This document discusses Joomla's REST API. It begins by defining REST and how it allows machines to interact with data over HTTP using operations like POST, GET, PUT, and DELETE. Examples are given of real-world applications that use Joomla's REST API like news apps, sales reports apps, and a desktop app for a large company. The document also discusses how the REST API can be used for features like content synchronization, preventative maintenance systems, and cross-device experiences. It acknowledges some current limitations and outlines next steps to further improve Joomla's REST API functionality.

1. Joomla REST API
CTO, Techjoomla
Director, Tekdi Web Solutions
@coolbung | @techjoomla
www.techjoomla.com

2. My Joomla! connection
● 5-star personality on the Joomla Forum
● Started using Joomla since Mambo days
● Using Joomla since 1.0
● Webservices working group co-ordinator

3. Did you check-in ?

4. How did it happen ?
You buy a ticket!
Scan Extract
QR Code Ticket ID
Validate Send
Ticket ID Welcome Email
Show Message

5. REST What ?
● Representational State Transfer
● A web page is a human readable
representation
● A webservice is a machine readable
representation
● REST piggybacks on HTTP
● Hidden workhorse to integrate with external
applications

6. Human Readable – Web Page Machine Readable – Web Service
https://twitter.com/search/realtime?q=jd13in https://search.twitter.com/search.json?q=jd13in&result_type=all

7. REST APIs
What is a REST API?
● Machine readable data
● A way to interact with data over HTTP
POST = Create
GET = Read
PUT = Update
DELETE = Delete

8. Why do I need REST APIs ?
My JAVA app My Joomla! website
INSERT INTO jos_users (name, username,
email, password, block)
VALUES ('James Bond', 'agent@007.com',
'agent@007.com', MD5(007), 0)
INSERT INTO jos_user_usergroup_map
VALUES(62, 8)

9. What do I do then ?
index.php?option=com_api&app=users&resource=createuser&format=raw
[POST]
name = Ashwin Date
username = coolbung@gmail.com
email = coolbung@gmail.com
password = supersecret
key = 4358a6fc7470713c79f31b163558a2639b3036ed

10. Cool! What else can I do ?

11. Tell me more.. who else uses it ?

12. Who else ?
● News apps – Look at http://infochangeindia.org/ic/
● Reportoise – Sales Reports
● Zoo Image browser
● Snappcloud

13. Did anyone say Enterprise ?
A fortune 500 semiconductor company, for a
HTML5 based Desktop app.
● Managing a repository of 100,000 micro
products
● Product approval workflow

14. Mobile LMS Using Joomla
Another upcoming app from Techjoomla..
Already in use by Enterprise in Healthcare, Marketing & more !
● Take a course on iPad
● Go through a few lessons
● Go meet your girlfriend
● Come back and start the course on your
PC
● Fortunately the iPad spoke REST
● Uploaded your progress to the Web LMS
● You can resume where you left off

15. Content Synchronization
● Subordinate creates articles in Joomla on
staging server
● Manager saves and views article on staging
server
● Manager then 'pushes' an approved article
over to production
● The staging & production site speak REST

16. Preventive Maintenance
New machine
provisioning
API
Agent
Maintenance
announcements

17. Preventive Maintenance
●
Electronic monitoring of machines - like a drill
●
'Vital stats' like temperature, vibrations monitored
●
Deviations send alerts to engineers &
management
●
Causes discussed on private forum and
conclusion archived for future reference

18. Current Drawbacks
● Need to write plugins
● Small amount of code rewrite
● Components not using Joomla MVC may need
a lot of plugin code

19. What's Available
● Jomsocial
● Joomla Articles & Categories
● Some of AEC

20. Few Ideas
● view.json.php
● restcontroller.php
● format=json

21. Next Steps
● Discussion on integrating Framework on
Framework (FOF) into Joomla core
● FOF gives access to RESTful json data
● Build on top of it to implement all of
POST/GET/PUT/DELETE and various HTTP
codes
● Re-use existing 'models' to fetch data objects

22. Please join in!
● Webservices working group
http://docs.joomla.org/Web_Services_Working_Gro
● Code on github
https://github.com/techjoomla/com_api-plugins
https://github.com/techjoomla/com_api
● Joomla! General Development Google Group
https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!for

23. Thank You
Ashwin Date
Twitter : @coolbung / @techjoomla
Email : ashwin@techjoomla.com
http://www.slideshare.net/coolbung