MKS Integrity 2007 Integrations Builder Guide

Chapter 2: Understanding the MKS API
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This guide is focused on the MKS Java and C API, and its usage. This chapter contains the
following information to help you understand how the MKS API can meet your integration
needs:
“The API Model” on page 4
“Integration Scenarios” on page 5
“Where To Go Next” on page 9
The API Model
The MKS API uses a generic model to minimize the development and administration of all
integrations built using the API. All integrations interact with MKS Integrity products
through a generic command processor called the command runner. To run any command, a
command is specified using its CLI syntax. A command runner sends the command to an
MKS Integrity Client or MKS Integrity Server, which executes the command and returns a
response. The response contents can then be accessed by the integration.
The same command runner is used to run any command for any application, only the
command and its options change, and all commands use the same response type. Rather than
learning multiple APIs, there is only a single API to become familiar with.
The MKS API consists of three components:
Your Application
Integration Code
Command
API
Response
Integration Point
Integrity Client or Integrity Server
Commands
The MKS Integrity CLIs define the functions that are available through the API. Key
MKS Integrity commands (item and change package creation and manipulation) and
core MKS Source functions, used by most IDE (Integrated Development Environment)