Pando Package URL's

Pando provides two mechanisms for web sites and applications to trigger downloading Pando packages. The first is to link to a Pando Package URL, and the second is to open a pando:download URL.

Open Pando Package URL

The easiest way to provide links triggering Pando downloads is to simply open the Pando Package URL.

This method will first check whether the user has Pando installed.

If Pando is installed, the download will automatically start.

If Pando is not installed, the web browser will display a web page that will inform the user that they need to install Pando and help them with the process. Once installation is complete, the download of the desired package will automatically start.

Examples

The link can be presented as a simple HTML link. For example:

<a href="http://cache.pando.com/soapservices/Package/package.pando?
id=5A4A7B2AE83E0AA3DAF066C28703C6F3132B0633
&key=3557F2AAD6CEAEC0FB6B1F1E19C7531A116A1C2B209554FC9343F2A6ED9DAC94">
CNN: In Case you Missed It for February 12, 2007</a>.

This looks like: CNN: In Case you Missed It for February 12, 2007.

If you like, you can use this download button:

CNN: In Case you Missed It for February 12, 2007<br />
<a href="http://cache.pando.com/soapservices/Package/package.pando?
id=5A4A7B2AE83E0AA3DAF066C28703C6F3132B0633
&key=3557F2AAD6CEAEC0FB6B1F1E19C7531A116A1C2B209554FC9343F2A6ED9DAC94">
<img src="http://rss.pando.com/themes/rssvideo/pando_dl_button2.png">
</a>.

This looks like:
CNN: In Case you Missed It for February 12, 2007

The links can be used in RSS enclosures, so that Pando can subscribe to the RSS feed as a Channel.

pando:subscribe

The pando:subscribe URL allows users to subscribe to a Pando RSS feed with one click. These links have the following format where RSS URL is the URL to the RSS feed containing Pando packages:

pando:subscribe?RSS URL

We also support authenticated RSS feeds. These are feeds that require a username and password to access, such as those provided by paid content services, or web sites that require registration for access. A link to an authenticated RSS feed looks like this:

pando:subscribe?http://username:password@RSS URL

When clicked, the Pando client will attempt to subscribe to the linked RSS feed. See Creating a Pando RSS Feed for more information on creating Pando RSS feeds. You may also be interested in the RSS Feed Converter, for converting your existing Podcast to Pando RSS format.

Example

Pando provides an RSS feed of video's that we we find interesting, at http://rss.pando.com/rss.xml. We also publish "Pando enabled" versions of other rich media feeds, which are listed in our Podcast Gallery. To provide a link on a web page to allow Pando users to subscribe to the first feed with one click:

<a href="pando:subscribe?http://rss.pando.com/rss.xml">
<img src="http://rss.pando.com/themes/rssvideo_customized/PandoSubscribe.png">
<a>

This looks like:

Feel free to use the above graphic, so that Pando users will be able to spot your feed easily.

Authenticated Example

A web site has paid registration for access to premium content, which they make available via Pando RSS. When a user is logged into their web site, they display a "subscribe using Pando" link that allows for one-click subscription to the premium content. The HTML could look like:

<a href="pando:subscribe?laird:secret@http://www.contentsite.com/premium.xml">
<img src="http://rss.pando.com/themes/rssvideo_customized/PandoSubscribe.png">
<a>

This looks like:

The RSS server would need to be configured to use the web site's registration system so that it requires HTTP Basic Authentication for access to the RSS feed, and authenticates against the database of registered web site users. The details of this configuration is specific to the web site's registration and content systems.

Supported Versions

pando:subscribe links are supported in Pando version 0.9.3 and newer.

Authenticated pando:subscribe links are supported in Pando version 1.5.5.5 and newer.

Creaating Pando RSS feeds

• You can package a Podcast as Pando RSS using the RSS Feed Converter.
• You can Create a Pando RSS Feed on any blogging platform.

pando:send

The pando:send URL tells Pando to open a Send window. If provided, it will auto-fill the email address and local files so that the user can review the information and send it. It can be used by either web sites or applications.

pando:send?email_address=submissions@videosite.com&files_to_send=c:\Cover.JPG,c:\Video.avi

Both email_address and files_to_send are optional. If they are not provided, they are left blank for the user to fill in. This provides you with the flexibility for many uses:

• Send a set of files using Pando, with the user entering the recipient email address
• Have the user pick a file or collection of files to send to you
• You provide the files and the recipient address, and the user approves packaging and uploading

The pando:send URL's can be used from either a web site or an application.

Example: Web Site

For example, a web site may want users to send video files to the site using Pando. It could do so by giving a single 'submissions' email address, like this:

pando:send?email_address=submissions@videosite.com

This would open Pando's Send New window, pre-filled to send a package to submissions@videosite.com. The user would simply add the video, and click send. This is much simpler for users than launching Pando, clicking "Send Now", and copying and pasting the email address.

Sample HTML

To provide a link on a web page to allow people to send using Pando, here is a sample HTML:

<a href="pando:send?email_address=submissions@videosite.example.com"><img src="http://www.pando.com/files/Pando-Me-Button.png"></a>

This looks like:

We recommend that web sites use the above graphic, so that Pando users will be able to tell that you support Pando more easily.

Example: Web Site with Uploader Accounts

The web site could choose to generate a unique email address for each sender to use, and to implement an automated email processing facility. This is a technique commonly used on photo hosting web sites to allow people to send photo's securely from camera-phones (so that other people can't post photos to your web site). Similarly, this technique would allow people to use Pando to send files into their personal web sites. In this case, the URL would be similar to the above, but with a unique user ID, like this:

pando:send?email_address=12345678@submissions.videosite.com

If you are interested in integrating Pando deliveries into your workflow, you should contact us to discuss the Pando Server Integration Toolkit.

Example: Application

An application that is used to create or organize rich media files (such as a photo organizer, a video editor, etc.) may want to make it easy for users to send the result of their work using Pando. This can be done by adding a button to the application to "Send using Pando" that opens a pando:send URL. This will cause Pando to launch (if it is not already running), and to prepare the sending.

For example, if a video editing application added a "send using Pando" command to its GUI, it could attach the files to Pando by opening an URL like:

pando:send?files_to_send=c:\Cover.JPG,c:\Video.avi

This would bring up a Send New window in Pando, with the cover art and video file pre-attached, so the user could enter the recipient's email address, name the package, and send it.

We recommend using this button: for sending using Pando, so that Pando users can easily recognize that your application supports Pando.

Sample Windows C++ Code

The following is an example of how a Windows application can open a URL. The application should construct the URL as defined above, and then execute the following with the desired URL replacing the italicized example URL:

ShellExecute(m_hWnd, NULL, "pando:send?files_to_send=c:\Cover.JPG,c:\Video.avi", NULL, NULL, SW_SHOWDEFAULT);

If the application wants to use Pando to package and upload the files, but manage the delivery of the Pando Package URL itself, it can do so using the Pando Client Automation Toolkit.

Supported Versions

pando:send links are supported in Pando version 1.4 and newer, Mac OS X and Windows. The files_to_send parameter may work on Mac 1.4, but the email_address parameter does not work in the current Mac version. This will be addressed in a future version of Pando.

pando:download (deprecated)

Pando:download URL

If you are certain that your users have Pando installed (such as if your application integrates Pando into its installation process), or users have been instructed to install Pando, opening a pando:download link allows your users to one-click download a package using Pando.

Note that if the user does not have Pando installed, either nothing will happen, or an error message will be displayed, depending on the user's operating system and browser settings. Thus, Pando recommends using Pando Package URL's for web links.

Pando one-click download URLs have the following format, where url is the URL to the Pando package:

pando:download?url

For example, the download link for the above package would be:

pando:download?http://cache.pando.com/soapservices/Package/package.pando?
   id=5A4A7B2AE83E0AA3DAF066C28703C6F3132B0633
   &key=3557F2AAD6CEAEC0FB6B1F1E19C7531A116A1C2B209554FC9343F2A6ED9DAC94

When clicked, this link tells Pando to download a package indicated by the Pando Package URL.

Examples

For the above Package URL, a one-click download link would look like:

<a href="pando:download?http://cache.pando.com/soapservices/Package/package.pando?
id=5A4A7B2AE83E0AA3DAF066C28703C6F3132B0633
&key=3557F2AAD6CEAEC0FB6B1F1E19C7531A116A1C2B209554FC9343F2A6ED9DAC94">
CNN: In Case you Missed It for February 12, 2007</a>.

This looks like: CNN: In Case you Missed It for February 12, 2007.

If you like, you can use this download button:

CNN: In Case you Missed It for February 12, 2007<br />
<a href="pando:download?http://cache.pando.com/soapservices/Package/package.pando?
id=5A4A7B2AE83E0AA3DAF066C28703C6F3132B0633
&key=3557F2AAD6CEAEC0FB6B1F1E19C7531A116A1C2B209554FC9343F2A6ED9DAC94">
<img src="http://rss.pando.com/themes/rssvideo/pando_dl_button2.png">
</a>.

This looks like:
CNN: In Case you Missed It for February 12, 2007

You can also use the Package Thumbnail URL to make an image link:

<a href="pando:download?http://cache.pando.com/soapservices/Package/package.pando?
id=5A4A7B2AE83E0AA3DAF066C28703C6F3132B0633
&key=3557F2AAD6CEAEC0FB6B1F1E19C7531A116A1C2B209554FC9343F2A6ED9DAC94">
<img src="http://cache.pando.com/soapservices/SendToWeb?action=thumbnail
&id=5A4A7B2AE83E0AA3DAF066C28703C6F3132B0633"></a>

Which looks like:

Supported Versions

pando:download links are supported in Pando version 0.9.1 and newer.

Important Note

In many cases, using the default "Send-to-IM"-style package URL will provide a better user experience than using the pando:download links. When a user without Pando installed clicks on a pando:download link, nothing happens. When a user without Pando installed clicks on a "Send-to-IM"-style URL, they are sent to a web page explaining that they need Pando to download the package they clicked on and, in some cases, the package will begin downloading automatically upon a successful installation. In either case, users with Pando installed will be able to download the package.

pando:forward

The pando:forward can be used to allow Pando users to easily forward Pando packages.

Opening a pando:forward link causes Pando to open the Send Window, with the package information pre-populated. This is the same window that the user would see if they selected the package in the Pando GUI and clicked the "share" button.

The user can then select the recipient of the package, using all of the mechanisms supported by Pando, including email, web embed, etc.

Pando forward URLs have the following format, where url is the URL to the Pando package:

pando:forward?url

For example, the forward link for a sample package would be:

pando:forward?http://cache.pando.com/soapservices/Package/package.pando?
id=5A4A7B2AE83E0AA3DAF066C28703C6F3132B0633
&key=3557F2AAD6CEAEC0FB6B1F1E19C7531A116A1C2B209554FC9343F2A6ED9DAC94

When clicked, this link tells Pando to offer to forward the package.

Supported Versions
pando:download links are supported in Pando version 0.9.5 and newer.

Pando:stream

Pando provides a stream delivery mechanism that can be used to play files using a media player while it is being downloaded.

This mechanism is deprecated in favor of the Pando REST API, but is supported for compatibility.

There are two versions of this mechanism.

• pando:stream starts downloading the package in streaming mode, downloading the package sequentially to disk.
• pando:streamL starts downloading the package in streaming mode, opening the downloaded stream.

For example of pando:stream and pando:streamL:


pando:stream?http://cache.pando.com/soapservices/Package/package.pando?
id=5A4A7B2AE83E0AA3DAF066C28703C6F3132B0633&
key=3557F2AAD6CEAEC0FB6B1F1E19C7531A116A1C2B209554FC9343F2A6ED9DAC94


and


pando:streamL?http://cache.pando.com/soapservices/Package/package.pando?
id=5A4A7B2AE83E0AA3DAF066C28703C6F3132B0633&
key=3557F2AAD6CEAEC0FB6B1F1E19C7531A116A1C2B209554FC9343F2A6ED9DAC94


The behavior when opening a stream is:

• Does not open the Pando GUI.
• Starts downloading the package.
• If opened with pando:streamL, opens the package as a stream.

Supported Versions
pando:stream links are supported in Pando version 1.7.0 and newer.