Handling oAuth APIs

tBunnyMan · 11-28-2012, 10:55 AM

The new Pocket api for pulling stories is great but they are pushing all developers into switching to oAuth instead of username and password.

Since Calibre recipes don't store anything nor do they normally jump up prompts for users I was wondering the best way to tackle this. Has anyone else used an oAuth based API for pulling stories?

For now I should be able to squirm around it in the transition period but they will inevitably kick everyone over to the full api.

kovidgoyal · 11-28-2012, 11:40 AM

I've never used oauth, but why should handling it be any different from username/password? Simply have the user enter their oauth credentials in the username and password fields.

tBunnyMan · 11-28-2012, 12:54 PM

OAuth is a token based auth system. The short of it is that instead of passing a username and password you are supposed to send the user to a webpage where they authenticate then authorize your app. After they authorize it sends you back a token you are to keep and use for all actions.

My best idea, which isn't too bas, is to throw an error if the token is invalid (or missing) that tells the end user to go to the page and create the token and put it in the password field.

kovidgoyal · 11-28-2012, 09:36 PM

You can also add a message in the description of the recipe telling the user how to get the oauth credentials.

kiwidude · 11-29-2012, 03:15 AM

The Goodreads Sync plugin uses the OAuth libraries for communication to Goodreads, if you are looking for a precedent for how it is used, though I know absolutely nothing about recipes and what you would do to integrate it with those. It does require the OAuth libraries, which are fine to include with the likes of a GUI plugin, but not sure how that would work with recipes. Perhaps Kovid would have to bundle them with calibre.

11-28-2012, 10:55 AM	#1
tBunnyMan Enthusiast Posts: 39 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Las Vegas, NV Device: nook Simple GlowLight	Handling oAuth APIs The new Pocket api for pulling stories is great but they are pushing all developers into switching to oAuth instead of username and password. Since Calibre recipes don't store anything nor do they normally jump up prompts for users I was wondering the best way to tackle this. Has anyone else used an oAuth based API for pulling stories? For now I should be able to squirm around it in the transition period but they will inevitably kick everyone over to the full api.

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11-28-2012, 11:40 AM	#2
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,850 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	I've never used oauth, but why should handling it be any different from username/password? Simply have the user enter their oauth credentials in the username and password fields.

11-28-2012, 12:54 PM	#3
tBunnyMan Enthusiast Posts: 39 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Las Vegas, NV Device: nook Simple GlowLight	OAuth is a token based auth system. The short of it is that instead of passing a username and password you are supposed to send the user to a webpage where they authenticate then authorize your app. After they authorize it sends you back a token you are to keep and use for all actions. My best idea, which isn't too bas, is to throw an error if the token is invalid (or missing) that tells the end user to go to the page and create the token and put it in the password field.

11-28-2012, 09:36 PM	#4
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,850 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	You can also add a message in the description of the recipe telling the user how to get the oauth credentials.

11-29-2012, 03:15 AM	#5
kiwidude Calibre Plugins Developer Posts: 4,636 Karma: 2162064 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kindle Oasis	The Goodreads Sync plugin uses the OAuth libraries for communication to Goodreads, if you are looking for a precedent for how it is used, though I know absolutely nothing about recipes and what you would do to integrate it with those. It does require the OAuth libraries, which are fine to include with the likes of a GUI plugin, but not sure how that would work with recipes. Perhaps Kovid would have to bundle them with calibre.