IFRAME API for Directors

Enhanced IFRAME API Documentation - HTTP/WSS API Integration

Overview

The VDO.Ninja IFRAME API provides access to all HTTP/WSS API commands through the action parameter. This means you can use any command from the HTTP/WSS API directly through the iframe's postMessage interface.

Using HTTP/WSS API Commands via IFRAME

All commands available in the HTTP/WSS API can be accessed through the IFRAME API using this format:

iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({
    action: "commandName",
    value: "value",
    value2: "optional",
    target: "optional", // for director commands
    cib: "callback-id" // optional callback identifier
}, "*");

Director Permissions

Important: To use director commands for remote control, you must have director permissions:

  1. Use &director=roomname instead of &room=roomname in your iframe URL

  2. Or combine with &codirector=password to enable multiple directors

  3. Without proper permissions, director commands will fail silently

Example iframe URL with director permissions:

https://vdo.ninja/?director=myroom&cleanoutput&api=myapikey

Complete Command Reference

Self Commands (No Target Required)

These commands affect the local VDO.Ninja instance:

// Microphone control
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "mic", value: "toggle" }, "*");

// Camera control  
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "camera", value: false }, "*");

// Speaker control
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "speaker", value: true }, "*");

// Volume control (0-200)
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "volume", value: 85 }, "*");

// Recording
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "record", value: true }, "*");

// Bitrate control
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "bitrate", value: 2500 }, "*");

// Layout control
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "layout", value: 2 }, "*");

// Custom layout object
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ 
    action: "layout", 
    value: [
        {x: 0, y: 0, w: 50, h: 100, slot: 0},
        {x: 50, y: 0, w: 50, h: 100, slot: 1}
    ]
}, "*");

// Group management
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "joinGroup", value: "1" }, "*");
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "leaveGroup", value: "2" }, "*");

// Get information
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "getDetails", cib: "details-123" }, "*");
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "getGuestList", cib: "guests-456" }, "*");

// Camera PTZ controls
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "zoom", value: 0.1 }, "*"); // Relative
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "zoom", value: 1.5, value2: "abs" }, "*"); // Absolute
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "pan", value: -0.5 }, "*");
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "tilt", value: 0.1 }, "*");
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "focus", value: 0.8, value2: "abs" }, "*");

// Other controls
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "reload" }, "*");
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "hangup" }, "*");
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "togglehand" }, "*");
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "togglescreenshare" }, "*");
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "forceKeyframe" }, "*");
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ action: "sendChat", value: "Hello everyone!" }, "*");

Director Commands (Target Required)

These commands require director permissions and target specific guests:

// Target can be:
// - Slot number: "1", "2", "3", etc.
// - Stream ID: "abc123xyz"
// - "*" for all guests (where applicable)

// Guest microphone control
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ 
    action: "mic", 
    target: "1", 
    value: "toggle" 
}, "*");

// Guest camera control
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ 
    action: "camera", 
    target: "streamID123", 
    value: false 
}, "*");

// Add guest to scene
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ 
    action: "addScene", 
    target: "2", 
    value: 1  // Scene number
}, "*");

// Transfer guest to another room
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ 
    action: "forward", 
    target: "1", 
    value: "newroom" 
}, "*");

// Solo chat with guest
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ 
    action: "soloChat", 
    target: "3" 
}, "*");

// Two-way solo chat
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ 
    action: "soloChatBidirectional", 
    target: "2" 
}, "*");

// Send private message to guest
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ 
    action: "sendChat", 
    target: "1", 
    value: "Private message" 
}, "*");

// Overlay message on guest's screen
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ 
    action: "sendDirectorChat", 
    target: "2", 
    value: "You're live in 10 seconds!" 
}, "*");

// Guest volume control
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ 
    action: "volume", 
    target: "1", 
    value: 120  // 0-200
}, "*");

// Disconnect specific guest
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ 
    action: "hangup", 
    target: "3" 
}, "*");

// Guest camera PTZ control
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ 
    action: "zoom", 
    target: "1", 
    value: 0.1 
}, "*");

// Timer controls for guest
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ 
    action: "startRoomTimer", 
    target: "1", 
    value: 600  // 10 minutes in seconds
}, "*");

// Change guest position in mixer
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({ 
    action: "mixorder", 
    target: "2", 
    value: -1  // Move up
}, "*");

Using targetGuest Function (Legacy)

The targetGuest function provides another way to control guests:

iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({
    function: "targetGuest",
    target: "1",      // Guest slot or stream ID
    action: "mic",    // Action to perform
    value: "toggle"   // Value (optional)
}, "*");

Using Commands Function

Access any command from the Commands object:

iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({
    function: "commands",
    action: "zoom",
    value: 0.5,
    value2: "abs"
}, "*");

Advanced DOM Manipulation

Target specific video elements by stream ID:

// Add video to grid
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({
    target: "streamID123",
    add: true
}, "*");

// Remove video from grid
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({
    target: "streamID123",
    remove: true
}, "*");

// Replace all videos with target
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({
    target: "streamID123",
    replace: true
}, "*");

// Apply settings to video element
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({
    target: "streamID123",
    settings: {
        style: "transform: scale(1.5);",
        muted: true,
        volume: 0.5
    }
}, "*");

Special Functions

// Preview local webcam
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({
    function: "previewWebcam"
}, "*");

// Publish screen share
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({
    function: "publishScreen"
}, "*");

// Change HTML content
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({
    function: "changeHTML",
    target: "elementId",
    value: "<p>New content</p>"
}, "*");

// Route WebSocket message
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({
    function: "routeMessage",
    value: { /* message data */ }
}, "*");

// Execute code (use with extreme caution)
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({
    function: "eval",
    value: "console.log('Hello from eval');"
}, "*");

Handling Responses

Listen for responses with callback IDs:

window.addEventListener("message", function(e) {
    if (e.source !== iframe.contentWindow) return;
    
    if (e.data.cib === "my-callback-123") {
        console.log("Received response:", e.data);
        
        // Handle different response types
        if (e.data.guestList) {
            console.log("Guest list:", e.data.guestList);
        } else if (e.data.detailedState) {
            console.log("State info:", e.data.detailedState);
        } else if (e.data.callback) {
            console.log("Command result:", e.data.callback.result);
        }
    }
});

Complete Example: Director Control Panel

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>VDO.Ninja Director Control Panel</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Director Control Panel</h1>
    
    <div id="container"></div>
    
    <div id="controls">
        <h2>Guest Controls</h2>
        <select id="guest-select">
            <option value="1">Guest 1</option>
            <option value="2">Guest 2</option>
            <option value="3">Guest 3</option>
        </select>
        
        <button onclick="controlGuest('mic', 'toggle')">Toggle Mic</button>
        <button onclick="controlGuest('camera', 'toggle')">Toggle Camera</button>
        <button onclick="controlGuest('addScene', 1)">Add to Scene 1</button>
        <button onclick="controlGuest('forward', 'lobby')">Send to Lobby</button>
        <button onclick="controlGuest('zoom', 0.1)">Zoom In</button>
        <button onclick="controlGuest('zoom', -0.1)">Zoom Out</button>
    </div>
    
    <div id="log"></div>

    <script>
    // Create iframe with director permissions
    const iframe = document.createElement("iframe");
    iframe.allow = "camera;microphone;fullscreen;display-capture;autoplay;";
    iframe.src = "https://vdo.ninja/?director=myroom&cleanoutput&api=mykey";
    iframe.style.width = "800px";
    iframe.style.height = "600px";
    document.getElementById("container").appendChild(iframe);
    
    // Control function
    function controlGuest(action, value) {
        const target = document.getElementById("guest-select").value;
        
        const message = {
            action: action,
            target: target
        };
        
        if (value !== undefined) {
            message.value = value;
        }
        
        // Generate callback ID
        const callbackId = `cb-${Date.now()}-${Math.random().toString(36).substr(2, 9)}`;
        message.cib = callbackId;
        
        iframe.contentWindow.postMessage(message, "*");
        log(`Sent: ${JSON.stringify(message)}`);
    }
    
    // Listen for responses
    window.addEventListener("message", function(e) {
        if (e.source !== iframe.contentWindow) return;
        
        log(`Received: ${JSON.stringify(e.data)}`);
        
        // Handle specific events
        if (e.data.action === "guest-connected") {
            log(`Guest connected: ${e.data.streamID}`);
        } else if (e.data.guestList) {
            updateGuestList(e.data.guestList);
        }
    });
    
    // Logging
    function log(message) {
        const logDiv = document.getElementById("log");
        const entry = document.createElement("div");
        entry.textContent = `[${new Date().toLocaleTimeString()}] ${message}`;
        logDiv.appendChild(entry);
        logDiv.scrollTop = logDiv.scrollHeight;
    }
    
    // Update guest list
    function updateGuestList(guests) {
        const select = document.getElementById("guest-select");
        select.innerHTML = "";
        
        guests.forEach((guest, index) => {
            const option = document.createElement("option");
            option.value = guest.id || (index + 1);
            option.textContent = guest.label || `Guest ${index + 1}`;
            select.appendChild(option);
        });
    }
    
    // Get initial guest list
    setTimeout(() => {
        iframe.contentWindow.postMessage({
            action: "getGuestList",
            cib: "initial-guests"
        }, "*");
    }, 2000);
    </script>
</body>
</html>

Important Notes

  1. Director Permissions: Always use &director=roomname or &codirector=password for director commands

  2. Target Format: Use slot numbers (1, 2, 3) or stream IDs for targeting

  3. Callback IDs: Use unique cib values to track responses

  4. Error Handling: Commands may fail silently without proper permissions

  5. Timing: Wait for iframe to load before sending commands

Troubleshooting

  • Commands not working: Check director permissions in iframe URL

  • No response: Verify callback ID handling and message source

  • Guest not found: Confirm target value matches slot or stream ID

  • Permission errors: Ensure using &director= not &room=

This integration allows you to build powerful control interfaces using the full capabilities of the VDO.Ninja API through simple iframe messaging.

PreviousGeneric P2P Data Transmission GuideNextIFRAME API Basics

Last updated

Was this helpful?

OSZAR »