Testing friends
This topic describes tests and scenarios to verify that the Outlook Social Connector (OSC) provider appropriately returns data of friends and non-friends, where applicable, depending on the synchronization mode supported by the provider.
Cached synchronization
An OSC provider implements ISocialProvider::GetCapabilities, which the OSC calls to determine whether the provider supports cached synchronization of friends' data. After calling ISocialPerson::GetFriendsAndColleagues, the OSC stores the returned friends' data in a contacts folder specific to the social network in the logged-on user's default Outlook store. The OSC also calls ISocialSession::GetPerson and ISocialPerson::GetPicture to obtain a profile picture for each friend.
Initiate synchronization
To initiate synchronization, you can turn on and use the debug button Sync Contacts in the ribbon component of the Microsoft Office Fluent user interface. For more information about OSC debug buttons, see Debugging a Provider.
Test scenarios
Test the following items to verify that friends' data is cached correctly.
| Item to test | Expected behavior |
|---|---|
| Contacts folder |
The social network-specific contacts folder exists in the user's default Outlook store. |
| Friends' data returned by ISocialPerson::GetFriendsAndColleagues |
Each friend corresponds to a contact in the network-specific contacts folder. |
| Friends' data |
Contact fields for each friend have the correct data. |
| Friends' profile pictures returned by ISocialPerson::GetPicture |
The contact item for each friend contains the profile picture. |
On-demand synchronization
An OSC provider implements ISocialProvider::GetCapabilities, which the OSC calls to determine whether the provider supports on-demand synchronization of friends and non-friends. For the persons displayed in the Outlook People Pane, the OSC obtains and hashes their SMTP addresses, calls ISocialSession2::GetPeopleDetails, and stores (in memory) the data returned for these persons.
Determining friends and non-friends
The hashed SMTP addresses passed to GetPeopleDetails are the key to determining whether a person is a friend or non-friend. If a person does not include that SMTP address in his or her social network account, or even if that person is a friend by a different email address on the social network, GetPeopleDetails still returns nonfriend for that person as the friendStatus in the personsCollection parameter. Also, for a person who is not a friend but specifies the SMTP address in his or her social network account, the data returned includes only what is available to a non-friend as allowed by the privacy settings of that person.
Creating test subjects for friends and non-friends
To create a test subject for a friend, identify the SMTP address of a person who includes that address in his or her social network account and who has a friend status with the logged-on user on that network. Create an email message that includes that SMTP address. Similarly, to create a test subject for a non-friend, identify the SMTP address of a person who is not a friend of the logged-on user by that address, and yet who has specified in his or her privacy settings to allow non-friends to view their activities on the social network. Create an email message that includes that SMTP address.
In the Outlook explorer, when you select the email message that includes a friend (or non-friend), the People Pane displays the recipients. Selecting the friend (or non-friend) in the People Pane allows you to test that the provider is providing information about the person.
Test scenarios
To verify that your provider is providing information about friends and non-friends appropriately, test for the following scenarios.
| Scenario | Expected behavior |
|---|---|
| Person selected in the People Pane is a friend with the logged-on user on the social network. | The People Pane displays that person's activities on the social network. |
| Person selected in the People Pane is a non-friend of the logged-on user on the social network, but has allowed his or her activities to be viewed by non-friends. | The People Pane displays that person's activities on the social network. |
Hybrid synchronization
If an OSC provider supports hybrid synchronization of friends and non-friends, the OSC does the following:
The OSC stores information for friends of the logged-on user in the social network-specific contact folder.
The OSC retrieves information for non-friends on-demand from the social network, and stores it only in memory, but not in a folder.
To test hybrid synchronization, follow the testing suggestions in the Cached Synchronization section for friends, and those in the On-Demand Synchronization section for non-friends.