Snapshot API

NOTE: This API and its documentation are NOT provided or supported by Linden Lab. Linden Lab does not guarantee that this API works as described or works at all. Use at your own risk!

Second Life APIs

• Registration API

• Map API

• Inventory API
• Live Data Feeds
• Media Plugin API

• Marketplace API for Viewers

Unofficial APIs

• Search API
• Snapshot API
• World API
• Picture Service

Overview

Email snapshot of user interface

The Second Life Snapshot API enables you to parse information from Snapshot emails sent from the viewer for:

• Blogging
• Social Networking
• Image Libraries

There are many websites that already use this information. They are listed in the Snapshot resources#Social sites featuring snapshots.

Structure

Headers

Email messages have headers that provide metadata about the message itself. Some of this information is hidden from the person reading an email message. Many email clients permit an individual to look at the "raw" message, in which the hidden headers are exposed. You can use some of this information to verify that the snapshot came from a Linden Lab server.

The following headers are available.

Parameter	Data type	Description
X-Originating-IP	string	IP of simulator in brackets. [216.82.41.11]. See Simulator_IP_Addresses to verify origin.
Subject	string	Subject of message
Sender	string	email address of www-data account on simulator. "www-data" <www-data@sim8938.agni.lindenlab.com>
From	string	Combination of address and name. Note: name is not always avatar name.
Date	date	Date of snapshot in Pacific timezone.
Message-ID	string	Use this field to prevent multiple attempts to process the same message. This value usually contains the time and the sim that a message was sent from. <20100117090229.B6751DF0559@sim9063.agni.lindenlab.com>

Body

Snapshots are sent as two parts. The first is plain text, and the second is a multi-part message in MIME format.

• text/plain
• multipart/related
  • text/html
  • image/jpeg - secondlife-postcard.jpg
  • image/jpeg - logo_secondlife.jpg

Details

The HTML content within the multi-part message will contain details of the snapshot in a comment tag:

<!-- BEGIN POSTCARD DETAILS
agent_id=c4822e40-f763-4eec-bba3-e4bf842a074a
username="Dedric Mauriac"
region_id=714a15be-8511-4842-a8c1-38c1f54f3c58
sim_name="Applewood"
global_x=260282
global_y=235143
local_x=186
local_y=135
local_z=56
END POSTCARD DETAILS -->

Each piece of information is based on where the Avatar was standing when the snapshot was taken. You can take a snapshot, and walk to another location before sending the Snapshot. With detached cameras, the image may actually be from a different location than the avatar is standing.

Parameter	Data type	Description
agent_id	key	The UUID of the avatar that sent the message.
username	string	Quoted name of the avatar who sent the message.
region_id	key	The UUID of the region.
sim_name	string	Quoted name of the region.
global_x	integer	The East/West Grid Coordinates of the avatar.
global_y	integer	The North/South Grid Coordinates of the avatar.
local_x	integer	The East/West Coordinate of the avatar.
local_y	integer	The North/South Coordinate of the avatar.
local_z	integer	The Height Coordinate of the avatar.

The global coordinates could be used to determine the URL to display for a map tile image defined in the Map API. The local coordinates and region name can be used to create a Slurl.

Message

Although you could use the entire HTML source code of a message, it is often not wanted. The original message contains additional information that is not needed. The message that the end-user wrote in the postcard itself is identified with comments:

<!-- BEGIN POSTCARD BODY -->
test message
<!-- END POSTCARD BODY -->

HTML Entities will be encoded. "<" will appear as "&lt;".

By default, the message is limited to 700 characters. However, this can be changed as outlined in the Advanced Snapshot Tips#Longer Messages

Referral Bonus

Snapshots include a URL to invite others to join them. If a new account is created from following the link, and certain conditions are met, then the sender could receive a bonus. This URL is wrapped around the logo in the message.

http://secondlife.com/ss/?u=123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0

Note: Referral bonus is no longer given.

Snapshot

The snapshot is a JPEG image. Postcards have two images, including a logo. The snapshot file name is always called "secondlife-postcard.jpg". There is not any embedded information (such as EXIF) in the image itself.