This article answers the basic questions about what openkapow is, what an openkapow robot is and when you should use them.
What is openkapow?
Openkapow.com is an open service platform, this means that you can
build your own services (called robots) and run them from
openkapow.com, all for free. These robots accesses web sites and allows
you to use data, functionality and even the user interface of other web
sites in a whole new way. No longer are you limited by what public APIs
or RSS feeds that are available, instead you can build your own in
minutes. You can then use those services from within your own mashups,
code, Yahoo! Pipes, Google Gadgets etc
Background
Openkapow is built on Kapow Technologies Enterprise Mashup Platform that has been developed since 1998. The Enterprise version
is currently used by more than 200 enterprises around the world. VISA, SimplyHired, US Army and Bank of America are just a few
of the customers. This ensures that openkapow is the most feature rich and powerful open mashup enabler around today.
What is an openkapow robot?
A robot in openkapow is a small program that automates what a person
can do in a browser. This includes navigating web sites by clicking on
links and submitting forms, extracting data from a site and much more.
Robots are created in the development environment RoboMaker without any
programming and robots are then hosted and run on openkapow’s servers.
The behavior of a robot can be affected by input values (for example
the username and password to use to log in to a password protected
site) and the robot produces an output (for example the current rate of
a specific stock).
What is an openkapow robot - the technical version
An openkapow robot is nothing more than an XML file that has been
defined using the RoboMaker development environment. This XML file is
then uploaded to the openkapow servers and can there be referenced with
an unique URL. When this URL is called the XML file is interpreted by
the openkapow Mashup Server that then performs the actions of the
robot.
Download RoboMaker now and check it out for yourself
Why should I use openkapow robots?
Use openkapow if…
- … you are missing the RSS or Atom feed you want from your favourite
site, then just build your own with an RSS/Atom feed robot. Then you
can use the RSS feed in your RSS Reader or in applications that consume
RSS feeds (such as Yahoo! Pipes or Pageflake Flakes). See how an RSS
robot is built in this tutorial about how to create a basic RSS robot
- .. you are missing an API to a site you want to interact with from
within your mashup or program, then just build your own with an
openkapow robot. Even if a site has a public API, it might not do
exactly what you want, once again you can get around that problem with
a REST robot. Then you can use this REST service from within your own
code (Ruby on Rails, Java, PHP or whatever) or from within applications
that can consume REST services. See how a REST robot is built in this tutorial about how to create a basic REST robot
- … you want to use parts of a sites user interface and functionality
on your own site, then just use the part of that site on your own with
the help of a Web Clip robot. Then you can use the clip to easily build
widgets and gadgets (such as Google Gadgets) or directly on your own
site. See how a Web Clip robot is built in this tutorial about how to create a basic Web Clip robot