Slack, Mattermost and similar tools integration

[mensch72]

It would be nice to integrate vodle polls with Slack, Mattermost, and similar tools, e.g.:

In those tools, ...

• get notifications about vodle polls
• discuss a vodle poll in a poll-specific dedicated channel
• set up a new vodle poll from within those tools, possible based on content from those tools?

[mensch72]

Slack

Maybe use this example to learn how to do it: https://github.com/slackapi/node-tasks-app

Things to decide:

• How much of vodle's functionality shall be accessible directly inside Slack, and what part of the functionality should rather be accessible from Slack via a link to the vodle web or native app. Based on this, decide whether a Slack "app" is needed or a Slack "workflow" suffices.
• Which form of communication between Slack user and vodle is most appropriate for each task: a message to or from a chat bot, a home page, a modal?
• How to enable polls with both Slack and non-Slack participants?

Resources on workflows:

• triggering a message from outside Slack via a webhook: https://slack.com/help/articles/360041352714-Create-more-advanced-workflows-using-webhooks

[mensch72]

Mattermost

Things to decide:

• What functionality (as in Slack)
• What Mattermost feature/technology to use: Slash commands, Webhooks, Apps, Plugins, Bots?
  • Overview: https://docs.mattermost.com/about/integrations.html
  • Apps are probably the best choice since they can be deployed to both cloud and non-cloud Mattermost servers, can be written in Typescript, and are powerful enough to offer things that slash commands or webhooks would not be able to do

[mensch72]

slash commands

Both Slack and Mattermost have "slash commands", so these could be valuable slash commands for a vodle plugin:

• /vodle new poll <Title> <Description> <URL> would set up a new poll in draft mode [with the optionally specified title [and description and/or url]] and return a link to its draft page in vodle. Once the poll is started in vodle, vodle would automatically place its invitation message into the channel.
• /vodle add option <Option Name> <Description> <URL> would return a link to the "add option" page for the last poll in this channel, [prefilled with the optional name [and description and/or url]]
• /vodle show would print a short report about the current state of the last poll in this channel and a recommendation between which options one might want to search for a compromise