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Error comments on Open thread, July 16-22, 2013 - Less Wrong Discussion

13 Post author: David_Gerard 15 July 2013 08:13PM

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Comment author: Error 16 July 2013 11:50:18AM 7 points [-]

I've run into a roadblock on the Less Wrong Study Hall reprogramming project. I've been writing against Google Hangouts, but it seems that there's no way to have a permanent, public hangout URL that also runs a specified application. (that is, I can get a fixed URL, or a hangout that runs an app for all users, but I can't do both)

Any of the programmers here know a way around that? At the moment it's looking like I'll have to go back to square zero and find an entirely different approach.

Comment author: malcolmocean 16 July 2013 10:47:27PM *  5 points [-]

Could you have a server that knows where the dynamic url is at all times, and provides a redirect? So I'd hit up lwsh.me and it would redirect me to <https://plus.google.com/hangouts/_/etc> ...that would create an effectively permanent url, even though the hangout itself would change urls.

Looking at the Hangouts API, it appears that when the app is initialized you could call getHangoutUrl() and then pipe it back to the server. This could probably be used in a pretty dynamic manner too... like whenever anyone uses the app, it connects with the main server and adds that chat to the list of active chats...

Comment author: Mqrius 21 July 2013 10:50:10AM 0 points [-]

To get a permanent URL, the workaround was that you could schedule a hangout very far in the future. Are you saying that you can't run a specified application on that?

Comment author: Error 21 July 2013 07:08:01PM 0 points [-]

A qualified "yes, exactly": I haven't found a way to do it, which is different from saying a way doesn't exist.

Comment author: tondwalkar 16 July 2013 04:54:06PM 0 points [-]

I'm not sure what you mean by "runs an app for all users", Are you writing a separate app that you want the hangout to automatically open on entry? Doesn't it make more sense to do this the other way around?

Comment author: malcolmocean 16 July 2013 10:26:03PM 1 point [-]

The app runs within Google Hangouts (like drive, chat, youtube, effects) which is part of the draw of using that platform.

Comment author: Error 16 July 2013 06:28:44PM 1 point [-]

Of course it does, but reality in this case does not appear to make sense. :-(

Comment author: DreamFlasher 16 April 2014 08:49:27AM 0 points [-]

Adding apps to permanent Google Hangouts works for me - shouldn't we revisit this option?

Comment author: Error 16 April 2014 03:41:25PM 0 points [-]

Possibly. I know it used to be possible and the capability was lost in a change, so maybe they changed it back while I wasn't looking. I also got a PM recently noting that lightirc supports webcams; that might be an even better option since it would give us server control.

I'm busy being sick right now, but I'll take a new look at things once I'm functional again.