iTunes U Administration Guide: ShowTree

ShowTree

Displays the data in your iTunes U site.

You specify the following entities with the ShowTree operation:

Handle. Specifies the handle in your iTunes U site for the page where you want iTunes U to begin displaying data. If you do not specify the Handle entity, iTunes U uses the destination string in your URL. If the handle you specified is not the site root handle, iTunes U displays the path from the site root handle to the handle you specified, including children of the requested handle.
KeyGroup. Specifies the level of detail you want iTunes U to return from your site. If you do not specify the KeyGroup entity, iTunes U uses “most”, unless you are sending a Web Services request in which case iTunes U uses “maximal”. You can specify one of the following values:
- minimal. Displays the overall hierarchical structure of your iTunes U site. You can specify this entity value to obtain handle and hierarchical information and names within your site’s structure, without specific structure details.
- most. Displays very detailed information for your iTunes U site, excluding file and image information.
- maximal. Displays the maximum level of information for your iTunes U site. You can specify this entity value to obtain the maximum level of detail about your site and save the information for later use. Currently there is no way to restore your site using the information provided with the “maximal” value.

The following is an example of an iTunes U Web Services document using ShowTree:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ITunesUDocument>
  <Version>1.1.4</Version>
  <ShowTree>
    <Handle>27361720</Handle>
    <KeyGroup>maximal</KeyGroup>
  </ShowTree>
</ITunesUDocument>

For this example, when you upload the document, iTunes U displays your entire iTunes U site because the specified handle is the site’s root handle.

To accomplish the same task in a single step, without creating and uploading an iTunes U Web Services document, you can invoke the ShowTree operation directly by performing a GET request. Use the destination string in your URL to specify the root handle of your site, and use the default “most” KeyGroup level of detail. For example, type the following, substituting real values for the domain, credentials, identity, time and signature values:

curl 'https://deimos.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/API/ShowTree/example.edu?credentials=40004001.40004002.5b.5c.5e&identity=&time=1159908125&signature=&x=true'

If you specify the version query parameter, iTunes U returns a response matching the version you specified, unless the version has been deprecated, in which case iTunes U returns an error. For example: curl ‘https://deimos.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/API/ShowTree/example.edu?version=1.1.1&credentials=40004001.40004002.5b.5c.5e&identity=&time=1159908125&signature=&x=true'. If you do not specify the version query parameter, iTunes U returns the version 1.1 response.

Notes:

You can use the ShowTree operation to obtain a track handle, and then use the handle to create a URL to link to the track from your iTunes U Links boxes, scripts, webpages, or Learning Management Systems (LMS). To do this, you must add the following URL information before the track handle: https://deimos.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/example.edu. For example, if your track handle is 1250054257, your link would look like: https://deimos.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/example.edu.1250054257. For more information on linking to iTunes U, see “Obtaining an iTunes U URL.”

The LinkCollectionSet entity within the ShowTree operation specifies a collection of Links boxes contained in an iTunes U page. The LinkCollectionSet contains one or more LinkCollection entities representing the specific Links boxes within the iTunes U page. A LinkCollection is defined by the following entities:
- Name. The Links box title.
- Handle. The unique identifier representing a specific Links box.
- FeedURL. In publicly accessible pages, a URL containing an RSS feed view of the contents of the Links box. You can also obtain this URL by clicking the RSS link in the Links box title bar while editing an iTunes U publicly accessible page. To protect the security of restricted content, this URL is provided only to public sites, and can be used to get up-to-the-minute information about the contents in a specific Links box. For example, if you have an iTunes U page with a Links box containing links to your staff’s favorite courses and tracks, and you regularly update the favorites, you can use the FeedURL on your institution’s login page to highlight the information and allow users to view or subscribe to the RSS feed. If your site contains a Top Downloads box, you can use ShowTree to get its FeedURL and thus the RSS feed of the contents of the Top Downloads box.
You can use the ShowTree operation to display your site’s hierarchical structure, and archive the information to help your recreate the structure and details of your site if needed.

The following is an example of the output iTunes U returns from a ShowTree operation. The output displays an iTunes U site hierarchy as XML. The XML output is representative of the XML you can use later to modify the structure and data contained in the site, including additional informational elements.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ITunesUResponse>
  <Version>1.1.4</Version>
  <Site>
    <Name>Cupertino University</Name>
    <Handle>27361720</Handle>
    <AllowSubscription>true</AllowSubscription>
    <AggregateFileSize>2730354089</AggregateFileSize>
    <ThemeHandle>1133133900</ThemeHandle>
    <Permission>
      <Credential>Authenticated@urn:mace:itunesu.com:sites:
      adc.education.apple.com</Credential>
      <Access>Download</Access>
    </Permission>
    <Permission>
      <Credential>Administrator@urn:mace:itunesu.com:sites:
      adc.education.apple.com</Credential>
      <Access>Edit</Access>
    </Permission>
    <Permission>
      <Credential>All@urn:mace:itunesu.com:sites:
      adc.education.apple.com</Credential>
      <Access>No Access</Access>
    </Permission>
    <Permission>
      <Credential>Unauthenticated@urn:mace:itunesu.com:sites:
      adc.education.apple.com</Credential>
      <Access>No Access</Access>
    </Permission>
    <Permission>
      <Credential>Role@urn:mace:itunesu.com</Credential>
      <Access>No Access</Access>
    </Permission>
    <Section>
      <Name>Cupertino University Courses</Name>
      <Handle>27362003</Handle>
      <Course>
        <Name>This Month</Name>
        <CourseType>Feed</CourseType>
        <Handle>1360417359</Handle>
        <Instructor />
        <Description>Episodes published this month</Description>
        <Identifier />
        <ThemeHandle />
        <ShortName>Atom Feed Course</ShortName>
        <Permission>
          <Credential>Authenticated@urn:mace:itunesu.com:sites
          :cupertinouniversity.com</Credential>
          <Access>No Access</Access>
        </Permission>
        <CoverImage>
          <Handle>1360417364</Handle>
          <Shared>true</Shared>
        </CoverImage>
        <BannerImage>
          <Handle>1360417362</Handle>
          <Shared>true</Shared>
        </BannerImage>
        <ThumbnailImage>
          <Handle>1360417363</Handle>
          <Shared>true</Shared>
        </ThumbnailImage>
        <Group>
          <Name>iPod/iPhone</Name>
          <Handle>1624921286</Handle>
          <GroupType>Simple</GroupType>
          <ShortName />
          <Permission />
          <Explicit>no</Explicit>
          <Track>
            <Name>Server Small Apps Presentations, Part I</Name>
            <Handle>1624921295</Handle>
            <Kind>feature-movie</Kind>
            <TrackNumber>1</TrackNumber>
            <DiscNumber>1</DiscNumber>
            <DurationMilliseconds>1954000</DurationMilliseconds>
            <AlbumName>This Month</AlbumName>
            <ArtistName>Directory Administrator</ArtistName>
            <GenreName />
            <DownloadURL>https://deimos.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa
            /DownloadTrack/cupertinouniversity.com.1360417359.
            01624921286.1624921295</DownloadURL>
            <File>
              <Name />
              <Path />
              <Size />
              <Hash />
              <Handle />
              <Shared />
            </File>
            <Comment />
            <CoverImage>
              <Handle>1624921295</Handle>
              <Shared>false</Shared>
            </CoverImage>
            <Explicit>no</Explicit>
          </Track>
          <SharedObjects />
          <AggregateFileSize />
          <AllowSubscription />
        </Group>
        <Group>
          <Name>Computer</Name>
          <Handle>1624921289</Handle>
          <GroupType>Simple</GroupType>
          <ShortName />
          <Permission />
          <Explicit>no</Explicit>
          <Track>
            <Name>Server Small Apps Presentations, Part I</Name>
            <Handle>1624921298</Handle>
            <Kind>feature-movie</Kind>
            <TrackNumber>1</TrackNumber>
            <DiscNumber>1</DiscNumber>
            <DurationMilliseconds>1954000</DurationMilliseconds>
            <AlbumName>This Month</AlbumName>
            <ArtistName>Directory Administrator</ArtistName>
            <GenreName />
            <DownloadURL>https://deimos.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa
            /DownloadTrack/cupertinouniversity.com.1360417359.
            01624921289.1624921298</DownloadURL>
            <File>
              <Name />
              <Path />
              <Size />
              <Hash />
              <Handle />
              <Shared />
            </File>
            <Comment />
            <CoverImage>
              <Handle>1624921298</Handle>
              <Shared>false</Shared>
            </CoverImage>
            <Explicit>no</Explicit>
          </Track>
          <SharedObjects />
          <AggregateFileSize />
          <AllowSubscription />
        </Group>
        <Group>
          <Name>Audio</Name>
          <Handle>1624921292</Handle>
          <GroupType>Simple</GroupType>
          <ShortName />
          <Permission />
          <Explicit>no</Explicit>
          <Track>
            <Name>Server Small Apps Presentations, Part I</Name>
            <Handle>1624921301</Handle>
            <Kind>song</Kind>
            <TrackNumber>1</TrackNumber>
            <DiscNumber>1</DiscNumber>
            <DurationMilliseconds>1934000</DurationMilliseconds>
            <AlbumName>This Month</AlbumName>
            <ArtistName>Directory Administrator</ArtistName>
            <GenreName />
            <DownloadURL>https://deimos.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa
            /DownloadTrack/cupertinouniversity.com.1360417359.
            01624921292.1624921301</DownloadURL>
            <File>
              <Name />
              <Path />
              <Size />
              <Hash />
              <Handle />
              <Shared />
            </File>
            <Comment />
            <CoverImage>
              <Handle>1624921301</Handle>
              <Shared>false</Shared>
            </CoverImage>
            <Explicit>no</Explicit>
          </Track>
          <SharedObjects />
          <AggregateFileSize />
          <AllowSubscription />
        </Group>
        <AggregateFileSize>53470</AggregateFileSize>
        <AllowSubscription />
        <ExternalFeed>
          <URL>http://podcastlibrary.apple.com:8171/podcastproducer
          /atom_feeds/4C637F48-D5BD-413E-ACFA-FD4890593D96</URL>
          <PollingInterval>Never</PollingInterval>
          <SecurityType>None</SecurityType>
          <SignatureType>None</SignatureType>
          <Status>New content added, 
          last checked on Tue Sep 15 14:13:09 PDT 2009</Status>
        </ExternalFeed>
      </Course>
      <Course>
        <Name>ENG 350: Love and Despair in Poetry</Name>
        <Handle>27362036</Handle>
        <Instructor>Instructor: Jason Edison</Instructor>
        <Description>Explore the depths of human emotion through 
        the power of verse.</Description>
        <Permission>
          <Credential>Unauthenticated@urn:mace:itunesu.com:sites:
          adc.education.apple.com</Credential>
          <Access>No Access</Access>
        </Permission>
        <CoverImage>
          <Handle>1312377200</Handle>
          <Shared>true</Shared>
        </CoverImage>
        <BannerImage>
          <Handle>28248104</Handle>
          <Shared>true</Shared>
        </BannerImage>
        <ThumbnailImage>
          <Handle>28248105</Handle>
          <Shared>true</Shared>
        </ThumbnailImage>
        <Group>
          <Name>Love</Name>
          <Handle>1250607352</Handle>
          <Permission>
            <Credential>Student@urn:mace:itunesu.com:sites:
            cupertino.edu</Credential>
            <Access>Download</Access>
          </Permission>
          <Track>
            <Name>Sonnet 55</Name>
            <Handle>1250054257</Handle>
            <Kind>song</Kind>
            <TrackNumber>0</TrackNumber>
            <DiscNumber>1</DiscNumber>
            <DurationMilliseconds>75000</DurationMilliseconds>
            <AlbumName>LiteralSystems.com Audio Books</AlbumName>
            <ArtistName>William Shakespeare</ArtistName>
            <DownloadURL>https://deimos.apple.com/WebObjects/
            Core.woa/DownloadTrack/adc.education.apple.com.
            27362036.01250607352.1250054257</DownloadURL>
            <File>
              <Handle>1184601703</Handle>
              <Shared>true</Shared>
            </File>
            <Comment>LiteralSystems.com (c) 2004. 
            Licensed to the public under 
            http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd-nc/1.0/</Comment>
            <CategoryCode>102108</CategoryCode>
          </Track>
          <AggregateFileSize>3865860</AggregateFileSize>
        </Group>
        <Group>
          <Name>Despair</Name>
          <Handle>1137655816</Handle>
          <GroupType>Feed</GroupType>
          <ExternalFeed>
            <URL>http://www.itunesu.edu/feedpath.xml</URL>
            <OwnerEmail>john.doe@email.com</OwnerEmail>
            <PollingInterval>Daily</PollingInterval>
          </ExternalFeed>
        </Group>
        <Group>
          <Name>Drop Box</Name>
          <Handle>1432712681</Handle>
        </Group>
        <Group>
          <Name>Class Podcast</Name>
          <Handle>1434954191</Handle>
        </Group>
        <AggregateFileSize>29094280</AggregateFileSize>
        <LinkCollectionSet>
          <LinkCollection>
            <Name>Links</Name>
            <Handle>16409</Handle>
            <FeedURL>https://deimos.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/LinkFeed/
            adc.education.apple.com.27362036.016408.016409</FeedURL>
          </LinkCollection>
        </LinkCollectionSet>
      </Course>
      <Course>
        <Name>COMM 410: Digital Storytelling</Name>
        <Handle>27362058</Handle>
        <Instructor>Marco Torres</Instructor>
        <Description>Learn the process of storyboarding, 
        production, and editing to communicate effectively 
        in various digital mediums.</Description>
        <CoverImage>
          <Handle>1312165622</Handle>
          <Shared>true</Shared>
        </CoverImage>
        <BannerImage>
          <Handle>28970712</Handle>
          <Shared>true</Shared>
        </BannerImage>
        <ThumbnailImage>
          <Handle>28970713</Handle>
          <Shared>true</Shared>
        </ThumbnailImage>
        <Group>
          <Name>Video</Name>
          <Handle>94505460</Handle>
          <Track>
            <Name>Air Jesse</Name>
            <Handle>33064925</Handle>
            <Kind>feature-movie</Kind>
            <DiscNumber>1</DiscNumber>
            <DurationMilliseconds>200000</DurationMilliseconds>
            <AlbumName>Digital Storytelling</AlbumName>
            <ArtistName>SFETT</ArtistName>
            <DownloadURL>https://deimos.apple.com/WebObjects/
            Core.woa/DownloadTrack/adc.education.apple.com.
            27362058.094505460.33064925</DownloadURL>
            <File>
              <Handle>33064924</Handle>
              <Shared>true</Shared>
            </File>
            <CategoryCode>101104</CategoryCode>
          </Track>
          <AggregateFileSize>61419318</AggregateFileSize>
        </Group>
        <AggregateFileSize>61449281</AggregateFileSize>
      </Course>
      <AggregateFileSize>2730256155</AggregateFileSize>
    </Section>
    <Templates>
      <Name>Templates</Name>
      <Handle>1137492150</Handle>
      <Course>
        <Name>Standard Course</Name>
        <Handle>1194148486</Handle>
        <ShortName>Standard Course</ShortName>
        <Permission>
          <Credential>Authenticated@urn:mace:itunesu.com:sites:
          adc.education.apple.com</Credential>
          <Access>No Access</Access>
        </Permission>
        <CoverImage>
          <Handle>1194148492</Handle>
          <Shared>true</Shared>
        </CoverImage>
        <BannerImage>
          <Handle>1194148491</Handle>
          <Shared>true</Shared>
        </BannerImage>
        <ThumbnailImage>
          <Handle>1194148493</Handle>
          <Shared>true</Shared>
        </ThumbnailImage>
        <Group>
          <Name>Audio</Name>
          <Handle>1194148489</Handle>
        </Group>
        <Group>
          <Name>Video</Name>
          <Handle>1194148490</Handle>
        </Group>
        <AggregateFileSize>47369</AggregateFileSize>
        <LinkCollectionSet>
          <LinkCollection>
            <Name>Title</Name>
            <Handle>17955</Handle>
            <FeedURL>https://deimos.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/LinkFeed/
            adc.education.apple.com.1194148486.017954.017955</FeedURL>
          </LinkCollection>
        </LinkCollectionSet>
      </Course>
      <AggregateFileSize>47369</AggregateFileSize>
    </Templates>
    <CoverImage>
      <Handle>1138049026</Handle>
      <Shared>true</Shared>
    </CoverImage>
    <BannerImage>
      <Handle>27361941</Handle>
      <Shared>true</Shared>
    </BannerImage>
    <ThumbnailImage>
      <Handle>1138049027</Handle>
      <Shared>true</Shared>
    </ThumbnailImage>
    <Theme>
      <Name>iTunes Original</Name>
      <Handle>1133839107</Handle>
      <BackgroundColor>b7defc</BackgroundColor>
      <BoxBackgroundColor>ffffff</BoxBackgroundColor>
      <BoxBackgroundAlphaPercent>50</BoxBackgroundAlphaPercent>
      <SectionHeadingBackgroundColor>3366cc</SectionHeadingBackgroundColor>
      <LinkTextColor>000000</LinkTextColor>
      <SectionHeadingTextColor>ffffff</SectionHeadingTextColor>
      <RegularTextColor>000000</RegularTextColor>
    </Theme>
    <Theme>
      <Name>Custom</Name>
      <Handle>1133297749</Handle>
      <BackgroundColor>ffffff</BackgroundColor>
      <BoxBackgroundColor>000000</BoxBackgroundColor>
      <BoxBackgroundAlphaPercent>12</BoxBackgroundAlphaPercent>
      <SectionHeadingBackgroundColor>000066</SectionHeadingBackgroundColor>
      <LinkTextColor>000000</LinkTextColor>
      <SectionHeadingTextColor>ffffff</SectionHeadingTextColor>
      <RegularTextColor>333333</RegularTextColor>
    </Theme>
    <LinkCollectionSet>
      <LinkCollection>
        <Name>Links</Name>
        <Handle>16407</Handle>
        <FeedURL>https://deimos.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/LinkFeed/
        adc.education.apple.com.016406.016407</FeedURL>
      </LinkCollection>
    </LinkCollectionSet>
  </Site>
  <Reference>
    <Category>
      <Code>102108</Code>
      <Name>Fine Arts - Theater</Name>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <Code>101104</Code>
      <Name>Engineering - Environmental</Name>
    </Category>
  </Reference>
</ITunesUResponse>