Introduction to the SharePoint 2013 REST API By QuontraSolutions

1
Introduction to the SharePoint 2013 REST API
By QuontraSolutions

• Email info_at_quontrasolutions.com
• Call us 404-900-9988
• WebSite www.quontrasolutions.com

2
AGENDA

• REST and ODATA Overview
• SharePoint 2013 REST API
• Demos

3
REST Introduction

• REST REpresentational State Transfer
• A simpler alternative to SOAP based on HTTP
  request/response pairs
• Client sends HTTP requests that target specific
  resources using unique URIs

4
What is OData?

• Odata is a standardized REST API for Data Access
• ODATA API maps CRUD operations to HTTP verbs
• http//www.odata.org

5
HTTP Methods

• GET
• Returns an item or array of items
• POST
• Creates a new item
• PUT
• Updates an item (replaces all fields with default
  values)
• PATCH or MERGE
• Updates an item in place (existing values are
  retained)
• DELETE
• Deletes an item

6
OData URIs

• URI has three parts
• Service root URI
• Resource path
• Query string options

Resource Path to a SharePoint Object
Service Root URI
Query String Options
7
OData Query Option Parameters

• select
• Specifies which columns to retrieve
• filter
• Selecting what items to retrieve
• orderby
• Sorting items
• expand
• Retrieve results that are usually deferred
• top
• Select how many items to return
• skip
• Selecting which row to start at

8
DEMO
9
Critical Tools

• Fiddler
• Core jQuery library
• Browser developer tools
• Advanced REST Client (Chrome App)
• Postman (Chrome App)

10
Request Headers

• Accept
• what type of data you want to receive
• Content-type
• What type of data you are sending in the request
  body
• X-HTTP-Method
• Which operation to perform
• X-Request Digest
• Encrypted security value required for updates
• IF-MATCH
• Passes Etag value to control optimistic
  concurrency

11
AJAX Calls

• .ajax() function is part of the core jQuery
  library
• URI end point
• Accept header application/jsonodataverbose

12
Request Digest

• Provides security mechanism to protect against
  replay attacks
• SharePoint pages has element with ID
  __REQUESTDIGEST
• Passed in request by using X-RequestDigest header
• ltsite urlgt/_api/contextinfo

13
Creating / Updating

• You must include item type metadata for inserts
  updates
• All write operations must pass valid request
  digest value

14
List Item Type Metadata

• Each SharePoint list has a unique type for its
  list items
• String based type value must be passed will all
  inserts and updates

15
Creating list items
16
Delete list items
17
Update List Items
18
Current REST Issues

• REST API does have support for
• Managed Metadata
• Workflows
• Lacks batching support

19
Thank You!