EEUK 2013: ExpressionEngine's Missing API

My talk at EEUK 2013 in which I introduce Open API.

Transcript

1. Ben Croker
   Lead Developer, Venveo
   Add-On Developer, PutYourLightsOn
   @ben_pylo
   expressionengine’s
   missing
   api
   

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9. Your First Day As
   The EE Pro
   

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10. Task 1
    News Dept.
    

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11. Build a simple,
    mobile-friendly,
    publishing system
    for news articles
    “
    “
    

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13. safecracker
    form
    

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15. ?
    

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16. Challenges
    Create new categories
    Update existing categories
    

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17. Task 2
    Sales Dept.
    

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18. Build a task list
    system with
    commenting
    “
    “
    

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20. entry
    category
    

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21. status
    

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22. status title
    

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23. status title
    delete
    

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24. status title
    delete
    create
    

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25. Challenges
    Update statuses and titles inline
    Delete entries
    Create new entries on-the-fly
    

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26. Task 3
    Mobile App Dept.
    

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27. Build an endpoint
    that can be queried for
    recently published
    news articles
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    “
    

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28. Mobile App
    CMS
    Return articles in
    JSON format
    Request new articles
    since last check
    

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29. Challenges
    Request published entries
    based on specific time
    Speed and performance
    Output entries in JSON format
    

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30. Realisation
    ExpressionEngine’s CRUD Functionality
    is locked in the Control Panel
    The only way OUT is with Templates
    The only way IN is with Safecracker
    

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31. ExpressionEngine
    API Libraries
    EE2 Native Libraries
    Ellis Lab
    

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32. ExpressionEngine API’s
    Used mainly for Creating, Updating
    and Deleting
    Limited Retrieval
    Inconsistent Syntax
    Available in Back-end only
    

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33. Channel Data
    Library
    Justin Kimbrell
    Objective HTML
    

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34. Channel Data Library
    Retrieval of Content
    (Channels, Entries, Categories, ...)
    Abstracted Methods
    Consistent Syntax
    Available in Back-end only
    

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35. EE Data API
    Chris Imrie
    Moresoda
    

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36. EE Data API
    CodeIgniter App
    Very Basic Retrieval of
    Channels and Entries
    Available on Front-end
    

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37. Entry API
    Rein de Vries
    Reinos.nl
    

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38. Entry API
    CRUD Capability on Entries
    and Categories
    REST, XML-RPC and SOAP
    Commercial Add-on
    Available on Front-end
    

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39. Conclusion
    ExpressionEngine
    is missing a way of retrieving and
    modifying content from outside the
    Control Panel
    

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40. Introducing
    Open API
    

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41. Open API
    CRUD Capability
    Free and Open Source
    Proper API Docs
    Available on Front-end
    

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42. Open API Capabilities
    Member Authentication
    C(reate) R(ead) U(pdate) D(elete):
    Channels, Channel Entries,
    Categories, Category Groups,
    Members,
    ...
    

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43. Open API Architecture
    HTTP GET & POST Requests
    JSON Responses
    Authenticated Sessions
    Language Independent
    (PHP, JavaScript, CURL, AJAX,...)
    

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44. Open API
    Open API Lib
    Channel Data
    Library
    Read Create/Update/Delete
    Front-End Request JSON Response
    EE API Lib
    

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45. Open API Docs
    h p://docs.eeopenapi.apiary.io
    

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46. Demos
    

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47. ExpressionEngine
    as a Platform
    Requires a paradigm shi
    in the level of freedom and control
    we have over our content
    

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48. Open API
    h ps://github.com/putyourlightson/open-api
    h p://docs.eeopenapi.apiary.io
    Ben Croker
    @ben_pylo
    

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