October 2016 Summaries

Vapor is a popular Swift web framework that allows developers to quickly build web applications using Swift. To get started with Vapor, users need to have Swift 3 and the Swift Package Manager installed on their system. The framework provides a command-line interface that simplifies tasks such as building, running, and deploying web apps. A Droplet is the core component of Vapor, which creates routes using the Router. The framework uses Leaf templating language for rendering views. Users can define custom routes and views to render dynamic content. Additionally, Vapor has built-in support for working with JSON data, making it suitable for building APIs and web applications.

Swift Package Manager (SPM) is a command-line tool for building, testing and managing Swift project dependencies. To get started with SPM, you need Xcode 8.0 or greater and Swift 3.0 or greater on OS X. You create a new directory and use the `swift package init --type executable` command to create a new Swift package. The Package.swift file is crucial as it defines the project name and dependencies list. SwiftyJSON is added as a dependency, and then you can fetch the dependencies using the `swift package fetch` command. After installing the dependencies, you can use them in your project by adding code to the main.swift file. You can build the project using the `swift build` command and run the executable to test it. Additionally, SPM allows you to generate an Xcode project, which provides benefits like autocompletion, making it easier to work with Swift projects.

To help beginners with iOS development, a 10-minute video tutorial has been prepared to cover the basics of Auto Layout in Xcode 8. For those interested in learning more about these concepts, Apple's Auto Layout Guide provides additional resources such as `The Anatomy of a Constraint`, `Working With Constraints in Interface Builder`, and information on using stack views. Auto Layout is highly flexible and can be enjoyable to work with once the initial complexity is understood, and it offers various tools for mobile development, including Twilio IP Messaging and Twilio Video.

Tanmay Bakshi, a 13-year-old Canadian developer, has built drones that take flight commands via text using Twilio, facial recognition login programs with two-factor authentication, and an application called "Ask Tanmay" which allows users to interact with him via text. He started programming at age 5 and released his first iOS app, tTables, at 9 years old. Now, he aims to reach 100,000 developers by the time he turns 15, using sophisticated methods such as YouTube tutorials, Facebook Live promotions, and IBM Bluemix tools like Watson and Twilio. His development tools include NodeJS, a handy SDK, and a Node AR drone, which are used in his drone hack powered by Twilio and IBM Watson. Tanmay's goal is to share his knowledge and inspire other developers, particularly beginners, as he chases his ultimate goal of reaching 100,000 developers.

TaskRouter now supports Last In, First Out (LIFO) for routing tasks, which allows users to choose between the default behavior where the longest waiting task gets delivered to the next available worker or a new option where the task that has been waiting the least amount of time will be routed to the next available worker. This feature is particularly useful in handling leads, as it ensures that the hottest lead (newest) is connected to the first free agent with the highest likelihood of conversion. LIFO can be enabled on a TaskQueue by passing `TaskOrder=LIFO` while creating or updating a TaskQueue, and it can also be combined with FIFO queues through a workspace level setting called `PrioritizeQueueOrder`. The `PrioritizeQueueOrder` setting determines whether tasks from LIFO or FIFO queues are prioritized when an agent is able to take tasks from both.

In 2012, there was a significant shift in electioneering where campaigns began focusing on individual voters rather than demographic slices, thanks to the work of Dan Wagner, Obama's Chief Analytics Officer. This approach led to personalized connection-building and treating voters as unique individuals, which can be crafted and delivered through text messaging. Traditional tools like TV ads and email are less effective compared to phone calls, with a 22% chance of seeing email being opened. The use of text messaging platforms like Hustle has proven successful in campaigns, such as Bernie Sanders' 2016 campaign, where it sent millions of messages and logged over 5.7 million responses from 1.7 million people, resulting in an 18.5 times increase in volunteer shifts compared to phone banking. The key to success lies in the medium (text messaging) and the message itself, which must be authentic and meaningful to voters.

Twilio has introduced Templates for TwiML Bins, which allow developers to customize their TwiML documents with placeholders for HTTP parameters passed by Twilio's webhook request. This enables the creation of more complex applications, such as SMS forwarding, where developers can reference variables like `{{From}}` and `{{Body}}`. The new feature is designed to make it easier for developers to focus on building experiences without managing web infrastructure, and provides a way to pass custom HTTP parameters by appending them to the query string in the URL. With templates, developers can now create more dynamic TwiML Bin applications that can be easily customized at runtime.

Introducing SIP Registration allows users to connect their SIP-enabled devices or softphones directly to Twilio's Voice API for call-handling logic and routing control from their code, with free registration for multiple devices per user. The feature is available now and uses the same Programmable Voice pricing for making and receiving calls. Early adopters include Serenova, which integrated SIP Registration into its contact center offering, allowing agents to use SIP-enabled phones in any location without local infrastructure. Twilio also utilizes SIP Registration internally, saving 80% on VoIP provider fees by registering their office phones directly with Twilio.

MyTime is a company that aims to bridge the gap between businesses and customers by providing software solutions for scheduling appointments, managing client communications, and automating marketing efforts using Twilio-powered messaging, web chat, and more. The company's product, MyTime Scheduler, allows businesses to facilitate secure conversations with clients via SMS, threaded messaging, and chat, cutting down reply times and eliminating friction associated with traditional communication methods. By leveraging Twilio's scalable infrastructure, MyTime is able to deliver ease of use, reliability, and scalability to its customers as the demand for two-way messaging continues to rise. The company is focused on empowering businesses and customers alike by providing a one-stop-shop for appointment scheduling, confirmation, and communication, ultimately helping to deepen relationships and boost business success.

The Twilio Java helper library has been released, with a new generation of the library built from the ground up based on user feedback. The new library simplifies basic operations and introduces actions to improve network efficiency, adding features such as native paging support and type system exposure. It is compatible with Java versions 7 and higher, and uses the builder pattern for creating objects. The library includes a Getting Started Guide, Quickstart code samples, and Javadoc reference documentation, and will be followed by releases in other languages including C#.

Stetho is a tool that allows developers to inspect and debug their mobile applications, similar to the tools available for web development. By using Stetho, developers can see the network requests made by their app in Chrome Developer Tools, allowing them to identify performance issues and optimize their code. The author of this article shows how to use Stetho with Picasso, a popular image loading library, to load images from URLs and display them in an Android app. With Stetho, developers can also inspect the view hierarchy and database of their app, making it easier to debug and optimize their mobile application. By adding Stetho to their project, developers can gain more insight into their app's behavior and improve its performance.

A company can use bots to route customer requests based on sentiment and emotion by integrating a bot platform with a call center system. The bot first chats with the customer, determines their intent and emotional state, and then updates the task attributes in TaskRouter to indicate that the task has been bot qualified. This allows for more efficient routing of customers to the best-suited agents. Additionally, the use of messaging for customer service enables agents to handle multiple interactions simultaneously, making it possible to specify how many tasks an agent can handle concurrently using the new multitasking feature of TaskRouter. The system also uses Marketplace AddOns to gather information about the customer, such as their name and address. Overall, this approach aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of customer service by leveraging technology to better understand customer needs and preferences.

** Triggering phone calls in Chrome using Twilio and Zapier allows users to easily connect with their coworkers, cutting through the noise of multiple platforms. The process involves downloading the Zapier Push Chrome Extension, setting up a new push zap, selecting the Twilio account, choosing the phone number to trigger the call, and entering a message to be read aloud by Twilio's voice feature. With this integration, users can quickly alert their team with a coffee break invitation, streamlining communication and increasing productivity. By leveraging the power of code, Zapier and Twilio have created a seamless way to execute calls from within Chrome, making it easy for teams to stay connected and focused throughout the workday.

To send an SMS with Python using Twilio, you need a free trial account and an SMS-enabled phone number. You can install the twilio library from pip and use environment variables to store your credentials securely. The process involves importing necessary modules, setting up your Twilio client, and creating a message using the client's create method. Once set up, running the script sends an SMS message to your cell phone in just a few seconds.

The IBM Watson Message Insights Add-On from Twilio enables the detection of language in text messages, allowing businesses to route customer support requests to agents who speak their native language. To leverage this feature, developers can combine it with Twilio's Programmable SMS and TaskRouter services using ASP.NET and C#. By installing the Message Insights Add-On, sending inbound SMS messages through a Twilio account, and routing them to workers based on their language skills, businesses can provide more effective customer support while reducing costs. The process involves creating a simple web application that receives an inbound SMS message, uses Message Insights to determine the language of the message text, and routes it to an appropriate worker using TaskRouter. With this integration, developers can create more efficient and personalized customer support experiences.

Promises` are objects that have two important methods, `then()` and `catch()`. They provide a cleaner alternative to callbacks in asynchronous programming. With Promises, you can execute multiple asynchronous calls in parallel or series using `Promise.all()` and chain them together using the `then()` method. You can also use `catch()` to handle errors that occur during the execution of a Promise chain. To create a new Promise, you can wrap an existing function with a new function that returns a Promise created with the `new Promise()` constructor. This allows you to convert callback-based code into Promise-based code, making it easier to manage asynchronous operations in your JavaScript applications.

The team at SyncVid.io built a Chrome extension that allows users to watch YouTube videos with friends remotely and synchronously, using Twilio Sync technology. The WiFi outage during the MLH Prime Hackathon actually ended up helping them focus on UX and UI instead of coding, which ultimately led to a better product. After overcoming initial challenges, including technical difficulties, the team successfully launched their app by 8am, allowing users to create rooms, invite friends, and watch videos together in real-time. The Syncvid.io crew plans to expand their platform to include additional streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, providing a unique way for users to engage with content together remotely.