Manage Shared Topics

Shared topics are values that the SOTI XSight Agent retrieves from apps running on one or more groups of devices. When starting a Live View session, you see a full window of data. For example, you see a 72 hour window of data when you configure a 72 hour window for the devices the shared topic bundle applies to. A shared topic bundle can target a specific device group, or a set of device groups (see Window Configurations and the Time Machine).

Note: Shared topics are different from custom topics in that the topics in a bundle are always monitored on a device. The SOTI XSight Agent continuously monitors the shared topic and maintains a window of values for it.

Note: Shared topics are also used in other areas of SOTI XSight such as Watchlists (see Setting Up Watchlist Conditions).

Creating a Shared Topic Bundle

To create a shared topic bundle:

From the main menu, select Live View.
From the main menu, select Manage Shared Topics.
In the Manage Shared Topics Sets panel, select the Add Shared Topics/Events icon.
In the Add Shared Topics/Events panel, enter a descriptive name for the shared topic set and select a SOTI MobiControl instance and the platform.
Continuing in the Add Shared Topics/Events panel, select the Group Filter Edit icon.
The Configure Device Group panel displays.
Select one or more device groups and select Save.
Continuing in the Add Shared Topics/Events panel, select the Topics to Monitor Add Shared Topic/Event icon.
The Add Shared Topic/Event Wizard panel displays.
Select Next.

Select the type of value to retrieve from the third party apps.

Select the value type to retrieve from the application

Select the value of the data collected from the third-party applications.

Refer to the following table:


Value	Description
Integer (arbitrary values)	Numerical value.
Integer (suitable for mapping to colors on icons)	Numerical value for display on the map.
String (arbitrary value)	Sequence of characters.
String (suitable for mapping to colors on icons)	Sequence of characters for display on the map.
Event (uses XTSock to capture events from third party app)	Uses XT Sock to capture events from third-party applications.

Select Next.
Select the collection frequency, significant change and units for the custom topic.

Note: Collection Frequency sets how often the device sends topic data. Significant Change tells the device to send data when this condition occurs, regardless of the collection frequency.
Select Next. The Add Shared Topic/Event Wizard displays.

Select the method to retrieve topic values from applications on the devices.

Refer to the following table:


Data Source Option	Description
Retrieve data from SOTI Snap App (Android only)	Specify parameters to retrieve data using the SOTI XT Sock for SOTI Snap. See the SOTI Snap online help: XSight Topics Display Prompt Text: Enter the topic name to display in Live View. Topic Identifier: Enter a topic exported by SOTI Snap. Note: This option is only available for Android.
Use XT Sock Interface	Specify the parameters to retrieve data using the SOTI XT Sock interface, a mechanism developed by SOTI to talk directly to business apps. Display Prompt Text: Enter the topic name to display in Live View. Package/Prog Id: The application you want to get data from. Signature: The value for signature comes from your XT Sock signature. If you have the signature, you can enter it manually in the text box. Otherwise, select Get app signature to browse for your XT Sock `.apk` or `.exe`. By selecting your XT Sock you can extract the app signature automatically. Note: The Signature field is available in SOTI XSight 2024.0.3 and later. XT Sock Field Key: Enter the name of the field you want to extract data from.
Retrieve data from JSON file	Specify the parameters to retrieve data from a JSON file on the device. Display Prompt Text: Enter the topic name to display in Live View. File Path: Enter the location of the JSON file on the device. JSONPath: Enter the specific subsection of the JSON document you want to extract. Use the format: $.store.book[0].title Note: There are two styles of notation: Dot Notation: Uses a dot (.) to separate nodes. For example: $.tool.jsonpath.creator.location[2]. The dollar sign ($) represents the root member object. Use operators like @ (current node) and * (wildcard) in expressions. You can apply functions like min(), max(), and length() at the end of a path

Select Finish.

Editing and Deleting Shared Topics

After creating a shared topic, you can edit it or delete it:

From the main menu, select Live View.
From the main menu, select Manage Shared Topics.
The Manage Shared Topic Sets panel displays. Hover over a shared topic set to display the Edit and Delete icons for the topic set.
Select the Edit or Delete icon next the shared topic set you want to edit or delete.