Laboratory: A Simple Ushahidi API

1. Create a new utility class, UshahidiExtensions.java, that has one static method, printIncident, that takes as input a PrintWriter and an UshahidiIncident and prints the incident out using a format something like the following (things in all caps should be replaced by the corresponding value).

Incident #: TITLE
  DESCRIPTION
  Location: LOCATION
  Status: (MODE, ACTIVE, VERIFIED)

2. Create a new main class, PrintIncidentExperiment.java, with the following method. Note that you'll need to fill in the details of myIncident before the code runs.

    public static void main(String[] args) 
      throws Exception
    {
      // Create the output device
      PrintWriter pen = new PrintWriter(System.out, true);

      // A few basic incidents
      UshahidiExtensions.printIncident(pen, UshahidiUtils.SAMPLE_INCIDENT);
      UshahidiExtensions.printIncident(pen, UshahidiUtils.randomIncident());
      UshahidiExtensions.printIncident(pen, UshahidiUtils.randomIncident());

      // A newly created incident
      UshahidiIncident myIncident = new UshahidiIncident(...);
      UshahidiExtensions.printIncident(pen, myIncident);

      // One from a list
      UshahidiClient client = UshahidiUtils.SAMPLE_CLIENT;
      UshahidiExtensions.printIncident(pen, client.nextIncident());

      // One that requires connecting to the server
      UshahidiClient webclient = new UshahidiWebClient(URL);
      UshahidiExtensions.printIncident(pen, webclient.nextIncident());
    } // main(String[])

While we will generally be working with incidents taken from a server, it can be helpful for testing to build our own incident list. Write a method that creates an UshahidiTestingClient of about a dozen incidents that you can use for experiments. You should try different dates, different locations, and so on and so forth.

a. Write a method that, given an UshahidiClient, prints out the incidents with the lowest and highest id. You can use only nextIncident and hasMoreIncidents.

b. Try your method with the custom incident list you created in a previous problem.

In the previous examples, you've been working with a simulated Ushahidi installation. Now let's try working with a real one.

a. Write program that creates an UshahidiWebClient that connects to http://ushahidi1.grinnell.edu/sandbox and prints out the first incident returned by nextIncident.

b. Manually add a new incident to that server (using the Web interface or the phone app). Then rerun the program from the previous step. What if anything, do you observe?

c. Run your lowest/highest id method from a previous exercise using an UshahidiWebClient that connects to the sandbox.

a. Write a method that, given an UshahidiClient, a start date, and an end date, prints all incidents that happen between the two dates (in any order). You can use only nextIncident and hasMoreIncidents.

b. Check your method using the testing client.

c. Check your method using the web client.

a. Write a method that, given an UshahidiClient, a start date, and an end date, builds and returns an array or vector of all the incidents that fall between those two dates. (In solving this problem, you may find it useful to grab the array of all incidents.)

b. Write a method that, given a vector of incidents, a latitude, a longitude, and a distance, creates a new vector of all the incidents that fall within that distance of the location.