SnapGrades provides an API to let you embed grades, homework, etc. inside your own website, so when parents or students log into your website, they do not need to login separately into SnapGrades. This requires a frameset, so the content will be coming live from our server, but it will appear to the user to be in your website. The content still has the yellow color scheme and black tab-bar, but no "SnapGrades" branding. To implement this, your IT staff must do some custom programming (more than just HTML).
This feature is in beta testing for free in 2010-2011. Starting in 2011-2012 we may charge an additional fee, TBD.
Here is how it works:
| 1. |
The parent/student logs into your website using whatever ID and password you assign them. This does not need to match their SnapGrades ID or password. Preferably your website should have separate logins for the student and each parent, but it's adequate if the family shares the same login. |
2. |
The parent/student navigates to the page where the frameset will show the grades. |
3. |
But before serving this page, your server submits a request to our server. The request must identify which student, something like this:
https://snapgrades.com/login/embed.php?
id=09622&who=example@gmail.com
&district=10748&auth=8b5d20cf81c73556b1a3e23531473d75
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• | ID is the student's ID#, with or without leading zeros. |
| • | Who = 0 for student, 1 for first parent(s), 2 for second parent(s), or an email address to identify which person is specifically logged in. This allows parents to edit settings that students cannot, such as email alert preferences, and it lets you track exactly who has logged in and when, but otherwise it shows the same grading information. If omitted, or if the email address does not match anyone, it defaults to student. |
| • | District & Auth are static codes we assign to you. Please contact us to request this. |
| • | To hide the "Settings" tab so students/parents cannot change their contact info and password, append "&settings=0". |
| • | You may use PUT or GET. |
| • | You must use SSL, port 443. If a hacker gets your auth code, they could potentially see grades of anyone in your district. If there has been a security breech, please alert us and we'll assign you a new auth code. |
4. |
Our server returns a page where the body is just the URL unique to that student, something like this:
https://snapgrades.com/login/private.php?10748,1716,1932734968,,,1
If an error occurs it will return a URL with an alert message, like:
https://snapgrades.com/login/embed.php?alert=Cannot+find+student+id%3D09622
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5. |
Your server uses that URL to build the frameset and serves the page. |
6. |
The parent/student sees their grades inside the frameset. They can click the tab-bar inside the frameset to navigate within SnapGrades. |
You may download our SDK for PHP
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