Trying to develop a simple web using the Google Speech API, don't know where to start - google-app-engine

I am trying to use the Google Speech API to transcribe audio captured from a semi-embedded device. The device supports python scripts, but does not seem to offer any way to allow imports.
I have managed to get the speech API sample program working on my computer, but since I cannot import the necessary modules, I see myself forced to develop a web application that accepts an audio file and returns the transcript.
I am completely new at web development, and so far I have concluded that I'm going to need to use Google App Engine, but beyond that I'm completely lost.
I have identified the following steps, and if someone could point me in the right direction that would be greatly appreciated:
Allow uploading of a flac file to a certain URL.
Upload the flac file to the google speech API and receive the transcription (I'm fairly certain I could manage this myself).
Return the transcription to the device somehow.
I'm not asking for finished code or anything, but it would be nice if somebody could tell me at the very least if what I want to do is possible with the google app engine, or if I need to look for something else.

What you want to do is absolutely possible with Google App Engine. Take a look at the App Engine Python tutorials to get started with the environment etc., but it sounds like what you want will involve an API that accepts a POST with binary data in the body (the FLAC) and then passes that to the Speech API (try the GRPC samples).
Good luck! :)

Related

Strategy: How do I exchange data directly between JavaScript and Google App Engine DataStore

I am somewhat new to Web development - specifically Google App Engine and JavaScript/HTML development, but I have an app deployed and working on Google App Engine and it is working ok.
I would like a user of my App to be able to store and retrieve a serialization of the app state in JSON using the GAE Datastore. (Note - This is only a user-initiated action - so channels seem to be overkill)
The examples provided by Google demonstrates one approach that allows the server-side Python implementation to do this. Specifically https://developers.google.com/appengine/docs/python/gettingstartedpython27/usingdatastore. I have this working ok.
But this approach seems rather inelegant especially if as an "app" I want to store and retrieve serialized chunks of data somewhat asynchronously without reloading the page/app each time (again, this is only ever user-initiated).
I have not been able to find any high-level guidance on an approach to do that (assuming it is possible).
Any suggestions/links/examples would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Jeff
As with many things, this depends on your specific needs. If you just want direct access to datastore storage, the datastore is exposed as an independent service with an API.
If you instead want to assert logic over the usage and interact with your app in some fashion, you may also want to look at Google Cloud Endpoints. With an endpoints API, you gain a more structured API you can call directly from javascript, or generate client libraries to be consumed by other languages/platforms.

Can you import Selenium Web driver into the Google App Engin

I am sort of new to app development, so this may sound like a stupid question. The company I am working with is trying to get ride of most of there IT infrastructure, so that they don't need any more servers. I have been asked to develop a program that takes information from a google spreadsheet and then with this information puts it into a web browser. I am Planning on using Phyton and selenium web driver. Will I be able to install selenium if i host the application as a Google app engine?
The Reason I want/need to use selenium web driver is because I need to put the information from google into a legacy system. The only way to put information in the system is to mimic a user putting the information in manual in a web browser.
Thank you,
Kai
I don't understand what you think Selenium will be doing here. It seems a very strange way to want to get information from one Google property into another.
Google spreadsheets have a perfectly good API that allows you to read the data from your app and display it to users.
Edit after question update Well, now I don't see what you need GAE for. That is for hosting and running websites, and you only seem to want to enter data into an existing website. That's not what it does at all.

Using google API's from Appengine (OAuth)

I want to use Google Prediction from a Python Google App Engine Application. Google Prediction requires you to store your "prediction models" in Google Storage for Developers, in effect meaning that to use GP you must use GSD. Unfortunately, both GP and GSD seem to require OAuth 2.0 .
This Oauth stuff is really getting in the way though! All the examples I find seem to deal with the case of wanting for access a users data/credentials/identity/whatever using Oauth. I have no need for that. I simply want to access a resource (GP and GSD) from my server using http request. Repeat, I just want to use some of their services, I have no need at all to access any other users information!
I can see from my Google API console that I have created both a id and secret for my GAE applications domain. Is it not possible to just use these values to do OAuth authentication to other Google API's? Effectively saying "I am the application at domain xyz, here are my credentials, let me use your API"? It seems kind of ridiculous that Google is currently forcing people to use such a burdensome authentication system for things that they are trying to get people to try out?
I am hoping there is some magical awesome library that will take care of all these OAuth details for me. Short of that, a code example of how to do these things in Python App Engine would be useful. I just want to use the Google Prediction and Google Storage for Developers services from my python GAE app, but I am blocked by the burden of having to configure all of this OAuth stuff. Isn't there some easy way to do this?
Look at the Google API Python Client. You should just be able to put your tokens in and connect. There are some examples on the page that should give you enough information to connect in.
I'm the Product Manager at Google working on the Prediction API. The first thing I want to say is thank you for trying out the API and for reaching out to the world about your issues! We hear you! We are very aware of the difficulty of using the API in some cases and some of the pain OAuth2.0 can cause for the simple use cases. In particular I tried to do exactly what you were doing a few weeks ago and was myself rather frustrated! We're working on it!
OK, so, that's all nice and dandy, but do I have anything helpful for you? Hopefully I do! I managed to get my GAE application working with GP -- I shelved the GSD component for the moment as I ran out of time, so hopefully somebody else can lend you some sample code for that (it should involve using boto & OAuth to handle the tricky bits).
from apiclient.discovery import build
from oauth2client.client import OAuth2Credentials
# You can find an example oauth2client in the python prediction sample code
# Replace everything in <>'s
credentials = OAuth2Credentials(
"<access_token>", #probably empty string
"<client_id>",
"<client_secret>",
"<refresh_token>",
<Expiry>, # Probably None
"https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/token",
"<app_useragent>")
http = credentials.authorize(httplib2.Http())
service = build("prediction", "v1.3", http=http)
You should be able to get the client id an client secret from the API console. You can use any sample application or demo, e.g. the python sample code, to generate a refresh token.
Best of luck! Feel free to followup directly with me (zg#google.com) or post to our public discussion list (prediction-api-discuss#googlegroups.com) if you still have any trouble.

Is it possible to use the Google App Engine as a backend database for Android applications?

I would like to write a client application for Android that uses the Google App Engine as a database backend. My Android client would connect to the App Engine to save information, then it would connect later for reports. Is it possible to use the App Engine as a backend like this?
If you're looking for something like the remote api that the App Engine has in python, then you'll be disappointed to find it missing in Java.
That said, absolutely nothing stops your from hitting your app and posting data either through POST / JSON / XML / any other format you can think of. The same thing goes for getting your reports back.
If security is a concern, the OAuth protocol allows you to authenticate to app engine from your android device.
This is an aside, but as far as reporting is concerned, you might not find the app engine a very suitable platform for reporting type apps. Just make sure you understand its limitations - the lack of joins, 1000 object limit, no sum / average, necessary indexes, etc. It's certainly not impossible, but do think carefully about how you're going to model your data.
Yes, it is possible.
Without more details in your question, any more details in the answer would be speculation.
Yes, its very much possible. It's something I am also currently working on.
My code uses HTTP GET and HTTP POST and I am using a RESTful service on the GAE.
I'm sorry I can't provide any code because I am still learning however the library I'm using is called RESTLET. They have libraries for both GAE and Android however I'm only using RESTLET on the GAE and I'm just using the HTTP library in the Android SDK for the client.
http://www.restlet.org/
The version you require is 2.0 M6 and not the stable release.
No.
In your response to Laurence, you said you want a direct DB connetion. A client cannot connect directly to the GAE datastore. You must write web handlers to interface between the client and your data. It doesn't have to be much, but it must be something.
Yes, it is very possible. You would not connect directly to the GAE database though. A better architecture would be to make your app hit a URL that writes to the DB. For example, you could set up a Struts 2 action that takes the values of your query parameters and then mutates and validates them as necessary before persisting them.

IM service using Google App Engine

I want to implement a web-based IM service on the lines Meebo. Might sound ambitious but that adds to the fun of it.
My research suggests XMPP would be a good protocol for the IM since it can talk to proprietary protocols as well. Am I right? What else would I need to complete this?
Could Google App Engine(GAE) fit in to this project? Can GAE be used to create and host the whole service? That would simplify matters significantly.Also,GAE does support XMPP.
I know what I want to make, need to know the best way to make it.
Thanks!
Suvir
GAE has an XMPP API that lets your app send and receive XMPP messages. The real sticking point with making a real time chat app using only GAE is that you can't push updates to the client. So your client would have to continually poll the server to see if there were any new messages. One way around this is to operate a comet server outside of GAE to forward the pushes to the client.
wikipedia page on comet techniques
Google App Engine allows you to use stateless HTTP requests and XMPP, but not TCP sockets. Thus you're limited to any IM services which use the former.
For an example of using the XMPP service, see Using the XMPP service:
For our example app, we're going to
write the Amazing Crowd Guru. The
Amazing Crowd Guru is a veritable
oracle, who can answer any question
you might pose it over XMPP. Writing
an omniscient computer program is no
small task, but thanks to a little
behind-the-scenes trickery, we're
going to get our users to do all the
work of answering questions for us.

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