Techjoomla's API Module

Question

I am trying to write a plugin to use Techjoomla's api component on my Joomla 3 site.

Their documentation gives sample code which I am altering to fit my needs. I am trying to make a very basic API which I can improve later.

I want to send:

https://mydomainname.co.uk/index.php?option=com_api&app=WDTOptions&resource=options

and get back:

id = 6, title=WDTOptions Test as part of the JSON response.

I have a public article on my site that I wish to access later. It has the same id and title. For now though I just want to get a response from the API component.

I have the following manifest file.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<extension version="3.9.23" type="plugin" group="api" method="upgrade">
    <name>WDTOptions</name>
    <version>0.1</version>
    <creationDate>07/01/2021</creationDate>
    <author>Huw Evans</author>
    <description></description>
    <files>
        <filename plugin="WDTOptions">WDTOptions.php</filename>
        <folder>WDTOptions</folder>
    </files>
    <languages>
        <language tag="en-GB">/language/en-GB/en-GB.mod_articles_category.ini</language>
        <language tag="en-GB">/language/en-GB/en-GB.mod_articles_category.sys.ini</language>
    </languages>
</extension>

The file WDTOptions.php contains the following code

<?php

// Class structure example
class PlgAPIOptions extends ApiPlugin
{
    public function __construct(&$subject, $config = array())
    {
        parent::__construct($subject, $config = array());

        $lang = JFactory::getLanguage();
        $lang->load('com_content', JPATH_ADMINISTRATOR, '', true);

        // Set the options resource to be public
        $this->setResourceAccess('options', 'public', 'get');
    }
}

the file WDTOptions/options contains

<?php

class WDTOptionsApiResourceOptions extends ApiResource
{

    public function get()
    {
        $result       = new \stdClass;
        $result->name = "WDTOptions Test";
        $result->id = 6;

        $this->plugin->setResponse( $result );
    }
}

The only response I can get from the API is

{"err_msg":"WDTOptions API Plugin not found, WDTOptions is probably not installed","err_code":400,"response_id":"","api":"","version":"","data":{}}

Answer 1

Besides the class name of the plugin as it should be formed like ([Plg][Plugin group name][Plugin name]), thus:

class PlgAPIWDTOptions extends ApiPlugin

It could also make your life easier if you just used small letters in your plugin's name instead of capital letters. So I would call your plugin: plg_api_wdtoptions and your XML correctly should look like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<extension version="3.9.23" type="plugin" group="api" method="upgrade">
    <name>plg_api_wdtoptions</name>
    <version>0.1</version>
    <creationDate>07/01/2021</creationDate>
    <author>Huw Evans</author>
    <description></description>
    <files>
        <filename plugin="wdtoptions">wdtoptions.php</filename>
        <folder>wdtoptions</folder>
    </files>
    <languages>
    </languages>
</extension>

And your plugin main class finally would be:

class PlgAPIWdtoptions extends ApiPlugin

Later you will place two language files into your plugin if you need (but you really do not need them if you do not have admin control for this api plugin). You can study the official Joomla docs here about standard Joomla plugins for future reference: https://docs.joomla.org/Plugin

Your main plugin file should then look like this correctly:

<?php

defined('_JEXEC') or die;    
  
// Class structure example
class PlgAPIWdtoptions extends ApiPlugin
{
    public function __construct(&$subject, $config = array())
    {
        parent::__construct($subject, $config = array());

        // Set resource path
        ApiResource::addIncludePath(dirname(__FILE__) . '/wdtoptions');

        // $lang = JFactory::getLanguage();
        // $lang->load('com_content', JPATH_ADMINISTRATOR, '', true);

        // Set the options resource to be public
        $this->setResourceAccess('options', 'public', 'get');
    }
}

I changed the Class name to small letter version, so Wdtoptions (not WDT). It does not matter too much I just saw that easier to handle.

Please also note one line in the code and this is the most important in your case, the line in the above file which was missing from your main plugin file and that is why the com_api component has not found your Resource file (the path had to be included). The missing line was:

// Set resource path
ApiResource::addIncludePath(dirname(__FILE__) . '/wdtoptions');

Your plugin folder and file structure should be this:

wdtoptions.php (plugin entry file)
wdtoptions.xml (plugin manifest file)
wdtoptions (**Resources* folder having resource file, keep its name the same as your plugin name)*    
    options.php (Resource file)

The above is tested and working.