The API

Through the Triskweline API, scripts and applications to automatically retrieve content from this site.

Disclaimer: I implemented the API upon a personal request from a friend of mine. It could always subject to change or removal, especially if people go overboard and cause too much traffic with it. I don't guarantee anything.

Copyright

All posts on Netalive.org are copyright of their respective authors.

If you display content retrieved through the API on websites, please leave a note somewhere on the screen indicating its origin. A link to Netalive.org would be nice.

Your API key

Before you can start to use the API you must receive your API key. The key identifies you when making requests to the API, and is used to meter your daily traffic contingent of currently 10 MB per day.

Save the key away and keep it secret. You are responsible for everything that will done with your key.

Protocols

This document describes API usage through XML-RPC. Alternative (easier and faster, but less standardized) REST-ish protocols are available here.

My advice is to use XML-RPC if you've already used the protocol or want to get into it. If you're looking for a quick hack, you should at least look at the alternatives.

About XML-RPC

XML-RPC is described as a Remote Procedure Calling protocol that works over the Internet. The following links will be helpful:

• XML-RPC Specification

• Good and comprehensive XML-RPC HOWTO for all popular languages (mirror)

• Insanely long list of XML-RPC implementations

API URL

Post all your method calls to http://www.netalive.org/api.

methodCall layout

Every method from this API is being called with one parameter, a <struct> of name/value pairs.

Example

This calls the method trisk.getRecentPosts with the parameters since = "2003-01-15 13:26:00" and fromForums = "programming":

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<methodCall>
  <methodName>trisk.getRecentPosts</methodName>
  <params>
    <param>
      <struct>
        <member>
          <name>since</name>
          <value><dateTime.iso8601>2003-01-15 13:26:00</dateTime.iso8601></value>
        </member>
        <member>
          <name>fromForums</name>
          <value><string>programming</string></value>
        </member>
      </struct>
    </param>
  </params>
</methodCall>

methodResponse layout

Every method returns a table-like structure, implemented as an <array> of <array>s. The first row of that table (the first field in the outer array) is the table header and contains the names of the values in the rows below:

Example

This table is represented through the following XML-RPC response:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<methodResponse>
  <params>
    <param>
      <value>
        <array>
          <data>
            <value>
              <array>
                <data>
                  <value>name</value>
                  <value>pocket money</value>
                  <value>pet</value>
                </data>
              </array>
            </value>
            <value>
              <array>
                <data>
                  <value>Mary</value>
                  <value>5</value>
                  <value>lamb</value>
                </data>
              </array>
            </value>
            <value>
              <array>
                <data>
                  <value>Jake</value>
                  <value>2</value>
                  <value>cat</value>
                </data>
              </array>
            </value>
          </data>
        </array>
      </value>
    </param>
  </params>
</methodResponse>

Methods

trisk.getPosts

Returns author, subject, full text, etc. of one or more posts.

Call parameters

Response table

(120)(123)(189)

trisk.getTopic

Returns a list of all posts in a topic thread, in reverse chronological order. Returns a fault if id is not a topic post.

Call parameters

Response table

trisk.getRecentPosts

Returns a list of all recent posts in a topic thread. Returns a fault with faultCode = 0 if no matching posts exist.

Please do not call this method more than once every 30 minutes. Calling this method will debit a general "fee" of 1 KB from your daily traffic contingent in order to discourage hammering.

Call parameters

Response table

Faults

If there's a fatal error, a method will return a XML-RPC fault with faultCode = 1.

Copyright and Disclaimer

Triskweline API © 2003 by Henning Koch.

This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any kind, provided that the above copyright notice and these paragraphs are included on all such copies and derivative works.

This document may not be modified in any way, such as by removing the copyright notice or references to Netalive.org, PAWS or Triskweline.

This copyright notice was taken and modified from UserLand Software's XML-RPC specification.