Software programmers can customize RapidSMS by first installing the Ubuntu server operating system and then installing the RapidSMS code. (link) A useful installation tutorial (link out) is available for assistance.

While GSM modems and a dedicated server are generally necessary for actual field implementations, the downloadable RapidSMS code comes with an HTTP back-end and an HTTP tester application. Messages and responses can be viewed using this application.

For additional assistance, please visit our Technical Support page.  (link) When you are ready to start coding, please see our Writing Your First App Guide (link external)and visit our Contribute Page (link)to see how to give back to the community.

Deployment of Preconfigured Applications

As the RapidSMS community grows and more preconfigured applications are coded, deployment of preconfigured applications will increasingly become an option.  However, while experienced IT staff should be able to set up RapidSMS, at this time preconfigured applications are limited.

The Versatility of a Deployment

Once requirements have been generated (see Hardware Checklist [LINK] and Implementation in the Field [LINK] for more information), it is time to prepare RapidSMS for deployment.

One method of deployment is to create a single app to fulfill all requirements. However, it is recommended that implementers and software programmers review existing apps and deployments in case some portions of the code can be reused for future deployments.

A RapidSMS deployment should not be viewed as a single piece of software, but rather as a collection of software pieces that work together to fulfill the requirements of a deployment. Each deployment requires specific and customized functionality, but functionality required for general SMS services can be easily shared and reused.

rapidsms-deployment-chart

Example Deployment

As an example, a supply tracking deployment and a youth community deployment may each need a way for users to register their locations and display information on the Web. Therefore, the same user registration app can be used in both deployments without modifying or writing new code. Likewise, the features of WebUI, locations and logger apps are also easily shared. These deployments begin to diverge with the addition of more specialized apps such as inventory, messaging, supply tracking, and creating SMSforum and polls in our youth community deployment. While these specialized apps are not shared among our example deployments, they are freely available and general enough to be used for other deployments. In our example, only the bednets and moderation apps were created specifically for these two deployments. All other functionality was previously developed for other deployments and is freely available in the RapidSMS app ecosystem. Finally, the new moderation app will be made available for others to reuse and modify in the same fashion.