Application developer manual

Overview overview

Adobe Learning Manager is a cloud-hosted, learner-centric, and self-service learning management solution. Customers can access Learning Manager resources programmatically using the Learning Manager API to integrate it with other enterprise applications. The API can also be used by Adobe partners to enhance the value proposition of Learning Manager, by extending its functionality or by integrating it with other applications or services.

Usage scenario usagescenario

Using Learning Manager API, developers can build self-contained applications that extend the functionality of Learning Manager or integrate Learning Manager with other enterprise applications workflows. You can develop a web application, desktop client or a mobile app using any technology of your choice. As a developer you can access your application data from within Learning Manager. The deployment of the application that you develop is external to the Learning Manager platform and you have full control over the software development lifecycle as the application evolves. Typically, applications are developed by a customer organization for use with their Learning Manager account, and these applications are private to that specific customer organization. Also, Adobe partners can build generic applications with Learning Manager API, that can be used by a large set of Learning Manager customers.

Learning Manager API apidescription

The Learning Manager API is based on principles of REST, and exposes key elements of the Learning Manager Object Model to application developers through HTTP. Before knowing the details of the API endpoints and the HTTP methods, developers can become familiar with the various Learning Manager objects, their attributes and inter-relationships. Once the models are understood, it will be useful to get a basic understanding of the structure of API requests and responses, and a few common programming terms that we use generically across the API.

For details of the various API endpoints and methods, refer to the Learning Manager API documentation.

Learner APIs

Adobe Learning Manager - Learner APIs allow you to create a custom learning experience for your users. The usage of these APIs need a valid user token and are to be used only for the purpose of workflows where there is a fully licensed/registered Learner.

The non-logged in use cases require special handling.

Reach out to the Solution Architecture team, in case you have any questions on the appropriate use of these APIs and ensure that a Solution Architect has vetted a solution before you deploy it.

API authentication apiauthentication

When writing an application that makes API calls to Learning Manager, you have to register your application using the Integration Admin app.

Learning Manager APIs use OAuth 2.0 framework to authenticate and authorize your client applications.

Procedure

1. Set up your application

You can set up your application with client id and client secret to use the proper end points. Once you register your application, you can get the clientId and clientSecret. Get URL should be used in browser as it authenticates the Learning Manager users using their pre-configured accounts such as SSO, Adobe ID, and so on.

GET https://learningmanager.adobe.com/oauth/o/authorize?client_id=<Enter your clientId>&redirect_uri=<Enter a url to redirect to>&state=<Any String data>&scope=<one or more comma separated scopes>&response_type=CODE.

After successful authentication, your browser redirects to the redirect_uri mentioned in the above URL. A parameter code is appended along with the redirect uri.

2. Get refresh token from code

POST https://learningmanager.adobe.com/oauth/token Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

Body of the post request:

client_id:
<enter your clientid>
 &
 client_secret:
 <enter your clientsecret>
  &
  code:
  <code from step 1></code>
 </enter>
</enter>

3. Obtain an access token from refresh token

URL to obtain access token:

POST https://learningmanager.adobe.com/oauth/token/refresh Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

Body of the post request:

client_id:
<enter your clientid>
 &
 client_secret:
 <enter your clientsecret>
  &
  refresh_token:
  <refresh token>

  </refresh>
 </enter>
</enter>

URL to verify access token details

GET https://learningmanager.adobe.com/oauth/token/check?access_token=<access_token>

Usage limitation

An access token is valid for seven days. After a day, you have to generate a new access token using refresh token. If you generate a new access token from refresh token while an existing access token is still valid, the existing token is returned.

Some of the frequently used terms in Learning Manager API are explained below for your reference.

Includes

Developers can access a single API object model and also multiple models associated with that model. To access the subsequent related models, you need to understand the relationship of each model with other models. Includes parameter enables developers to access the dependant models. You can use comma separator to access multiple models. For sample usage and more details on includes, refer to sample API model section in this page.

API request

The API requests can be made by making a HTTP Request. Depending upon the end point and method developer may have a choice of various HTTP verbs such as GET, PUT, POST, DELETE, PATCH, etc. For some requests query parameters can be passed. When making a request for a specific data model, the user can also request for related models as described in the JSON API specifications. The structure of a typical API Request is described in sample model usage.

API response

When an API request is made by a client, a SON document is obtained according to the JSON API specification. The response also contains the HTTP Status code, which the developer can verify to perform the appropriate next steps in his application logic. The structure of a typical API Response is described in sample model usage.

Errors

When an API request fails, an Error response is obtained. The HTTP Status code returned in the response indicates the nature of error. Error codes are represented with numbers for each model in the API reference. 200, 204, 400 and 404 are some of the common errors represented in APIs indicating HTTP access issues.

Fields

API object’s attributes and its relationships are collectively called Fields. Refer to JSON API for more information. You can use Fields as a parameter while making API calls to fetch one or more speicific attributes from the model. In absence of the Fields parameter, the API call fetches all the available attributes from the model. For example, in the following API call, fields[skill]=name fetches you the name attribute of the skill model alone.

https://learningmanager.adobe.com/primeapi/v2/users/{userId}/userSkills/{id}?include=skillLevel.skill&fields[skill]=name

Pagination

Sometimes, an API request results in a long list of objects to be returned in the response. In such cases, the pagination attribute enables the developer to fetch the results sequentially in terms of multiple pages, where each page contains a range of records. For example, pagination attribute in Learning Manager enables you to set the maximum number of records to be displayed in a page. Also, you can define the range value of records to be displayed on page.

Sorting

Sorting is allowed in API models. Based on the model, choose the type of sorting to be applied for the results. Sorting can be applied in ascending or descending order. For example, if you specify code sort=name, then it is ascending sort by name. If you specify code sort=-name, it is descending sort by name. Refer to JSON API spec for more information.

API usage illustration samplemodel

Let us consider a scenario where a developer wants to get skill name, max points assigned for skill level and points earned by the learner for that skill.

A userSkill model in Learning Manager APIs consists of id, type, dateAchieved, dateCreated, pointsEarned as default attributes. So, when a developer uses GET method to acquire details of userSkill model, the current data pertaining to the default attributes is shown in the response output.

But, in this scenario, the developer wants to get the skill name, and points of skill level for the user. Learning Manager API enables you to access this related information using relationship fields and include parameter. The associated models for userSkill are obtained in relatioships tag. You can get the details of each associated models by calling these models along with the userSkill. To get this information, use code include parameter with dot (period) separated values for each of the associated models. You can use comma as separator to request another model like user include=skillLevel.skill,course

API Call

https://learningmanagerqe1.adobe.com/primeapi/v1/users/%7buserId%7d/userSkills/%7bid%7d?include=skillLevel.skill&fields%5bskill%5d=name&fields%5bskillLevel%5d=maxCredits&fields%5buserSkill%5d=pointsEarned

For example userId can be 746783 and the userSkills id: 746783_4426_1.

Response of API call

\{
 "links": {"self": "https://learningmanager.adobe.com/primeapi/v2/users/746783/userSkills/746783_4426_1?include=skillLevel.skill&fields[userSkill]=pointsEarned&fields[skillLevel]=maxCredits&fields[skill]=name"},
 "data": {
 "id": "746783_4426_1",
 "type": "userSkill",
 "attributes": {"pointsEarned": 5},
 "links": {"self": "https://learningmanager.adobe.com/primeapi/v2/users/746783/userSkills/746783_4426_1"}
 },
 "included": [
 {
 "id": "4426",
 "type": "skill",
 "attributes": {"name": "Java"},
 "links": {"self": "https://learningmanager.adobe.com/primeapi/v2/skills/4426"}
 },
 {
 "id": "4426_1",
 "type": "skillLevel",
 "attributes": {"maxCredits": 10}
 }
 ]
}

Learning Manager models models

The Learning Manager API allows developers to access Learning Manager objects as RESTful resources. Each API endpoint represents a resource, typically an object instance like Badge, or a collection of such objects. The developers then use the HTTP verbs such as PUT, GET, POST and DELETE to perform the CRUD operations on those objects (collections).

List of object attributes and relationships.

Application development process registration

Pre-requisites prerequisites

As a developer you have to create a trial account on Learning Manager, so that you can have full access to all the roles within that account. To be able to write an application, a developer has to create some users and courses and get the account to a reasonable state so that the application being developed can have access to some sample data.

Create client id and secret createclientidandsecret

Application development and testing applicationdevelopmentandtesting

The Learning Manager API can be used by developers to build any application. Developers have to ensure that their accounts consist of some valid users and courses. They can create a few dummy users and courses and simulate activity in the trial account, so that they can test functionality of the application.

Application deployment applicationdeployment

We recommend that the Learning Manager Administrator or an Integration Administrator for the production account, to take ownership of making the application available to users within their organization. Once the application has been tested and is considered ready for production, inform the administrator of the production account. Ideally, the administrators want to generate a new client-id and client-secret for the application in the production account, and perform the necessary steps to incorporate them inside the application in a secure manner. The actual procedure for deploying applications varies from enterprise to enterprise, and the Learning Manager Administrator of your organization has to take support from the IT/IS department within your organization to complete the deployment.

External application approval externalapplicationapproval

You can add external applications by clicking Approve at the upper-right corner of the Applications page. Provide the external application id and click Save.

Add and approve an external application

Frequently Asked Questions