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  • Matrix Specification
    ====================
    
    
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    .. WARNING::
    
      The Matrix specification is still very much evolving: the API is not yet frozen
      and this document is in places incomplete, stale, and may contain security
      issues. Needless to say, we have made every effort to highlight the problem
      areas that we're aware of.
    
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      We're publishing it at this point because it's complete enough to be more than
      useful and provide a canonical reference to how Matrix is evolving. Our end
    
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      goal is to mirror WHATWG's `Living Standard <http://wiki.whatwg.org/wiki/FAQ#What_does_.22Living_Standard.22_mean.3F>`_   
      approach except right now Matrix is more in the process of being born than actually being
    
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    .. contents:: Table of Contents
    .. sectnum::
    
    
    Introduction
    ============
    
    Matrix is a new set of open APIs for open-federated Instant Messaging and VoIP
    functionality, designed to create and support a new global real-time
    communication ecosystem on the internet. This specification is the ongoing
    result of standardising the APIs used by the various components of the Matrix
    ecosystem to communicate with one another.
    
    The principles that Matrix attempts to follow are:
    
    
    - Pragmatic Web-friendly APIs (i.e. JSON over REST)
    - Keep It Simple & Stupid
    
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      + provide a simple architecture with minimal third-party dependencies.
    
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      + Fully open federation - anyone should be able to participate in the global
        Matrix network
      + Fully open standard - publicly documented standard with no IP or patent
        licensing encumbrances
      + Fully open source reference implementation - liberally-licensed example
        implementations with no IP or patent licensing encumbrances
    
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    - Empowering the end-user
    
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      + The user should be able to choose the server and clients they use
      + The user should be control how private their communication is
      + The user should know precisely where their data is stored
    
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    - Fully decentralised - no single points of control over conversations or the
      network as a whole
    - Learning from history to avoid repeating it
    
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      + Trying to take the best aspects of XMPP, SIP, IRC, SMTP, IMAP and NNTP
        whilst trying to avoid their failings
    
    
    The functionality that Matrix provides includes:
    
    
    - Creation and management of fully distributed chat rooms with no
      single points of control or failure
    - Eventually-consistent cryptographically secure synchronisation of room
      state across a global open network of federated servers and services
    - Sending and receiving extensible messages in a room with (optional)
      end-to-end encryption
    - Extensible user management (inviting, joining, leaving, kicking, banning)
      mediated by a power-level based user privilege system.
    - Extensible room state management (room naming, aliasing, topics, bans)
    - Extensible user profile management (avatars, displaynames, etc)
    - Managing user accounts (registration, login, logout)
    - Use of 3rd Party IDs (3PIDs) such as email addresses, phone numbers,
      Facebook accounts to authenticate, identify and discover users on Matrix.
    - Trusted federation of Identity servers for:
    
      + Publishing user public keys for PKI
      + Mapping of 3PIDs to Matrix IDs
    
    
    The end goal of Matrix is to be a ubiquitous messaging layer for synchronising
    arbitrary data between sets of people, devices and services - be that for instant
    messages, VoIP call setups, or any other objects that need to be reliably and
    persistently pushed from A to B in an interoperable and federated manner.
    
    
    Clients transmit data to other clients through home servers (HSes). Clients do
    not communicate with each other directly.
    
                             How data flows between clients
                             ==============================
    
           { Matrix client A }                             { Matrix client B }
    
               ^          |                                    ^          |
               |  events  |                                    |  events  |
               |          V                                    |          V
           +------------------+                            +------------------+
           |                  |---------( HTTP )---------->|                  |
           |   Home Server    |                            |   Home Server    |
           |                  |<--------( HTTP )-----------|                  |
    
           +------------------+        Federation          +------------------+
    
    
    A "Client" typically represents a human using a web application or mobile app.
    Clients use the "Client-to-Server" (C-S) API to communicate with their home
    server, which stores their profile data and their record of the conversations
    in which they participate. Each client is associated with a user account (and
    may optionally support multiple user accounts). A user account is represented
    by a unique "User ID". This ID is namespaced to the home server which allocated
    the account and looks like::
    
    The ``localpart`` of a user ID may be a user name, or an opaque ID identifying
    this user. They are case-insensitive.
    
    .. TODO
        - Need to specify precise grammar for Matrix IDs
    
    
    A "Home Server" is a server which provides C-S APIs and has the ability to
    federate with other HSes.  It is typically responsible for multiple clients.
    "Federation" is the term used to describe the sharing of data between two or
    more home servers.
    
    Data in Matrix is encapsulated in an "event". An event is an action within the
    system. Typically each action (e.g. sending a message) correlates with exactly
    one event. Each event has a ``type`` which is used to differentiate different
    kinds of data. ``type`` values MUST be uniquely globally namespaced following
    Java's `package naming conventions
    <http://docs.oracle.com/javase/specs/jls/se5.0/html/packages.html#7.7>`, e.g.
    ``com.example.myapp.event``. The special top-level namespace ``m.`` is reserved
    for events defined in the Matrix specification. Events are usually sent in the
    context of a "Room".
    
    A room is a conceptual place where users can send and receive events. Rooms can
    be created, joined and left. Events are sent to a room, and all participants in
    that room with sufficient access will receive the event. Rooms are uniquely
    
    identified internally via a "Room ID", which look like::
    
    There is exactly one room ID for each room. Whilst the room ID does contain a
    
    domain, it is simply for globally namespacing room IDs. The room does NOT
    reside on the domain specified. Room IDs are not meant to be human readable.
    They ARE case-sensitive.
    
    The following diagram shows an ``m.room.message`` event being sent in the room 
    ``!qporfwt:matrix.org``::
    
    
           { @alice:matrix.org }                             { @bob:domain.com }
                   |                                                 ^
                   |                                                 |
          Room ID: !qporfwt:matrix.org                 Room ID: !qporfwt:matrix.org
          Event type: m.room.message                   Event type: m.room.message
          Content: { JSON object }                     Content: { JSON object }
                   |                                                 |
                   V                                                 |
    
           +------------------+                          +------------------+
           |   Home Server    |                          |   Home Server    |
           |   matrix.org     |<-------Federation------->|   domain.com     |
           +------------------+                          +------------------+
                    |       .................................        |
    
                    |______|     Partially Shared State      |_______|
                           | Room ID: !qporfwt:matrix.org    |
    
                           | Servers: matrix.org, domain.com |
                           | Members:                        |
                           |  - @alice:matrix.org            |
                           |  - @bob:domain.com              |
                           |.................................|
    
    
    Federation maintains shared state between multiple home servers, such that when
    an event is sent to a room, the home server knows where to forward the event on
    to, and how to process the event. Home servers do not need to have completely
    shared state in order to participate in a room. State is scoped to a single
    room, and federation ensures that all home servers have the information they
    need, even if that means the home server has to request more information from
    another home server before processing the event.
    
    
    Room Aliases
    ------------
    
    Each room can also have multiple "Room Aliases", which looks like::
    
      #room_alias:domain
    
    
      .. TODO
          - Need to specify precise grammar for Room IDs
    
    
    A room alias "points" to a room ID and is the human-readable label by which
    rooms are publicised and discovered.  The room ID the alias is pointing to can
    be obtained by visiting the domain specified. They are case-insensitive. Note
    that the mapping from a room alias to a room ID is not fixed, and may change
    over time to point to a different room ID. For this reason, Clients SHOULD
    resolve the room alias to a room ID once and then use that ID on subsequent
    requests.
    
    
    ::
    
              GET    
       #matrix:domain.com      !aaabaa:matrix.org
               |                    ^
               |                    |
        _______V____________________|____
       |          domain.com            |
       | Mappings:                      |
       | #matrix >> !aaabaa:matrix.org  |
    
       | #golf   >> !wfeiofh:sport.com  |
       | #bike   >> !4rguxf:matrix.org  |
    
    .. TODO kegan
       - show the actual API rather than pseudo-API?
    
    
    Users in Matrix are identified via their user ID. However, existing ID
    namespaces can also be used in order to identify Matrix users. A Matrix
    "Identity" describes both the user ID and any other existing IDs from third
    party namespaces *linked* to their account.
    
    
    Matrix users can *link* third-party IDs (3PIDs) such as email addresses, social
    
    network accounts and phone numbers to their user ID. Linking 3PIDs creates a
    mapping from a 3PID to a user ID. This mapping can then be used by other Matrix
    users in order to discover other users, according to a strict set of privacy
    permissions.
    
    In order to ensure that the mapping from 3PID to user ID is genuine, a globally
    federated cluster of trusted "Identity Servers" (IS) are used to perform
    authentication of the 3PID.  Identity servers are also used to preserve the
    mapping indefinitely, by replicating the mappings across multiple ISes.
    
    Usage of an IS is not required in order for a client application to be part of
    the Matrix ecosystem. However, by not using an IS, discovery of users is
    greatly impacted.
    
    The mandatory baseline for communication in Matrix is exchanging JSON objects
    over RESTful HTTP APIs. HTTPS is mandated as the baseline for server-server
    (federation) communication.  HTTPS is recommended for client-server
    communication, although HTTP may be supported as a fallback to support basic
    HTTP clients. More efficient optional transports for client-server
    communication will in future be supported as optional extensions - e.g. a
    
    packed binary encoding over stream-cipher encrypted TCP socket for
    low-bandwidth/low-roundtrip mobile usage.
    
    .. TODO
      We need to specify capability negotiation for extensible transports
    
    
    For the default HTTP transport, all API calls use a Content-Type of
    ``application/json``.  In addition, all strings MUST be encoded as UTF-8.
    
    Clients are authenticated using opaque ``access_token`` strings (see
    `Registration and Login`_ for details), passed as a querystring parameter on
    all requests.
    
    
    .. TODO
      Need to specify any HMAC or access_token lifetime/ratcheting tricks
    
    
    Any errors which occur on the Matrix API level MUST return a "standard error
    response". This is a JSON object which looks like::
    
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      {
        "errcode": "<error code>",
        "error": "<error message>"
      }
    
    The ``error`` string will be a human-readable error message, usually a sentence
    
    explaining what went wrong. The ``errcode`` string will be a unique string
    which can be used to handle an error message e.g. ``M_FORBIDDEN``. These error
    codes should have their namespace first in ALL CAPS, followed by a single _.
    For example, if there was a custom namespace ``com.mydomain.here``, and a
    ``FORBIDDEN`` code, the error code should look like
    ``COM.MYDOMAIN.HERE_FORBIDDEN``. There may be additional keys depending on the
    error, but the keys ``error`` and ``errcode`` MUST always be present. 
    
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    Some standard error codes are below:
    
    :``M_FORBIDDEN``:
      Forbidden access, e.g. joining a room without permission, failed login.
    
    :``M_UNKNOWN_TOKEN``:
      The access token specified was not recognised.
    
    :``M_BAD_JSON``:
      Request contained valid JSON, but it was malformed in some way, e.g. missing
      required keys, invalid values for keys.
    
    :``M_NOT_JSON``:
      Request did not contain valid JSON.
    
    :``M_NOT_FOUND``:
      No resource was found for this request.
    
    
    :``M_LIMIT_EXCEEDED``:
      Too many requests have been sent in a short period of time. Wait a while then
      try again.
    
    
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    Some requests have unique error codes:
    
    :``M_USER_IN_USE``:
      Encountered when trying to register a user ID which has been taken.
    
    :``M_ROOM_IN_USE``:
      Encountered when trying to create a room which has been taken.
    
    :``M_BAD_PAGINATION``:
      Encountered when specifying bad pagination query parameters.
    
    :``M_LOGIN_EMAIL_URL_NOT_YET``:
      Encountered when polling for an email link which has not been clicked yet.
    
    
    The C-S API typically uses ``HTTP POST`` to submit requests. This means these
    requests are not idempotent. The C-S API also allows ``HTTP PUT`` to make
    requests idempotent. In order to use a ``PUT``, paths should be suffixed with
    ``/{txnId}``. ``{txnId}`` is a unique client-generated transaction ID which
    identifies the request, and is scoped to a given Client (identified by that
    client's ``access_token``). Crucially, it **only** serves to identify new
    requests from retransmits. After the request has finished, the ``{txnId}``
    value should be changed (how is not specified; a monotonically increasing
    integer is recommended). It is preferable to use ``HTTP PUT`` to make sure
    requests to send messages do not get sent more than once should clients need to
    retransmit requests.
    
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    Valid requests look like::
    
    
        POST /some/path/here?access_token=secret
    
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        {
          "key": "This is a post."
        }
    
    
        PUT /some/path/here/11?access_token=secret
    
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        {
          "key": "This is a put with a txnId of 11."
        }
    
    In contrast, these are invalid requests::
    
    
        POST /some/path/here/11?access_token=secret
    
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        {
          "key": "This is a post, but it has a txnId."
        }
    
    
        PUT /some/path/here?access_token=secret
    
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        {
          "key": "This is a put but it is missing a txnId."
        }
    
    
    Receiving live updates on a client
    ----------------------------------
    
    Clients can receive new events by long-polling the home server. This will hold
    open the HTTP connection for a short period of time waiting for new events,
    returning early if an event occurs. This is called the `Event Stream`_. All
    events which are visible to the client will appear in the event stream. When
    the request returns, an ``end`` token is included in the response. This token
    can be used in the next request to continue where the client left off.
    
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      How do we filter the event stream?
    
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      Do we ever return multiple events in a single request?  Don't we get lots of request
      setup RTT latency if we only do one event per request? Do we ever support streaming
    
      requests? Why not websockets?
    
    When the client first logs in, they will need to initially synchronise with
    their home server. This is achieved via the |initialSync|_ API. This API also
    returns an ``end`` token which can be used with the event stream.
    
    .. TODO kegan
      - TODO: Key for invite these users?
      
    
    To create a room, a client has to use the |createRoom|_ API. There are various
    options which can be set when creating a room:
    
    
    ``visibility``
      Type: 
        String
      Optional: 
        Yes
      Value:
        Either ``public`` or ``private``.
      Description:
    
        A ``public`` visibility indicates that the room will be shown in the public
        room list. A ``private`` visibility will hide the room from the public room
        list. Rooms default to ``public`` visibility if this key is not included.
    
    
    ``room_alias_name``
      Type: 
        String
      Optional: 
        Yes
      Value:
        The room alias localpart.
      Description:
    
        If this is included, a room alias will be created and mapped to the newly
        created room.  The alias will belong on the same home server which created
        the room, e.g.  ``!qadnasoi:domain.com >>> #room_alias_name:domain.com``
    
    ``name``
      Type: 
        String
      Optional: 
        Yes
      Value:
        The ``name`` value for the ``m.room.name`` state event.
      Description:
    
        If this is included, an ``m.room.name`` event will be sent into the room to
        indicate the name of the room. See `Room Events`_ for more information on
        ``m.room.name``.
    
    
    ``topic``
      Type: 
        String
      Optional: 
        Yes
      Value:
        The ``topic`` value for the ``m.room.topic`` state event.
      Description:
    
        If this is included, an ``m.room.topic`` event will be sent into the room
        to indicate the topic for the room. See `Room Events`_ for more information
        on ``m.room.topic``.
    
    ``invite``
      Type:
        List
      Optional:
        Yes
      Value:
        A list of user ids to invite.
      Description:
    
        This will tell the server to invite everyone in the list to the newly
        created room.
    
        "room_alias_name": "the pub",
        "name": "The Grand Duke Pub",
        "topic": "All about happy hour"
    
    The home server will create a ``m.room.create`` event when the room is created,
    which serves as the root of the PDU graph for this room. This event also has a
    ``creator`` key which contains the user ID of the room creator. It will also
    generate several other events in order to manage permissions in this room. This
    includes:
    
     - ``m.room.power_levels`` : Sets the power levels of users.
    
     - ``m.room.join_rules`` : Whether the room is "invite-only" or not.
    
     - ``m.room.add_state_level``: The power level required in order to add new
       state to the room (as opposed to updating exisiting state)
     - ``m.room.send_event_level`` : The power level required in order to send a
       message in this room.
     - ``m.room.ops_level`` : The power level required in order to kick or ban a
       user from the room.
    
    
    See `Room Events`_ for more information on these events.
    
    
    Modifying aliases
    -----------------
    
    .. NOTE::
      This section is a work in progress.
    
    .. TODO kegan
    
        - path to edit aliases 
        - PUT /directory/room/<room alias>  { room_id : foo }
        - GET /directory/room/<room alias> { room_id : foo, servers: [a.com, b.com] }
    
        - format when retrieving list of aliases. NOT complete list.
    
        - format for adding/removing aliases.
    
    .. NOTE::
      This section is a work in progress.
    
    .. TODO kegan
        - TODO: What is a power level? How do they work? Defaults / required levels for X. How do they change
          as people join and leave rooms? What do you do if you get a clash? Examples.
        - TODO: List all actions which use power levels (sending msgs, inviting users, banning people, etc...)
        - TODO: Room config - what is the event and what are the keys/values and explanations for them.
          Link through to respective sections where necessary. How does this tie in with permissions, e.g.
          give example of creating a read-only room.
    
    Permissions for rooms are done via the concept of power levels - to do any
    action in a room a user must have a suitable power level. 
    
    
    Power levels for users are defined in ``m.room.power_levels``, where both a
    default and specific users' power levels can be set. By default all users have
    a power level of 0, other than the room creator whose power level defaults to
    100. Power levels for users are tracked per-room even if the user is not
    present in the room.
    
    
    State events may contain a ``required_power_level`` key, which indicates the
    minimum power a user must have before they can update that state key. The only
    exception to this is when a user leaves a room.
    
    To perform certain actions there are additional power level requirements
    defined in the following state events:
    
    - ``m.room.send_event_level`` defines the minimum level for sending non-state 
    
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      events. Defaults to 50.
    
    - ``m.room.add_state_level`` defines the minimum level for adding new state,
    
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      rather than updating existing state. Defaults to 50.
    
    - ``m.room.ops_level`` defines the minimum levels to ban and kick other users.
    
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      This defaults to a kick and ban levels of 50 each.
    
    Joining rooms
    -------------
    
    .. TODO kegan
      - TODO: What does the home server have to do to join a user to a room?
    
    Users need to join a room in order to send and receive events in that room. A
    user can join a room by making a request to |/join/<room_alias_or_id>|_ with::
    
    Alternatively, a user can make a request to |/rooms/<room_id>/join|_ with the
    same request content.  This is only provided for symmetry with the other
    membership APIs: ``/rooms/<room id>/invite`` and ``/rooms/<room id>/leave``. If
    a room alias was specified, it will be automatically resolved to a room ID,
    which will then be joined. The room ID that was joined will be returned in
    response::
    
    The membership state for the joining user can also be modified directly to be
    ``join`` by sending the following request to
    
    ``/rooms/<room id>/state/m.room.member/<url encoded user id>``::
    
      {
        "membership": "join"
      }
    
    
    See the `Room events`_ section for more information on ``m.room.member``.
    
    After the user has joined a room, they will receive subsequent events in that
    room. This room will now appear as an entry in the |initialSync|_ API.
    
    Some rooms enforce that a user is *invited* to a room before they can join that
    room. Other rooms will allow anyone to join the room even if they have not
    received an invite.
    
    Inviting users
    --------------
    
    .. TODO kegan
      - Can invite users to a room if the room config key TODO is set to TODO. Must have required power level.
      - Outline invite join dance. What is it? Why is it required? How does it work?
      - What does the home server have to do?
    
      - TODO: In what circumstances will direct member editing NOT be equivalent to ``/invite``?
    
    The purpose of inviting users to a room is to notify them that the room exists
    so they can choose to become a member of that room. Some rooms require that all
    users who join a room are previously invited to it (an "invite-only" room).
    Whether a given room is an "invite-only" room is determined by the room config
    
    key ``TODO``. It can have one of the following values:
    
     - TODO Room config invite only value explanation
     - TODO Room config free-to-join value explanation
    
    
    Only users who have a membership state of ``join`` in a room can invite new
    users to said room. The person being invited must not be in the ``join`` state
    in the room. The fully-qualified user ID must be specified when inviting a
    user, as the user may reside on a different home server. To invite a user, send
    the following request to |/rooms/<room_id>/invite|_, which will manage the
    
    entire invitation process::
    
      {
        "user_id": "<user id to invite>"
      }
    
    Alternatively, the membership state for this user in this room can be modified 
    directly by sending the following request to 
    ``/rooms/<room id>/state/m.room.member/<url encoded user id>``::
    
      {
        "membership": "invite"
      }
    
    
    See the `Room events`_ section for more information on ``m.room.member``.
    
    .. TODO kegan
      - TODO: Grace period before deletion?
      - TODO: Under what conditions should a room NOT be purged?
    
    
    
    A user can leave a room to stop receiving events for that room. A user must
    have joined the room before they are eligible to leave the room. If the room is
    an "invite-only" room, they will need to be re-invited before they can re-join
    the room.  To leave a room, a request should be made to
    |/rooms/<room_id>/leave|_ with::
    
    
      {}
    
    Alternatively, the membership state for this user in this room can be modified 
    directly by sending the following request to 
    ``/rooms/<room id>/state/m.room.member/<url encoded user id>``::
    
      {
        "membership": "leave"
      }
    
    
    See the `Room events`_ section for more information on ``m.room.member``.
    
    Once a user has left a room, that room will no longer appear on the
    |initialSync|_ API. Be aware that leaving a room is not equivalent to have
    never been in that room. A user who has previously left a room still maintains
    some residual state in that room. Their membership state will be marked as
    ``leave``. This contrasts with a user who has *never been invited or joined to
    that room* who will not have any membership state for that room. 
    
    
    If all members in a room leave, that room becomes eligible for deletion. 
    
    A user may decide to ban another user in a room. 'Banning' forces the target
    user to leave the room and prevents them from re-joining the room. A banned
    user will not be treated as a joined user, and so will not be able to send or
    receive events in the room. In order to ban someone, the user performing the
    ban MUST have the required power level. To ban a user, a request should be made
    to |/rooms/<room_id>/ban|_ with::
    
    
      {
        "user_id": "<user id to ban"
        "reason": "string: <reason for the ban>"
      }
      
    
    Banning a user adjusts the banned member's membership state to ``ban`` and
    adjusts the power level of this event to a level higher than the banned person.
    Like with other membership changes, a user can directly adjust the target
    member's state, by making a request to
    ``/rooms/<room id>/state/m.room.member/<user id>``::
    
    Events in a room
    ----------------
    
    Room events can be split into two categories:
    
    :State Events:
    
      These are events which replace events that came before it, depending on a set
      of unique keys.  These keys are the event ``type`` and a ``state_key``.
      Events with the same set of keys will be overwritten. Typically, state events
      are used to store state, hence their name.
    
      These are events which cannot be overwritten after sending. The list of
      events continues to grow as more events are sent. As this list grows, it
      becomes necessary to provide a mechanism for navigating this list. Pagination
      APIs are used to view the list of historical non-state events. Typically,
      non-state events are used to send messages.
    
    This specification outlines several events, all with the event type prefix
    ``m.``. However, applications may wish to add their own type of event, and this
    can be achieved using the REST API detailed in the following sections. If new
    events are added, the event ``type`` key SHOULD follow the Java package naming
    convention, e.g. ``com.example.myapp.event``.  This ensures event types are
    suitably namespaced for each application and reduces the risk of clashes.
    
    State events can be sent by ``PUT`` ing to
    |/rooms/<room_id>/state/<event_type>/<state_key>|_.  These events will be
    overwritten if ``<room id>``, ``<event type>`` and ``<state key>`` all match.
    If the state event has no ``state_key``, it can be omitted from the path. These
    requests **cannot use transaction IDs** like other ``PUT`` paths because they
    cannot be differentiated from the ``state_key``. Furthermore, ``POST`` is
    unsupported on state paths. Valid requests look like::
    
    
      PUT /rooms/!roomid:domain/state/m.example.event
      { "key" : "without a state key" }
    
      PUT /rooms/!roomid:domain/state/m.another.example.event/foo
      { "key" : "with 'foo' as the state key" }
    
    In contrast, these requests are invalid::
    
      POST /rooms/!roomid:domain/state/m.example.event/
      { "key" : "cannot use POST here" }
    
      PUT /rooms/!roomid:domain/state/m.another.example.event/foo/11
      { "key" : "txnIds are not supported" }
    
    Care should be taken to avoid setting the wrong ``state key``::
    
      PUT /rooms/!roomid:domain/state/m.another.example.event/11
      { "key" : "with '11' as the state key, but was probably intended to be a txnId" }
    
    
    The ``state_key`` is often used to store state about individual users, by using
    the user ID as the ``state_key`` value. For example::
    
    
      PUT /rooms/!roomid:domain/state/m.favorite.animal.event/%40my_user%3Adomain.com
      { "animal" : "cat", "reason": "fluffy" }
    
    In some cases, there may be no need for a ``state_key``, so it can be omitted::
    
      PUT /rooms/!roomid:domain/state/m.room.bgd.color
      { "color": "red", "hex": "#ff0000" }
    
    
    See `Room Events`_ for the ``m.`` event specification.
    
    Non-state events can be sent by sending a request to
    |/rooms/<room_id>/send/<event_type>|_.  These requests *can* use transaction
    IDs and ``PUT``/``POST`` methods. Non-state events allow access to historical
    events and pagination, making it best suited for sending messages.  For
    example::
    
    
      POST /rooms/!roomid:domain/send/m.custom.example.message
      { "text": "Hello world!" }
    
      PUT /rooms/!roomid:domain/send/m.custom.example.message/11
      { "text": "Goodbye world!" }
    
    
    See `Room Events`_ for the ``m.`` event specification.
    
    When a client logs in, they may have a list of rooms which they have already
    joined. These rooms may also have a list of events associated with them. The
    purpose of 'syncing' is to present the current room and event information in a
    convenient, compact manner. The events returned are not limited to room events;
    presence events will also be returned. There are two APIs provided:
    
     - |initialSync|_ : A global sync which will present room and event information
       for all rooms the user has joined.
    
     - |/rooms/<room_id>/initialSync|_ : A sync scoped to a single room. Presents
       room and event information for this room only.
    
    .. TODO kegan
      - TODO: JSON response format for both types
      - TODO: when would you use global? when would you use scoped?
    
    Getting events for a room
    -------------------------
    There are several APIs provided to ``GET`` events for a room:
    
    ``/rooms/<room id>/state/<event type>/<state key>``
      Description:
        Get the state event identified.
      Response format:
        A JSON object representing the state event **content**.
      Example:
        ``/rooms/!room:domain.com/state/m.room.name`` returns ``{ "name": "Room name" }``
    
    
      Description:
        Get all state events for a room.
      Response format:
        ``[ { state event }, { state event }, ... ]``
      Example:
        TODO
    
    
    
      Description:
        Get all ``m.room.member`` state events.
      Response format:
    
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        ``{ "start": "<token>", "end": "<token>", "chunk": [ { m.room.member event }, ... ] }``
    
        Get all ``m.room.message`` and ``m.room.member`` events. This API supports
        pagination using ``from`` and ``to`` query parameters, coupled with the
        ``start`` and ``end`` tokens from an |initialSync|_ API.
    
      Response format:
    
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        ``{ "start": "<token>", "end": "<token>" }``
    
      Description:
        Get all relevant events for a room. This includes state events, paginated non-state
        events and presence events.
      Response format:
        `` { TODO } ``
      Example:
        TODO
    
    .. NOTE::
      This section is a work in progress.
    
    .. TODO dave?
      - voip events?
    
    This specification outlines several standard event types, all of which are
    prefixed with ``m.``
    
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    ``m.room.name``
      Summary:
        Set the human-readable name for the room.
      Type: 
        State event
      JSON format:
        ``{ "name" : "string" }``
      Example:
        ``{ "name" : "My Room" }``
      Description:
    
        A room has an opaque room ID which is not human-friendly to read. A room
        alias is human-friendly, but not all rooms have room aliases. The room name
        is a human-friendly string designed to be displayed to the end-user. The
        room name is not *unique*, as multiple rooms can have the same room name
        set. The room name can also be set when creating a room using |createRoom|_
        with the ``name`` key.
    
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    ``m.room.topic``
      Summary:
        Set a topic for the room.
      Type: 
        State event
      JSON format:
        ``{ "topic" : "string" }``
      Example:
        ``{ "topic" : "Welcome to the real world." }``
      Description:
    
        A topic is a short message detailing what is currently being discussed in
        the room.  It can also be used as a way to display extra information about
        the room, which may not be suitable for the room name. The room topic can
        also be set when creating a room using |createRoom|_ with the ``topic``
        key.
    
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    ``m.room.member``
      Summary:
        The current membership state of a user in the room.
      Type: 
        State event
      JSON format:
        ``{ "membership" : "enum[ invite|join|leave|ban ]" }``
      Example:
        ``{ "membership" : "join" }``
      Description:
    
        Adjusts the membership state for a user in a room. It is preferable to use
        the membership APIs (``/rooms/<room id>/invite`` etc) when performing
        membership actions rather than adjusting the state directly as there are a
        restricted set of valid transformations. For example, user A cannot force
        user B to join a room, and trying to force this state change directly will
        fail. See the `Rooms`_ section for how to use the membership APIs.
    
    ``m.room.create``
    
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      Summary:
    
        The first event in the room.
    
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      Type: 
        State event
      JSON format:
    
        ``{ "creator": "string"}``
    
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      Example:
    
        ``{ "creator": "@user:example.com" }``
    
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      Description:
    
        This is the first event in a room and cannot be changed. It acts as the 
        root of all other events.
    
        Descripes how/if people are allowed to join.
    
        ``{ "join_rule": "enum [ public|knock|invite|private ]" }``
    
        ``{ "join_rule": "public" }``
    
        TODO : Use docs/models/rooms.rst
       
    
        Defines the power levels of users in the room.
    
        ``{ "<user_id>": <int>, ..., "default": <int>}``
    
        ``{ "@user:example.com": 5, "@user2:example.com": 10, "default": 0 }`` 
    
        If a user is in the list, then they have the associated power level. 
        Otherwise they have the default level. If not ``default`` key is supplied,
        it is assumed to be 0.
    
    
        Defines the minimum power level a user needs to add state.
    
        ``{ "level": <int> }``
    
        ``{ "level": 5 }``
    
        To add a new piece of state to the room a user must have the given power 
        level. This does not apply to updating current state, which is goverened
        by the ``required_power_level`` event key.
    
        Defines the minimum power level a user needs to send an event.
    
        ``{ "level": <int> }``
    
        ``{ "level": 0 }``
    
        To send a new event into the room a user must have at least this power 
        level. This allows ops to make the room read only by increasing this level,
        or muting individual users by lowering their power level below this
        threshold.
    
    
        Defines the minimum power levels that a user must have before they can 
        kick and/or ban other users.
    
        ``{ "ban_level": <int>, "kick_level": <int> }``
    
        ``{ "ban_level": 5, "kick_level": 5 }``
    
        This defines who can ban and/or kick people in the room. Most of the time
        ``ban_level`` will be greater than or equal to ``kick_level`` since 
        banning is more severe than kicking.
    
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    ``m.room.aliases``
      Summary:
    
        These state events are used to inform the room about what room aliases it
        has.
    
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      Type:
        State event
      JSON format:
        ``{ "aliases": ["string", ...] }``
      Example:
        ``{ "aliases": ["#foo:example.com"] }``
      Description:
    
        A server `may` inform the room that it has added or removed an alias for
    
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        the room. This is purely for informational purposes and may become stale.
        Clients `should` check that the room alias is still valid before using it.
    
        The ``state_key`` of the event is the homeserver which owns the room alias.
    
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    ``m.room.message``
      Summary:
        A message.
      Type: 
        Non-state event
      JSON format:
        ``{ "msgtype": "string" }``
      Example:
        ``{ "msgtype": "m.text", "body": "Testing" }``
      Description:
    
        This event is used when sending messages in a room. Messages are not
        limited to be text.  The ``msgtype`` key outlines the type of message, e.g.
        text, audio, image, video, etc.  Whilst not required, the ``body`` key
        SHOULD be used with every kind of ``msgtype`` as a fallback mechanism when
        a client cannot render the message. For more information on the types of
        messages which can be sent, see `m.room.message msgtypes`_.
    
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    ``m.room.message.feedback``
      Summary:
        A receipt for a message.
      Type: 
        Non-state event
      JSON format:
        ``{ "type": "enum [ delivered|read ]", "target_event_id": "string" }``
      Example:
        ``{ "type": "delivered", "target_event_id": "e3b2icys" }``
      Description:
    
        Feedback events are events sent to acknowledge a message in some way. There
        are two supported acknowledgements: ``delivered`` (sent when the event has
        been received) and ``read`` (sent when the event has been observed by the
        end-user). The ``target_event_id`` should reference the ``m.room.message``
        event being acknowledged.