Developing and Deploying Custom States

Develop and deploy custom states to extend the functionality of Brand Mobiliser, and to meet client-specific requirements.

1. Develop a custom state by extending either:
   • SmappStatePlugin class – for most states.
   • AbstractDynamicMenu class – for menu states.
2. (Classes that extend SmappStatePlugin only) Implement the state logic.
3. Add custom state information.
4. Define custom state variables.
5. Set up Apache Maven.
6. Build and deploy a custom state bundle.

• Extending the SmappStatePlugin Class
  You can simplify custom-state development by extending the SmappStatePlugin class.
• Extending the AbstractDynamicMenu Class
  Many SMS and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) applications rely on menus to receive consumer responses. Menus reduce the potential for response errors, because they are numbered lists.
• Implementing State Logic
  If you extend the SmappStatePlugin class, implement state logic in the processStateLogic method. If you extend the AbstractDynamicMenu class, the abstract class implements the state logic.
• Custom State Information
  State information includes an ID, a name, a revision number, and usage notes. The name and usage notes are metadata that the state editor shows in the Application Composer.
• Custom State Variables
  You can define input and output variables for custom states. Variables are used as both metadata in the state editor, and as runtime objects for storing session variables.
• Setting Up Apache Maven
  Apache Maven is a software project management tool that is based on a project object model (POM). You can use Maven to manage a project's build, reporting, and documentation from a central piece of information.
• Custom State Bundles
  Package custom states as OSGi bundles, which you can deploy to Brand Mobiliser.