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Getting Started with Integration

This section describes the steps for getting started with integrating Transactional Messaging with your business.

Prerequisites​

To access ATMP’s APIs and take full advantage of this software’s ease of integration with other systems, you will need the following:

  • An Internet connection
  • A recent browser and operating system
  • An active ATMP licence

Quick Start​

The process for interfacing your website, CRM, or any other internal system with the Transactional Messaging APIs is straightforward. All interfacing and message creation can be setup within 5-10 business days depending on your teams' resources and expertise, in the following order:

Step 1: Build your Template(s) in Actito

  1. Contact your Actito Account Manager to
    • activate the Transactional Messaging feature for you in order to get started
    • set up the deliverability
  2. Create or import the creative in Actito.
  3. Create one or more Templates in Actito in the Transactional Messaging section.
  4. Set up the Template using personalization features.
  5. Preview and test the message internally.
  6. Provide your IT team with the API documentation and the Unique Identifier and Security Tags output by Actito for the created Templates.
    They will need to use the unique identifier and the security tag in the API calls.

NMP Tags

Step 2: IT integration and testing

  1. The webmaster and/or development team(s) can take over and begin the integration using the Transactional Messaging Trigger APIs (documentation available when clicking the link provided in Actito).
    NMP Integration
  2. The IT team codes the calls from their current system once and for all.

Step 3: Test the message and put it into production

Integration Using Transactional Messaging APIs​

The first step in getting started with web services is to configure the range of remote servers that will access this module. Keep in mind that your system will requires coding in order to remotely call the Transactional Messaging Platform & Service. Your system remains the remote control and trigger of a message.

Webmasters and developers should be able to interface with the Transactional Messaging API with any programming language that use standard HTTPS calls.

List of APIs that are available:

  • RESTful API
    • HTTP Get Query String
    • HTTP GET Path Info
  • SOAP

RESTful API​

Description: RESTful API is the most standard way to remotely call a web service. REST API requests are always sent over the HTTP protocol and can vary in format and methods of submission.

This API protocol is available in two formats: HTTP GET Query String (QS) and HTTP GET Path Info (PI).

  • HTTPS GET QS (Query String):

    • The query string is composed of a series of field-value pairs.

    • The field-value pairs are each separated by an equals sign (=).

    • The series of pairs is separated by the ampersand (&).

    • Below is an Internet browser URL location bar showing a URL where the Query String is: title=Main_page&action=raw

    • API call summary:

      HTTP GET (Query String)
      Submission & Sample URL call:

      https://atmp-pub-api-www3.actito.com/NMSREST?random={IntegrationTag}&encrypt={SecurityTag}&email={Email}&senddate={SendDate}
      Parameters & associated values
      • All parameter names are case-sensitive.
      • When specific values are expected, it should be assumed that parameter values are case sensitive.
      • The order of parameters must be strictly followed.
      Sample Call 1
      https://atmp-pub-api-www3.actito.com/NMSREST?random=4A776E3602000078&encrypt=BdX7CqkmjTHtxWEKB5QK6MzXKkx6HK3E8guM&email=johnblum@flowerpowershop.biz&senddate=2008%2D12%2D12%2023%3A30%3A00

  • HTTPS GET PI (Path Info):
    The result is identical to the Query String method. It differs in the way parameters are organized in the URL. In the PI method, parameters are organized like a path.
    The order of all parameters is very important.

    • The path is composed of a series of values.

    • The values are each separated by a forward slash sign (/).

    • Below is an Internet browser URL location bar showing a URL with the Path Info:

    • API call summary:

      HTTP GET (Path Info)
      Submission & Sample URL call:

      https://atmp-pub-api-www3.actito.com/NMSREST/{IntegrationTag}/{SecurityTag}/{Email}/{SendDate}/
      Parameters & associated values
      • All parameter names are case-sensitive.
      • When specific values are expected, it should be assumed that parameter values are case sensitive.
      • The order of parameters must be strictly followed.
      Example Call
      https://atmp-pub-api-www3.actito.com/NMSREST/4A776E3602000078/BdX7CqkmjTHtxWEKB5QK6MzXKkx6HK3E8guM/johnblum@flowerpowershop.biz/2008%2D12%2D12%2023%3A30%3A00

XML/HTTPS API​

The HTTPS/XML consists in posting an XML file through HTTPS POST. It is also the only batching method available. Using an HTTPS Post of an XML file, clients can send multiple sending requests in one go. The XML file structure is shown in Sample Requests.

Basically, HTTPS/XML allows you to:

  • Submit one or more new Notification Message request(s).

  • Obtain full access to all personalization features:

    • Push Field [EMV DYN] tag
    • Push Content [EMV CONTENT] tag
    • Promotion & Ad [EMV INCLUDE] tag

  • API call summary:

    XML/HTTPS
    Submission URL:

    https://atmp-pub-api-www3.actito.com/NMSXML
    Parameters & associated values
    • All parameter names are case-sensitive.
    • When specific values are expected, it should be assumed that parameter values are case sensitive.
    • The order of parameters must be strictly followed.
    Example Call
    See the XML sample file in Sample Requests for more details.

SOAP API​

  • WSDl
WSDL URL
https://atmp-pub-api-www3.actito.com/NMSOAP/NotificationService?wsdl
  • Methods
    • sendObject
    • sendObjects
    • sendObjectsWithFullStatus

URL Encoding Considerations (for HTTP GET methods only)​

Some characters cannot be part of a URL - for example, spaces are not allowed. Some characters have a special meaning in a URL—for example, the hash (#) character is used to locate a specific point within a page, and the equals (=) character is used to separate a name from a value. A query string may need to be converted to satisfy these constraints. This can be done using a schema known as URL encoding. In particular, encoding the query string uses the following rules:

  • Letters (A-Z and a-z) and numbers (0-9) are not encoded.
  • The period (.), comma (,) , tilde (~), and underscore (_) characters are not encoded.
  • A space is encoded as %20.
  • The forward slash (/) is encoded as %2F.
  • All other characters are encoded as %FF hex representation with any non-ASCII characters first encoded as UTF-8 (or other specified encoding).
  • To encode as RFC 1738, use the + sign to replace spaces.

Security​

As web services are accessible over the Internet and can be interfaced with any system, there is a risk of fraudulent access and usage of the system. To tighten security, Actito APIs can be accessed using the HTTPS protocol. To use HTTPS, just replace HTTP with HTTPS in all the submission URLs.