Breadcrumbs

[rocky4126]

This tutorial will show you how to create a basic API in PHP. This is probably not the best way of making an API, it should at the very least have flood protection on it.

Full Code:

Code: Select all

<?php
	$ret = array();
	if(!$_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'] != "127.0.0.1"){
		$ret['error'] = "Not calling from valid IP address";
		$ret['success'] = false;
	}else{
		if(isset($_POST['action']) && $_POST['action'] != ""){
			switch(strtolower($_POST['request'])){
				case "action1":
					if(isset($_POST['input'] && $_POST['input'] != "")){
						$ret['message'] = $_POST['input'];
						$ret['success'] = true;
					}else{
						$ret['error'] = "Missing parameter: input.";
						$ret['success'] = false;
					}
					break;
				case "parseurl":
					if(isset($_POST['input'] && $_POST['input'] != "")){
						$ret['message'] = urlencode($_POST['input']);
						$ret['success'] = true;
					}else{
						$ret['error'] = "Missing parameter: input.";
						$ret['success'] = false;
					}
					break;
				default:
					$ret['error'] = "No action named \"{$_POST['request']}\".";
					$ret['success'] = false;
					break;
			}
		}else{
			$ret['error'] = "Missing parameter: action.";
			$ret['success'] = false;
		}
	}
	echo json_encode($ret);
?>

Now that you know what we're looking at, let me take you through it.

Code: Select all

$ret = array();

Defines our array that we're going to insert values into. The valid values we'll be inserting are: message,error and success. If success = false then error will be used, otherwise, we'll use message and set success to true.

Code: Select all

if(!$_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'] != "127.0.0.1"){

This checks that the IP is from your server. This isn't required but adds a bit of security.

Code: Select all

if(isset($_POST['action']) && $_POST['action'] != ""){

Checks that there has been an action defined. If not, it'll return an error for us.

Code: Select all

case "action1":

If the action is equal to Action1 or ACTION1 or action1 or AcTiOn1 (aka, it doesn't matter on the case) then it'll come to this case.

Code: Select all

if(isset($_POST['input'] && $_POST['input'] != "")){

Checks for input just like we checked for an action.

Code: Select all

$ret['message'] = $_POST['input'];

This will pipe what the user sent to us back at them.

Code: Select all

case "parseurl":
	if(isset($_POST['input'] && $_POST['input'] != "")){
		$ret['message'] = urlencode($_POST['input']);
		$ret['success'] = true;
	}else{
		$ret['error'] = "Missing parameter: input.";
		$ret['success'] = false;
	}
	break;

This is a demonstration usage of the API. Someone sends the action parseurl with a non-encoded string as input and it will run urlencode(); on the input and return it.

[clanc789]

I dont get it. What does it do?

"This is a demonstration usage of the API. Someone sends the action parseurl with a non-encoded string as input and it will run urlencode(); on the input and return it."

I dont get that. Please explain more?

Thank you.

[Codex]

I dont get it. What does it do?

"This is a demonstration usage of the API. Someone sends the action parseurl with a non-encoded string as input and it will run urlencode(); on the input and return it."

I dont get that. Please explain more?

Thank you.

Do you know what an API is and what it's used for ?

Well, you could use the website through an API and lets say you wanted for example to post a message, then you would make httpwebrequest in vb.net (can also be done through javascript/php/etc.) with your POST values etc.

[clanc789]

I dont get it. What does it do?

"This is a demonstration usage of the API. Someone sends the action parseurl with a non-encoded string as input and it will run urlencode(); on the input and return it."

I dont get that. Please explain more?

Thank you.

Do you know what an API is and what it's used for ?

Well, you could use the website through an API and lets say you wanted for example to post a message, then you would make httpwebrequest in vb.net (can also be done through javascript/php/etc.) with your POST values etc.

I know how to use an API and that the function is but i dont get this code (i have NEVER done anything with PHP in my life, thats probaly why ).

[rocky4126]

I don't know how to explain it better :O

Also, I might release a better code from an API that I'm coding now (might make it REST compatible)