Hello,

I am just curious if it is at all possible to access the Skype API from a Web Application (currently written in Java).

For example if someone logs into a webapp and has a list of clients, is it possible for them to click on the client and have it interact with their local Skype API and call that user if their Skype name is passed to the API? I'm familiar with how to do this with an Application running on their desktop but curious if it's at all possible from a Webapp running on a different server. If it is, where would be a good place to start or look for information regarding this. Thank you in advance.

Hey, we noticed the information on Skype URI handler in the API... which might do what we are trying to do. Hopefully it works! Cheers.

That's cool.

Thanks Adrien,

Antoine

I was trying to revitalize a previous topic relating to what can and cannot be done in the way of building rich client applications for the web with the current API. So, if this ends up as a reply, great, if not, I hope I can at least re-engage some previous posters of threads which, as far as I can, tell are still 'dangling'.

01. As to using the skype: protocol via a browser, the original poster indicated that he thought he could use that. Did you find that met your needs? I found that I could not really accomplish anything that I could not accomplish through the programming approach -- it just took less code. In particular, both means of accessing Skype require that the Client must be running on that host. At least through programming, I can use the API to determine whether or not it is running, then use other methods of other Java classes to launch it and I can use the API to cause the running application at least to be minimized, so that it does not consume screen real estate.

Is my understanding correct?

02. This closely relates to another dangling thread which asked whether or not there was an API capability to establish a connection directly with a Skype server rather than having to use the Skype client to accomplish anything. I guess the answer is 'no', but then my question is, "Is that the way it will always be?" Is there any development effort that would lead to a capability for us to integrate the wonderful Skype capabilities with the wide range of services our applications already provide? In almost any use case I can imagine, 'our applications' already have established some
'look and feel', and just want to access the 'backend communications' capabilities of Skype without having to expose its User Interface.

To provide some context that will, I think, be readily understood, the closest parallel in the world of open systems is Jive's toolkits for embedding Instant Messaging and Chat in an application. That is the toolkit I use, and without wishing in anyway to denigrate Skype, the fundamental desire is simply to replace a keybaord-text communication environment with a more natural voice environment. If there were a Skype API to allow that sort of applicaition integration, it would be very, very attractive. If not, I will, of course, still try to augment my users' experience with Skype, but I will spend most of my programming/test time just doing the best I can at hiding your UI. Hence, this request for some statement of direction so that all of us could more productively use our time and energy doing the right thing.

Thank you.