As the title said.
It seems very useful and powerful. Learning this thing while writing Web APPs. We can do a lot of internet-connected automation with it from and to Samba.
We have GraphQL API. Using GraphQL there is not much you can’t do with SambaPOS.
1 Like
Hmm, I will need to study more about GraphQL then.
However, I don’t seem to see much direct support of GraphQL from other platforms like Slack, Zapier, Google Sheets, Docs…
In this quest, I am more into finding a way to integrate various Web services with a simple and unify interface such as triggering a SMS, email when some events happen in Samba and receive information from events happening in another public web app.
Not sure what you mean by that, are you expecting slack and Google doc’s etc to have intergration as standard with samba???
GraphQL I believe is the framework used for the API within samba.
Samba has an API for external requests made to samba.
It is not that disimilar to any other API in that there is endpoint with authentication and data is requested/posted using specified format which like many many apis samba takes JSON.
In short, if you want samba to get information from elsewhere you use scripts.
If you want to get information from samba from elsewhere or push something into samba from elsewhere you can use the API/GraphGL
I notice you mention zapier with the others saying no direct support… Not used zapier but well aware of what it is and like many other things either no one has created the plugin/zap for it.
You could say WordPress has no support for samba but we have all the tools needed to intergrate the two, just no one has yet …
2 Likes
Yes, Zapier is one such web services that is getting popular here in the US even with its pretty expensive rate. If we can create a plugin for it, it will help a lot of Samba uses to automate SMS, auto notification/phone call, logging into, receiving certain things from the Google sheets, forms… and such.
By the way that you speak I presume by we you mean someone other than you?
I’m familiar with zapier, but not sure if this is going to happen soon unless you put some back work into, you get advice and pointers if you do but not sure someone will just take that on.
Personally I would just work direct to the SMS or whatever services rather than zapier, if they work with that they have an api and unlikly to be much to get in your way to cut out the middle man and additional point of complication or failure and just go direct.
Zapier is built for Web Apps. Sambapos is not a webapp.
1 Like
Let’s see how things go. Even though Webhooks are fun but my focus would be on the payment API as I think this is the key to success or not for the Samba ecosystem in the US. So far, US is one of the most under developed market for Samba, I attribute that to the inability to interface with the payment terminals at current state.
Unfortunately, so far I don’t think Samba has decided which business model to go in regard to payment since last meeting.
I am not a keen believer that I(or we) can cut every middleman. I do think the middlemen add much value to an ecosystem. For example, I am sure I cannot defeat Zapier in terms of market acceptance. Their compatibility spread will be much faster than us here.
Actually US is getting integrated payments very soon.
1 Like
Do we have more details on the integrated payments?
Not yet. It can’t be spoken about much yet due to NDA agreement. It’s coming though and you will probably like it.
1 Like
I hope so. I’ve been hearing that “It’s coming soon” since 2016.
1 Like
It has been, we have it in UK already, US is coming.
Going a lil bit off topic:
I am craving for that badge
1 Like
ok ok, wtf is zappier and why is it so desirable?
googling …
EDIT: ok done that (I don’t get what it’s good for), now… what is Trello?
It seems like some kind of app connector that adds some automation between apps I cant really find how it would be useful in SambaPOS though.
1 Like
Going off-topic now yes…
Trello looks like some type of team/collaboration software.
Anyone have an active Trello Board running that I can play on? Samba Staff?
I’ll look into Zapier and Webhooks Dev if I have a Board to play with.
1 Like
I have a Trello account we tried to impliment it for hotel group to help keep everyone on same page but it never took off.
I can see it’s use but not in connection to epos LOL.
The advantage to zappier in theory is you intergrate to them and it in theory allows you to then be intergrate with other apps provided evyerinw is working in a way that works together. Again a nice idea with plenty of applications but not sure samba is a prime candidate needing a zap connection
No idea what you would link between samba and trello.
ok, I get it.
zapier is pretty cool
webhooks are even cooler
If SamabPOS had an Action to create webhooks, we could send info to an App like QMX (or just internally within SambaPOS) when something like a Menu was updated. Essentially like creating your own Event which in turn triggers a Rule that executes other Actions.
3 Likes
This would solve so many problems for us wouldn’t it? Like for customer display for example we could just listen for a webhook to come through to say a new update Inc the current ticket is available so refresh the screen.
Would even be really useful for menu updated events and other external integrations.
1 Like