Using customer identification of Virtual Earth
For integrating customer identification feature of virtual Earth platform into the web based application, you will have to use VE platform credentials for requesting a token. The token has encrypted information including VE developer account ID and IP address of end client. Token is valid only for the duration that is specified in initial request, starting from time token request is made from the server. You will have to set this token in map control instance loaded into client's browser. All requests that are made to VE from the application are then recognized as requests. VE platform then logs these requests and you can see VE platform reports on VE platform customer services site.
These steps are then described in detail in following sections
Step 1: Sign up for developer account
For using customer identification feature, you should first sign up for VE platform developer account. Most probably, you will require a windows live ID in order to sign up an account. Once you set up your VE platform developer account, you need to access VE platform customer services site. When you visit customer services site for the first time, you will be required to set up your VE platform developer account password. This password is not the windows Live ID and the password that you normally use for signing in to customer service site.
Step 2: Add reference to VE platform token service:
Before VE map control gets loaded into end client's browser, you need to retrieve the token from VE platform. VE platform provides secure SOAP API that contains GetClientToken method to achieve this. For using VE platform token service, you require your VE platform credentials that consists of developer account ID and developer account password. Microsoft gives staging environment for testing your application and production environment for using once you become licensed customer.
Staging environment: The VE platform-staging environment is but separate from but complementary to production services you will use when your web application goes live. You can make use of staging environment to test and develop new applications.
Note that staging environment isn't scaled for extraordinary volumes that production environment has been designed to give. For any application, performance or stress testing is up to certain no. of requests per second.
Production Environment: VE platform production environment is scaled fully for all VE platform customers. You make use of this environment when the application is made available to the public through internet including beta evaluation. For accessing production environment, you require a licensed customer.
Step 3: Retrieve a token:
The GetClientToken method takes TokenSpecification object that contain 2 pieces of information:
IP address of client: Usually, you can extract this information from client Http headers using request.getremotehost() method.
The amount of time token will remain valid: Tokens are always issued for specific time length. You should specify no. of minutes that range from 15 to 480. Once you instantiate a TokenSpecification object, you have to pass it to getClientToken method to return the token. The GetClientToken method returns a string, which is nothing but the token.
Technorati Tags: Microsoft, virtual earth, virtual earth features,
Tags: Microsoft Virtual Earth
