REST API in WordPress

209 Pages·2016·4.64 MB·English

Learning WordPress REST API

A practical tutorial to get you up and running with the
revolutionary WordPress REST API

Sufyan bin Uzayr

BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI
Learning WordPress REST API

Copyright © 2016 Packt Publishing

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First published: July 2016
Production reference: 1180716

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.
Livery Place
35 Livery Street
Birmingham
B3 2PB, UK.
ISBN 978-1-78646-924-3
www.packtpub.com
Credits
Authors Copy Editor

Sufyan bin Uzayr Safis Editing

Mathew Rooney
Reviewer Project Coordinator

Ahmad Awais Ulhas Kambali
Commissioning Editor Proofreader

Amarabha Banerjee Safis Editing
Acquisition Editors Indexer

Anurag Banerjee Tejal Daruwale Soni

Reshma Raman
Content Development Editor Production Coordinator

Prashanth G Aparna Bhagat
Technical Editor Cover Work

Shivani K. Mistry Aparna Bhagat
About the Authors
Sufyan bin Uzayr is a writer and web developer with experience and an interest in a lot
of things related to web design and development. He has worked with numerous Content
Management Systems and frameworks, and writes about web design, web development,
content production, branding, and typography for several blogs and magazines of repute.
He also has a background in Linux administration, database management, cloud
computing, and web hosting.
Sufyan is an open source enthusiast. He can code in PHP, RoR, and Perl, and is also
proficient in JavaScript, jQuery, and HTML5/CSS3, as well as several other web
development trends.
Sufyan primarily uses WordPress and Drupal for both personal and client projects, and
often turns towards MODX for the deployment of cloud sites. He has been working with
Drupal, WordPress, and other CMSs for almost a decade by now.
Sufyan is a prolific author, and has written several books on a diverse range of topics,
including concrete5 for developers (published by Packt Publishing in 2014). He is associated
with various publications in the field of web design and development, both in writing and
editorial capacity. He has also served as the News Editor and Technical Supervisor, as well
as Editor-in-Chief, for multiple web development magazines, both online and in print.
Apart from technology and coding, Sufyan also takes a keen interest in topics such as
History, Current Affairs, Foreign Policy and Politics, and regularly appears on television
and radio shows around the world. He is also a featured columnist for multiple journals
and news publications focusing on foreign policy and international relations. Sufyan's
writings on contemporary issues are simultaneously translated into different languages,
and his works are cited in academic and critical journals on a regular basis.
Sufyan manages h t t p s : / / c o d e c a r b o n . c o m, which features an assortment of useful tools
and resources for web developers. Updated regularly, Code Carbon offers JavaScript
frameworks and libraries, as well as resources related to HTML/CSS, PHP, Python, Ruby,
and of course, WordPress.
You can learn more about Sufyan's writings and other non-technical works at the following
website: h t t p : / / s u f y a n i s m . c o m.
Mathew Rooney is a coder with multiple years of experience in the web development
industry. He works with PHP, JavaScript, and offers custom-coded WordPress themes and
plugins. Mathew is a firm believer in open source software and has been using WordPress
for nearly 5 years.
Acknowledgments
There are several people who deserve to be this page, because this book would not have
come into existence without their support.
Some names deserve a special mention, and I am genuinely indebted to:
Mathew Rooney, for the help he offered by co-authoring sections of this book. A good part
of the code in different segments and chapters of this book was handled by him. Reshma
Raman, for ensuring that the book stays on track, and the outline and chapter division is in
the best possible shape.
Prashanth G, for editing the book, and making sure that the content is in order, and also for
formatting the manuscript to make it adhere to the Packt style guide.
Shivani Mistry, for the technical edits, and for taking care of the book during the production
stage.
Joe Perkins, and all the great folks at Tap Managed WordPress hosting, for offering me a
free WordPress setup with no restrictions, wherein I could implement and debug the code.
Stelian Subotin, for helping me remain calm by keeping track of the theoretical aspects of
the book.
Ahmad Awais, for reviewing the manuscript, and for providing his helpful insight and
critical assessment.
And of course, the core contributors of WordPress, the team behind WP REST API, as well
as the millions within the WordPress community -- this book would not have existed had
WordPress not been there, and WordPress itself would not be so popular if it were not for
the amazing community.
-- Sufyan bin Uzayr
About the Reviewer
Ahmad Awais is a senior full stack web and business development strategist with
substantial industrial experience in development, design, training, and writing everything
about WordPress.
He blogs at h t t p s : / / A h m a d A w a i s . c o m / and tweets at @MrAhmadAwais. He also
contributes to projects such as WP-API, WP Customize Component, WooCommerce,
TwentySixteen, Easy Digital Downloads, and the WordPress, PHP, and JS Communities.
Ahmad is also one of the keenest open source evangelists; a core contributor at
WordPress; a maker of lots of FOSS (Free and Open Source Software), especially WPGulp
Boilerplate being used by more than 100 developers, and Sublime Text WordPress
Customizer Package, helping about 1,000 developers write quality code with ease.
He is a published author and WordPress Content Lead at sites such as WPLift, Envato
Tuts+, Torque Mag by WPEngine, SitePoint, SmashingMagazine, CreativeMarket,
HongKiat, SpeckyBoy, wpMail, Post Status, WPBeginner, TheLayout by FlyWheel,
ProductHunt Maker, and so on.
I'd like to thank my parents, Maedah Batool (WP Journalist) for their never-ending
support; Packt Publishing, the WordPress Core Team, and the community (developers,
designers, and users), without whom none of this would have been possible.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Getting Started with REST API 6
Introducing REST API 6
Defining API 6
Defining REST 7
Defining JSON 8
Using REST API in real-world applications 9
Advantages of REST services 10
Key considerations when working with REST 11
Architectural components in REST 11
Design principles in REST 11
Getting started with REST implementation 12
Passing commands in SOAP versus REST 12
Handling data in REST 14
Using REST in different programming languages 14
Ruby 15
Python 15
Perl 16
C# 17
Java 19
PHP 21
JavaScript 22
REST API in WordPress 23
Universality 24
Remote management 25
Third-party support 25
Summary 26
Chapter 2: Interacting with REST API in WordPress 27
Getting started 27
Issuing requests via Postman 28
HTTP API in WordPress 32
Fetching GET post output in JSON objects 33
Issuing queries 35
Interacting REST API via PHP 36
Explanation of function 37