REST API:exec Resource

Provides the ability to execute a class method using the REST API.

Considerations

• A Class must be defined. (The exec resource invokes a method in the class.)
• An instance of the class is created automatically, so the method need not be static.
• Whether passed in XML or JSON, parameters passed to the method in the <execClass> segment must consist of a flat structure, as in the example that follows. (The structure is converted to a HashMap, so it cannot contain any complex elements or attributes.)

• Signatures:
  • The method must be public
  • The method can take no arguments: public methodName()
  • Or it take arguments passed in a Map: public methodName(Map params)
    (Parameters passed in the REST request shown below are wrapped in a Map, and passed to the method.)

• Return Types:
  • A method may return void.
  • If the return type is a Map, it can be used to return multiple key-value pairs.
  • Any other return is automatically converted to a String, using Object.toString(). The string value is returned with key = result.

__TBD: yes?__

Method

POST

URI

https://{yourDomain}/networking/rest/class/operation/exec

Request

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml" enclose="div">

<platform>

   <execClass>
       <clazz>fully.qualified.JavaClassName</clazz>
       <method>methodName</method>
       ...optional list of additional parameter tags like these...
       <firstName>Peter</firstName>
       <lastName>Smith</lastname>
   </execClass>

</platform> </syntaxhighlight>

(Note that the items in the <execClass> tag form a flat structure.)

Response

For a method that returns a Map, the returned structure looks like this:

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml" enclose="div">

<platform>

   <execClass>
       <clazz>fully.qualified.JavaClassName</clazz>
       <method>methodName</method>
       <key1>value1</key1>
       <key2>value2</key2>
        ...
   </execClass>
   <message>
       0
       <description>Success</description>
   </message>

</platform> </syntaxhighlight> __TBD: Additional values in Result object?__

For a method that returns anything else, the returned structure looks like this:

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml" enclose="div">

<platform>

   <execClass>
       <clazz>fully.qualified.JavaClassName</clazz>
       <method>methodName</method>
       <result>...value returned from the method...</result>
   </execClass>
   <message>
       0
       <description>Success</description>
   </message>

</platform> </syntaxhighlight>

</syntaxhighlight>

In either case, a JSON response will have the same structure, but in JSON format.

Known issue

Null return values are not handled at this time.