanced with services such as utilities – electricity, water, telephone and gas – being available anytime and accessible to everyone. Instead of producing our own electricity, fetching our own water and drilling for our own natural gas we sign up, get connected to and use those readily provided services from the utility companies and we pay them based on our usage.
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Why Not IT and Telecoms too
The concept of having utilities readily available, offering these to individuals and organisations needs not only apply to what we know as the modern day utilities: gas, telephone, etc however, has also been applied to the Information Technology and Telecommunications industry hence the Orange Instant APIs.
When a computer service (usually called an API – short for Application Programming Interface) is made available in a pay-as-you-go manner to the public, we call the concept or environment a public cloud [A]; the service or commodity (in our case intangible) being offered is referred to as utility or cloud computing. Current examples of public utility computing include AmazonWeb Services, Google AppEngine, Microsoft Azure and the Orange Instant APIs.
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Orange Instant API Offers You the World!
Orange realises the gains, possibilities and endless business models which cloud computing fosters and therefore, the leading edge which this service gives our customers has opened, facilitated and made even more flexible communication.
This has lead us to develop and we presently offer the following APIs:
1. SMS API
2. click-to-call API
3. location API
4. email API
5. voicemail API
6. VoiceMashup API
7. Mobeasy platform
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Application of the SMS API?
This document will – using a life scenario – give you all the information you need to know about how to go about using the Orange Instant SMS API.
This will be done in five sections:
1. Identify the Problem
2. Register
3. Configure and Top up
4. Implement
5. Use
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What is the Orange SMS Instant API?
The Orange Instant SMS API is a service which Orange presently offers.
The Orange Instant SMS API could be used in various scenarios.
When Mrs Patterson’s medication is in stock presently Mr Boulder informs her and others by telephoning them.
This is costly and inefficient.
The rest of this document illustrates the use of the Orange Instant SMS API by outlining the steps involved in automating and therefore, making the above process more efficient.
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How to Use the Orange SMS Instant API?
This could not be easier!
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Step 1: Problem Identified?
This is where the user spots the need to be fulfilled.
[Comic Strip: 2.JPG]
Mr Boulder wants the Tech Ville Local Pharmacy computer system to automatically send a text message to customers when their medication is in stock.
Imagine having to make 250 telephone calls to different customers everytime a product becomes available. Difficult eh…
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Step 2: Registered and signed onto www.orangepartner.com?
To use the Orange Instant SMS APIs you need to register by going to Orange Partner. This process takes a maximum of 5 minutes. You provide us with basic information which we use everytime you sign on to make certain that it is really you. You also provide us with an email address which we use to send you confirmation when you made modifications to your profile.
All the information which you provide is securely stored and will not be passed on to a third party.
And by the way, registration is absolutely free.
Dexter has registered and viewed all the available APIs by going to Orange Partners.
! Remember: Registration and Viewing are free!
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Step 3: Configured the API Manager?
This step is where we you set the parameters to let us know that it is you using your account when you do.
It is also in this step that you choose a keyword which is used if you or your application is going to receive instead of only send text messages.
Remember that for topping up the option of setting up an auto top up is now available under the “Account” tab of the API Manager.
Having registered, Dexter generated an API access key and has chosen a keyword.
Lastly he has topped up the Tech Ville Local Pharmacy’s account and to ensure that there is always sufficient credit he has set up an auto top up to automatically credit the account by charging the company’s card once the account balance falls below a set amount.
!Remember: To configure the API Manager you must be signed ond must have registered.
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Step 4: API Implemented?
Once you have registered and configured the API Manager the next step is to incorporate the changes into your computer application.
This could not be easier and involves minimal programming even more so with the availability of the Orange Widget Editor – a GUI with drag and drop features which could be use to design, programme and test an interface to the Orange Instant API.
Dexter has writen a script to automatically run daily after the stock levels have been updated. This script will invoke the Orange SMS Instant API to inform customers if the medication is available.
The changes include:
1. Storing the stock level for yesterday for each item.
2. For each item the customer(s) to message when stock has arrived (ie if the stock level yesterday was 0 and that of today is greater than 0 for each item).
Dexter’s algorithm would look similar to this:
Begin
For Each {Do this for each item of stock}
If noOfItemsInStockYesterday = 0 and noOfItemsInStockToday > 0 then {If true stock has arrived}
Begin
1. Invoke Send SMS API {Invoke the Send SMS API}
2. noOfItemsInStockYesterday = noOfItemsInStockToday {Update stock variables}
If statusCode = 200 {SMS was sent Successful} then
Delete Customer to Inform {Update list of customers to message}
End
For Each {Do this for each item of stock}
Begin
noOfItemsInStockYesterday = noOfItemsInStockToday {Update stock variables}
End
End
!Remember: The Auto Top Up functionality is an easy way to make sure you never run out of credit, use the Widget Editor for minimal coding and use our Sample Code for reference.
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Step 5: Use it!
The final step is to sit back and enjoy the Orange Instant SMS API implementation.
In less than half a day Dexter completed the changes to the Tech Ville Local Pharmacy computer system, the customer (Mrs Patterson) is happy and so is the boss (Mr Boulder).
!Remember: The Orange Instant APIs could help increase the efficiency of your business operations by making it more efficient and effective the way you communicate with your customers.
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Your Turn
The Orange Instant SMS API could be used in any scenario where there is a need to send a text message triggered when a condition is met or initiated by someone.
To use the Orange Instant SMS API you need to:
1. Register,
2. Configure the API Manager,
3. Top Up your Account and
4. Implement a call to the API.
An interface and the code to call the Orange Instant SMS API could be generated by using a Graphical User Interface (GUI) called the Widget Editor.
!Remember: We are always happy to hear from you. If you have any comments, ideas or simply would like to know the lattest happenings then go to or send us an email.
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References
[A] Dubey and D. Wagle. Delivering Software as a Service. The McKinsey Quarterly, May 2007.
