API Components

The following are the components that are required in making successful API Calls to a system:

• Request Methods
• URL
• Params
• Headers
• Body

Params, Headers, Body Structure

Three fields are set for each parameter/header/body:

Field	Description	Example
Field	Description	Example
Label	A suitable display name for headers/params/body data	Content-Type
Key	Variable name at which the value is populated	Content-Type
Value	The actual value stored in the Key	application/json

The above values can be bulk edited in the format: label::key::value

Content-Type::Content-Type::application/json

Accept::Accept::application/json

Request Methods

Request Methods specify the action to be performed by an API call, on a resource. Choose from the drop-down list.

For more information on Request methods click here.

Relative URL / Endpoint:

The endpoint is the location or touch-point of communication, from which the API can access resources to carry out its functions.

Let’s say you want to invoke an API call using a URL such as http://www.example.com/api/customers.

Here, the host-name www.example.com is provided in the credentials section in the Projects Area. So only the relative URL /api/customers needs to be provided here.

Some examples are

<GET> /api/customers/{customer_id}

<POST> /api/customers

<PUT> /api/customers/{shipping_id}/editshipping

In an API call, URL arguments and query parameters can also be sent. These are defined in the ‘API Call’ handler in Flows.

Use Case – URL Arguments

Let’s say, you want to make an API call with dynamic values in the URL like http://www.example.com/api/customers/2. Here, 2 is the dynamic value. This can be achieved by replacing the dynamic value with a unique variable name and this value will be provided in Flows during run-time.

The Endpoint provided in the API Manager will be: /api/customers/{customer_id}

In order to assign the dynamic value, enter {"customer_id":"2"} in API Call Handler in the URL Arguments box. The Endpoint will then replace the URL argument as: /api/customers/2, which indicates that information from customer_id = 2 is accessed.

Params

Query parameters are also assigned in the API Call handler in Flows. Let’s say, you want to make an API call with query params in the URL like /api/customers/?format=json

The Endpoint provided in the API Manager will be: /api/customers and the query parameter defined in the API Call handler is {"format":"json"}.

The Endpoint will then include the query parameter.

Headers

Header data are passed as part of an API call.

Commonly used Header data include:

1. Content-Type
2. Accept

For more information on Headers please click here.

Request Body

JSON objects that are sent along with a POST or PUT request, to create/ update a resource. Body parameters are dynamic data, usually assigned in the Payload section of the API Call handler in Flows.