CiviCRM Rest API

Relevant Links for version 4.2

• ​Devlopers Guide API Reference
• ​API Reference
• ​Rest Interface
• ​Setting up a Site Key - necessary for Rest API.
• ​Test Server API Explorer
• ​Parameter list for Test Server - What parameters are available for each entity in the API.

Steps to Enable the Rest API

1. Create a site key
2. Create a user
3. Enable the user to access the REST api

Create a Site Key

1. Go to ​The Bit Mill
2. Select Uppercase, Lowercase, Numbers, Punctuation
3. Set Removals from selection as &=+$?%,/:{}#|'
4. Set length to be 32
5. Edit the CiviCRM Settings file.
   • For the test server this is: uhlbriccsapp04:/var/local/civicrm/drupal/sites/default/civicrm.settings.php

Using the REST API

Authentication

There is some talk in the documentation about having to log in and then use a session ID to access the REST API. However, more recent documentation says to just post the username and password with every request.

Options

Documentation is a bit sketchy about options. Here are a few things that appear to be true.

• The default maximum number of entities returned is 25
• The default maximum can be increased by including &option.limit=nnn in the URL. The parameter rowCount also works (case sensitive). See ​here.
• An starting offset can be provided by including &option.offset=nnn in the URL. The parameter offset on its own also works. ibid.
• Sorting uses &option.sort=fffff where fffff is the name of a field returned in the JSON. The parameter sort can also be used.
• The data returned can be restricted using the parameter &return=f1,f2...etc, where fn is a field returned in the JSON.

An example: ​http://lcbru.xuhl-tr.nhs.uk/civicrm/ajax/rest?fnName=civicrm/contact/get&json=1&key={SITE_KEY}&name={USERNAME}&pass={PASSWORD}