== RESTful API ==

This page hosts detailed specifications for [https://blueprints.launchpad.net/sahana3/+spec/rest Blueprint for the RESTful API].

Basic approach for the S3 architecture is to have a Web Services backend & a Javascript client front end.
RESTful APIs make this easier.

Web2Py generates URLs in this format:
{{{
/application/ccontroller/function/arg1/arg2?var1=x,var2=y
}}}
These are generally fairly RESTful anyway, e.g.:
{{{
/sahana/gis/add_feature
/sahana/gis/list_features
/sahana/gis/display_feature/1
/sahana/gis/update_feature/1
}}}
Is there much benefit in chaning to URLs like:
{{{
/sahana/gis/feature/create
/sahana/gis/feature/list
/sahana/gis/feature/list_add
/sahana/gis/feature/display/x
/sahana/gis/feature/update/x
}}}

We want to be able extending this for exporting raw data in other formats, e.g. using the optional vars:
{{{
/sahana/gis/feature/display/x?format=[json|xml|csv]
}}}

Web2Py already supports export as JSON, CSV & RTF.
 * New SQLROW to JSON function: http://groups.google.com/group/web2py/browse_thread/thread/dfb65087574c24f1
 * For XML Parser discussions, look at [wiki:BluePrintGISImportExport BluePrintGISImportExport]

It would be best for us to add support to the framework to make it easy for module writers to have this functionality within their controllers.

Discussion of changes to Web2Py to make it more RESTful:
 * http://www.wellbehavedsystems.co.uk/web2py/examples/rest.html
 * http://www.wellbehavedsystems.co.uk/web2py/examples/rest_alt1.html



NB Web2Py currently doesn't support HTTP PUT/DELETE/UPDATE (only GET).

=== Web Services ===
Allows multiple client UIs
 * http://talks.php.net/show/webservices/
 * http://webservices.xml.com/pub/a/ws/2004/03/24/phpws.html
 * http://wiki.sahana.lk/doku.php?id=dev:web_services

=== REST instead of SOAP ===
Less bloat, more GIS-friendly.
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representational_State_Transfer
 * Second Generation Web Services: http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/php/2003/10/30/amazon_rest.html
 * Implementing REST Web Services: Best Practices and Guidelines: http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2004/08/11/rest.html
 * Common REST Mistakes: http://www.prescod.net/rest/mistakes/
 * How to Create a REST Protocol: http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2004/12/01/restful-web.html