Implementing LEAP2A using the Argotic library in .NET

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Implementing LEAP2A using the Argotic library in
.NET Andrew Everson
Extensions for Argotic version 2008.0.2.0 can be
downloaded from http//www.pebblepad.co.uk/leap2a
/
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Importing and exporting in PebblePad

• IMS ePortfolio
• Export
• First standard implemented in PebblePad, uses
  custom XML serialisation to create
  representations of PebblePad assets and XSL to
  convert them to IMS eP.
• Slow compared to other export methods
• Error prone, care must be taken that the standard
  is followed
• Fragile, errors introduced by changes elsewhere
  tend to show up as subtle problems

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Importing and exporting in PebblePad

• IMS ePortfolio
• Import
• XML Serialisation, uses the XML Schema Definition
  Tool (xsd.exe) to create classes which can be
  used to convert between XML and an object graph.
• One of the fastest methods for reading a writing
  XML
• Don't have to worry about parsing XML, the
  contents of a file are accessed as strongly typed
  objects
• Generated classes are often not easy to work
  with, can require a lot of helper functions ease
  development

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Importing and exporting in PebblePad

• IMS Content Packaging export
• Pebble Learning library, uses XML Document
  Object Model to write manifest files
• Difficult to create documents which follow the
  standard correctly
• HR-XML export
• XML Serialisation
• Always produces conforming output if all the
  fields are filled in correctly
• Difficult to work with classes generated from
  complex schemas

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Importing and exporting in PebblePad

• RSS and Atom feeds
• Argotic library
• Very fast
• Perfect output, most details of the
  specification are taken care of by the library
• Generally well documented
• Extensible, easy to add additional elements
  needed
• Designed to be easy to work with, lower code
  overhead compared to XML serialisation

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Argotic Syndication Framework

• General content syndication library, supports
  RSS, Atom, and various other syndication
  specifications
• Available from Codeplex http//www.codeplex.com/Ar
  gotic
• Extensions for Argotic version 2008.0.2.0 can be
  downloaded from
• http//www.pebblepad.co.uk/leap2a/

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Argotic Syndication Framework

• Issues with using a general syndication library
  for portfolio interoperability
• Extensions are not well documented, difficult
  to get working initially
• Tracking changes in library can be time
  consuming
• The library is under continuous development and
  major releases can be expected to break code,
  especially extensions
• Doesn't automatically resolve links with a feed
• Helper class required to handle fetching linked
  entries based link and entry type
• Argotic uses namespaces to determine extensions
  used, this mean that it cannot cope with adding a
  dynamic namespace required to support CURIES for
  links between entries

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Mapping LEAP entry types to internal portfolio
types

• Basic mapping
• Some types have an easy one to one mapping
• ability
• achievement
• activity -gt experience
• plan -gt actionplan
• meeting
• Except if an entry is part of something other
  than a selection. If the entry is just part of
  another asset it must not be .
• Steps to success in an actionplan become
  activities which are part of a plan, they are not
  assets so they must not be treated as experiences.

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Mapping LEAP entry types to internal portfolio
types

• Selection types are determined by their
  categories
• blog by default
• webfolio if selected entries have Webpage
  category
• Untyped or unknown entry types are thoughts as
  long as they are not linked by anything other
  than a blog.

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Everything else is not an asset!!