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
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

GET_FROM_CREDENTIALS and DYNAMIC_TOKEN keywords can be used in API Manager params, header and body values, just like in the systems test connection section.

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.

Setting URL arguments and params in the API Call Handler

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.

Setting Body data in the API Call Handler