Lotus Instant Messaging/ Web Conferencing ... - IBM Redbooks

Why is this feature useful, since it is possible to simply send an e-mail instead?This feature can prove extremely useful for the following reasons:►►►►After discovering that a user is offline, based on their status within theSametime buddylist, it is possible to still send a message while remainingwithin the context of the Sametime buddylist.As soon as the intended person changes their status to online, he or she willimmediately receive the message.When sending an e-mail, it can take several days to get a response from theintended person.This same feature can be extended to work with announcement engineswithin the company later.Methodology for implementing offline message deliveryA variety of techniques can be used to accomplish this functionality. Whichapproach to choose ultimately depends on your particular needs and willingnessto consider deploying a customized Sametime client. The possible approachesare discussed in greater detail below.Basically, we need two components to deliver this solution. The first componentis a server application that handles the Sametime storage service in order tostore the offline messages and also handle the users’ login events.The second component involves the Sametime client. This is where severaldifferent approaches to the solution are available:►►►Possible Approach 1: Use a proprietary, custom developed Sametime clientthat identifies offline users on the buddylist and allows the user to sendmessages to the server application. (The custom developed client can bebased on Java, COM, or C++, depending on your needs.) Note, however, thatthis option may require the user to deal with two different Sametime clients,namely the Sametime Connect client and the proprietary, custom developedclient. Also, this solution may require an electronic distribution method fordeploying the customized client to a large number of machines. For a largescale deployment, this could be a major effort.Possible Approach 2: Customize the Sametime Connect client or theSametime Java Connect client in order to allow the same behavior describedin the previous bullet. This is a more convenient solution in that it eliminatesthe need for two Sametime clients, but it requires privileged and very limitedaccess to the source code of the Sametime Connect client. It also requires asoftware distribution solution.Possible Approach 3: Use a bot to send the offline message to the serverapplication. This is the easiest solution from a development andadministration perspective. Accordingly, it is the preferred approach. The user384 Lotus Instant Messaging/Web Conferencing (Sametime): Building Sametime-Enabled Applications