Posts tagged: pika

  • Sunday
  • January 22
  • 2012

Integrating Gmail and Google Groups with the Pika CMS

A few weeks back the project team uploaded a complete version 4 code set to the LSNC Google API Project. This latest version is inclusive of four Google Apps core app integrations — Google Calendar, Google Docs, Gmail and Google Groups with the Pika CMS. This is the same project I described during my recent presentation at the 2012 TIG Conference in Albuquerque. As I noted there, we are spending the next few weeks doing expanded beta testing with users across varied positions and office locations within Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC). We expect to deploy all four integrations throughout the organization by the end of February.

In earlier posts I have described how the Google Calendar integration and Google Docs integration work. The short version is that, by exploiting the Google Apps APIs for Google Calendar and Google Docs, we have been able to implement a seamless synchronization between the Pika CMS calendar and document posting functions with Google Calendar and Google Docs. Pika CMS users need do nothing differently than what they are already doing to have tickler calendar events show up in their Google Calendars, or have case-related files uploaded to Pika show up in a case-specific shared collection in Google Docs.

The new Gmail integration in version 4 is arguably the most important of the four integrations. The basic user problem has been this: Everyone within LSNC — like most everyone else on professional planet Earth — day-in and day-out relies on email to accomplish their work. In our case, advocates regularly communicate with clients, co-counsel, opposing counsel, public and private individuals and entities and, of course, other LSNC staffers. But how are they to get those Gmail messages into case-related case notes in Pika? At the moment, what they do is cut-n-paste, again and again and again without end. The Gmail integration is designed to simplify that process so that users, from within a Gmail message or the entire conversation, can seamlessly post the content of Gmail messages to a client-specific case record automatically, without the need to open Pika.

To accomplish this, we have embedded a new Gmail widget that displays at the bottom of every Gmail message. Below is a screenshot of a developer version of the integration, with the gadget labeled as “TKLAPP Staging Pika – Attach to Case Notes.”

The default behavior of this gadget is to automatically copy the currently viewed Gmail message to the case notes in the selected client case record. To trigger that functionality, users toggle the gadget to display a dialog with a search option to locate any currently open client case record in Pika. Two tabs are available, one to search the user’s assigned active (open) cases and the other to search more broadly all cases active (open) throughout the organization. Once users select a case record, they have two check-box options: one to save any files attached to the Gmail message, which are automatically uploaded to the Pika case record and simultaneously synchronized to the user’s Google Docs account; the other to copy the entire Gmail conversation (Google’s name for an email message thread). Users can then simply click the “Attach to Case” button to seamlessly copy the Gmail message to the case record.

But wait… there’s more!

The gadget also offers an alternate input button allowing the user to “Edit and Attach to Case.” Clicking that button invokes a pop-up window with the Gmail message copied over to Google Docs for editing before the content is posted to Pika. The user can edit the single Gmail message or conversation as is their wont and then click on “Attach to Case” in the editing window to post the edited content to Pika. Done. Without ever having opened Pika.

The Google Groups integration works on the same premise as the Gmail integration, with the approach being to enable users to automatically copy a Groups discussion automatically to a Pika case record. The Groups solution is less elegant, however. Going into this project we made the mistaken assumption that, like the other Google Apps core applications, there was a Google API for Groups, but there is not. Google Groups has no exposed web API. So we did a workaround. The Google Groups integration with Pika requires the user add a custom bookmarklet to the browser bookmarks toolbar. Once that is set up, the user can go to a Business Groups discussion within our domain, click on the bookmarklet and trigger a set of dialogs directly analogous to how the Gmail integration works, with the ability to search for a specific client case record and then “attach” or “edit and attach” the content of the discussion message. (Google Groups no longer allows file attachments to discussion group messages, so there is no option to attach files.)

For those interested in this code set, you can anticipate there will be some minor updates to the code set over the next month or two as we fix quirks that emerge from our further beta testing. There is also an updated guide to installation coming soon.

Thanks again to everyone who attended the TIG presentation. It was encouraging to see how much interest there was within the larger legal services community in this project. My prediction is that within a few years we will all look back at this coding project as somewhat quaint, only a first step in many to come as we all increasingly rely on the Google Apps platform and work more with the Google API to take full advantage of it.

  • Wednesday
  • August 17
  • 2011

How the Google Docs integration with Pika works

The second version of the LSNC Google API Project includes an integration of Google Docs with the PHP-based Pika CMS. Implementation of this integration results in a totally seamless synchronization of Google Docs with any files added to a client-specific case record. Add a file to the case-record “documents” page in Pika, and that same file, in its original file format, is automatically synced to the Google Docs folder of all advocates associated with that particular case record.

Here are some screenshots to give you a feel for how it works: First, you upload the files to Pika, which natively stores the files in its database. This shows how the uploaded files display within the Pika user interface:

Second, well, that’s it. You’re done. Really.

Without any further user interaction required, Google Docs synchronizes with Pika and adds those same files to the individual Google Docs accounts of all the users associated with the client case record. The synchronization process adds the files to a client-specific subfolder, with the client’s last name and case number, residing below an upper level folder called “My Cases,” which is itself a special folder within the Google Docs “Collections shared with me.” For example, here are the same files synchronized to Google Docs to the folder labeled “Collections shared with me > My Cases > Forcast – 10-11-00004″ (to state the obvious, this is not a real client):

Once the Pika case-related documents are synchronized to Google Docs, the users can use the documents from within Google Docs as they would any other: navigate to it, search for it, view it, share it, download it, whatever. For example, here is how a Word file orginally uploaded to Pika and then synced to Google Docs looks in the view mode from within Google Docs:

So, imagine you get a Gmail or Google Chat message from another advocate, asking if you have a good example of a motion to quash a subpoena, and you know you have one in the “Forcast” case. Hey, you’re already in your Google Apps, so you just go to Google Docs, navigate or search for the case or document, and there it is. You go ahead and do a Google Docs share to the person who made the request. Done. Without ever having to even open up Pika.

That’s the name of that tune.

  • Thursday
  • August 4
  • 2011

Screenshots of the Pika gadget integration with Google Calendar

The goal of the LSNC Google API Project is to come up with practical integration of the Pika case management system with four core Google Apps. We have completed beta testing of two of those integrations, for Google Calendar and Google Docs, and this month are bearing down on the last two, for Gmail and Google Groups. The project as a whole will be completed by year’s end and will include documentation at the project code site to help IT folks familiar with Pika to replicate the project.

From the UX perspective, the goal is to create integrations that are as seamless as possible. For example, the first integration we built was one that synchronizes the Pika tickler calendaring function with the personal calendars of all the advocates associated with a particular client case record. For us the measure of success is that users continue to experience the Pika tickler functionality as they always have, but with the magic that their Pika tickler events automatically appear in their personal Google Calendars.

The integration requires the activation of a “Pika Gadget” via a new option in the individual user’s Pika account preferences. Clicking on the option triggers a standard Google dialog for confirming its activation:

Once activated, the Google Calendar synchronizes with Pika tickler activities. The tickler entries display and function exactly like any other item in one’s Google Calendar.

Here are a few screenshots illustrating how this all looks. In order, they are: A Pika tickler event page (which includes a new field for “Where,” corresponding to the same data in the Google Calendar); the tickled event displayed in the Google Calendar “day” view; the same event displayed in the Google Calendar “month” view; and the same event again, with the standard Google Calendar pop-up triggered when one clicks on the event in the Google Calendar:

As you can see from the last image, clicking on the tickler event from within Google Calendar triggers a display on the right with basic information about the related case record, including the case number, the client’s name, address and phone number. Clicking on the case number will open the corresponding case record within Pika. Users can also edit the tickler or add a new one to the particular case by clicking on the corresponding buttons displayed below the case information. That’s how that works.

Fellow Pika users: Don’t thank me. Thank Michael Cizmar at MC+A, the Gandalf of Google APIs!

  • Tuesday
  • April 26
  • 2011

Google Calendar component of LSNC Google API Project posted

The LSNC Google API Project has posted its first code iteration, an integration of Google Calendar with the Pika CMS. This first iteration includes basic installation instructions for implementing the integration. You can expect additional code iterations over the next several months as we roll out code integrations with Gmail, Google Docs and Google Groups.

LSNC’s development partner on this project is Michael Cizmar and his team at Chicago-based MC+A. This morning, MC+A issued a press release announcing the release of this first component. (MC+A was also our partner on The Findability Project.)

With the public launch of the project, I will begin to post here regularly about the project and detail more about how LSNC is implementing these integrations. You’re gonna like this, people!