Rest – Adding parameters to rest GET request

getpostrest

I have an application running with AS2/PHP.
The AS2 communicate with PHP scripts via $_POST array of data, this array contains data like sessionkey, userID, and some database filtering (sql limit, order by etc.)

An iOS version of the application is planned, and I am trying to figure out the best way to use the existing server side code and rewrite only the graphics.

The problem is that I need a lot of data, data which ideally should be sent via $_POST array into a GET http request (sorry if I am not clear, don't hesitate to ask me questions).

I've read this post Understanding REST: Verbs, error codes, and authentication which made me understand better how REST should be working, but I need more data sent to server.

For example, let's say I'd like to retrieve a collection of items, the request would be something like:

GET http://xxx/rest/item

But how do I tell the server that i'd like to retrieve only X elements from the collection, or even which sort order i'd like ?

Thanks previously for your answers

EDIT:
@laurent, here an example of a script POST parameters received:

    // COMMON PARAMETERS (each script)
$idPROF     = Utils_Mv::getVariablePOST('idPROF');
$idVISITE   = Utils_Mv::getVariablePOST('idVISITE');
$typeConnexion  = Utils_Mv::getVariablePOST('typeConnexion');
$typeSupport    = Utils_Mv::getVariablePOST('typeSupport');
$cleSession     = Utils_Mv::getVariablePOST('cleSession');
$idCLIENT   = Utils_Mv::getVariablePOST('idCLIENT');
$idCONTEXTE = Utils_Mv::getVariablePOST('idCONTEXTE');

    // SCRIPT-SPECIFIC PARAMETERS
$idSUIVI        = (int) Utils_Mv::getVariablePOST('idSUIVI');
$nbPrescription = (int) Utils_Mv::getVariablePOST('nbPrescription');
$indiceDebut    = (int) Utils_Mv::getVariablePOST('indiceDebut');
$critereTri     = Utils_Mv::getVariablePOST('critereTri');
$isTriInverse   = Utils_Mv::boolval(Utils_Mv::getVariablePOST('isTriInverse'));
$chaineFiltres  = Utils_Mv::getVariablePOST('chaineFiltres');

You would pass the common parameters as get parameters on GET request ? (and POST for PUT/POST)

Best Answer

To get more than one item, I would do something like this:

GET http://example.com/items/1_2_3_4

Where 1, 2, 3, 4 are the item IDs. To get just one item, you would do:

GET http://example.com/items/1

For the sort order, I would make this a query parameter. In general, a REST URL should point to a resource or several resources. Anything extra like sort order, resource format, etc. should be a query parameter:

GET http://example.com/items/1_2_3?order=by_name

Dynamically create `<input>`s in a form and submit it

/**
 * sends a request to the specified url from a form. this will change the window location.
 * @param {string} path the path to send the post request to
 * @param {object} params the parameters to add to the url
 * @param {string} [method=post] the method to use on the form
 */

function post(path, params, method='post') {

  // The rest of this code assumes you are not using a library.
  // It can be made less verbose if you use one.
  const form = document.createElement('form');
  form.method = method;
  form.action = path;

  for (const key in params) {
    if (params.hasOwnProperty(key)) {
      const hiddenField = document.createElement('input');
      hiddenField.type = 'hidden';
      hiddenField.name = key;
      hiddenField.value = params[key];

      form.appendChild(hiddenField);
    }
  }

  document.body.appendChild(form);
  form.submit();
}

Example:

post('/contact/', {name: 'Johnny Bravo'});

EDIT: Since this has gotten upvoted so much, I'm guessing people will be copy-pasting this a lot. So I added the hasOwnProperty check to fix any inadvertent bugs.

Rest – HTTP POST with URL query parameters — good idea or not

If your action is not idempotent, then you MUST use POST. If you don't, you're just asking for trouble down the line. GET, PUT and DELETE methods are required to be idempotent. Imagine what would happen in your application if the client was pre-fetching every possible GET request for your service – if this would cause side effects visible to the client, then something's wrong.

I agree that sending a POST with a query string but without a body seems odd, but I think it can be appropriate in some situations.

Think of the query part of a URL as a command to the resource to limit the scope of the current request. Typically, query strings are used to sort or filter a GET request (like ?page=1&sort=title) but I suppose it makes sense on a POST to also limit the scope (perhaps like ?action=delete&id=5).

Best Answer

Related Solutions

JavaScript post request like a form submit

Dynamically create <input>s in a form and submit it

Rest – HTTP POST with URL query parameters — good idea or not

Related Topic

Dynamically create `<input>`s in a form and submit it