The document by Joshua Kopel provides an introduction to consuming remote APIs using Drupal, focusing on RESTful interactions and practical implementation techniques. It covers topics such as basic request formatting, security considerations, tools, and managing complex interactions in a Drupal environment. The document also highlights best practices for coding and performance optimization while using remote API services.

1. An introduction to consuming remote APIsPacific Northwest Drupal Summit10/16/2011Joshua KopelPartner, Number 10 Web CompanyCTO/Co-founder, Squigaloo LLCTwitter:jkopeld.o:jkopel

2. An introduction to consuming remote APIsGeneral overview and termsA simple exampleMore complex considerationsDo’s and Don’tsTools and resources

3. TodayWe are talking specifically about RESTful interaction berween Drupal (7) and remote web services over HTTP using JSON, XML, or a variety of other languages.

4. RESTful?REpresentational State TransferClient / ServerStatelessHTTP methodsThere is also SOAP which is useful for transactional or sensitive information.

5. Remote APIs as:Information sourcesWundergroundTwitterMedia sourcesFlickrYouTubeServicesGoogle ChartsSalesForceStorageAmazon S3Google Cloud Storage

6. The Drupal wayProWrite minimal code!Feeds, Rules, EntitiesEasily modifiedFully integrated with the rest of DrupalConDifficult to manage complex interactionsImplementation scattered across modulesPerformance challenges

7. The coder wayProWrite fast codeBuild a useful API for other modulesManage complex interactions in codeConMust expose data in order to integrateOverhead, maintenance, security, updates

8. Be flexibleLook for easy winsUse modules where possible Investigate the tradeoffs

9. CommonCraft

10. CommonCraftRecurly for recurring subscription paymentsWistia as video CDN

11. Basic flowFormat a request URI that references a resource and provides parameters. Send request using http method (POST, GET, DELETE, etc).Decode response and pass to appropriate consumer.Remote APIProcess request, format a response, and define a status.Check authentication and accept request.

12. Simple API exampleGET https://api.wistia.com/v1/projects.jsonReturns a list of all projects

13. Fomatted URLGET https://user:password@api.wistia.com/v1/ projects.json?sort_by=created&sort_direction=0https://user:password@api.wistia.com/v1secured URLprojectsresource.jsonlanguage?sort_by=created&sort_direction=0 Url encoded list of parametersReturns a list of all projects sorted by creation date in descending order

14. Basic code$query = array('sort_by' => 'created', 'sort_direction' => 0);$options = array('query' => $query, 'https' => TRUE);$url = url('https://usr:pass@api.wistia.com/v1/projects.json', $options);$options = array('method'=>'GET');$result = drupal_http_request($url, $options);$json = json_decode($result->data);-or-$xml = simplexml_load_string ($result);

15. Now what?StoreEntityTableDisplayAs part of node or pageDynamically with js

16. Building blocksConsuming code(module hooks)Admin configurationAPI methodsSecurity info in variablesLow level comm.Remote API

17. Building blocksConsuming code(module hooks)Admin configurationAPI methodsSecurity info in variablesLow level comm.Remote API

18. Security$url = url('https://api:H7gd7n2yV9opM@ api.wistia.com/…SSLhttp basic authorizationDomain keys/subdomainsOAuth

19. Building blocksConsuming code(module hooks)Admin configurationAPI methodsSecurity info in variablesLow level comm.Remote API

20. Low level communicationStandard functions to:Format URL(s)Format headers & http methodFormat query stringsRequest dataRead http statusPerform error checking on inbound data

21. Sending dataUsually uses the POST methodBuild an array of encoded parametersSerialize binary data - base64_encode()$headers = array('Content-Type' => 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded')$query = drupal_http_build_query(array('name' => $name));$options = array(‘headers'=>$headers, 'method'=>‘POST', 'data'=>$query);$result = drupal_http_request($url, $options);

22. Sending LOTS of dataFiles can be sent and retrieved using stream wrappers.Wraps a remote API and creates an addressable protocol (i.e. youtube://)It is a whole other session.

23. Building blocksConsuming code(module hooks)Admin configurationAPI methodsSecurity info in variablesLow level comm.Remote API

24. API methodsMap the remote API to what your module needs.Parse decoded data and return only what is needed.Format data for transfer to remote API.Return meaningful error messages based upon context.

25. Building blocksConsuming code(module hooks)Admin configurationAPI methodsSecurity info in variablesLow level comm.Remote API

26. Consuming CodeAKA “business logic”Use hooks to trigger calls to the remote.Format results for display or storage.CachingPermissions

27. When to actOn demandhook_nnnnn_presave()hook_nnnnn_load()hook_nnnnn_view()Ajax (menu) callbackRule actionScheduledhook_cron()

28. Things go wrongdrupal_http_request is synchronousUse reasonable timeout valuesCache if you canRemote API

29. Play niceDon’t pound their serversCache if you canFollow the rulesFind the communities and join in

30. Useful toolsDebuggerXdebughttp headers “sniffer”Live http headers extension (FF)HTTP Headers (chrome)A reverse proxy / http monitorCharles (http://www.charlesproxy.com/)HttpFox (FF)

31. Thanks!http://www.number10webcompany.comJoshua KopelPartner, Number 10 Web CompanyCTO/Co-founder, Squigaloo LLCTwitter:jkopeld.o:jkopel