Rest API and Slim Framework - php

Question

I follow the tutorial here :
http://www.androidhive.info/2014/01/how-to-create-rest-api-for-android-app-using-php-slim-and-mysql-day-23/
So I have in my index.php :
<?php
error_reporting(-1);
ini_set('display_errors', 'On');
require_once '../include/DbHandler.php';
require_once '../include/PassHash.php';
require '.././libs/Slim/Slim.php';
$app = new Slim();
// User id from db - Global Variable
$user_id = NULL;
/**
* Adding Middle Layer to authenticate every request
* Checking if the request has valid api key in the 'Authorization' header
*/
function authenticate(\Slim\Route $route) {
// Getting request headers
$headers = apache_request_headers();
$response = array();
$app = Slim::getInstance();
// Verifying Authorization Header
if (isset($headers['Authorization'])) {
$db = new DbHandler();
// get the api key
$api_key = $headers['Authorization'];
// validating api key
if (!$db->isValidApiKey($api_key)) {
// api key is not present in users table
$response["error"] = true;
$response["message"] = "Access Denied. Invalid Api key";
echoRespnse(401, $response);
$app->stop();
} else {
global $user_id;
// get user primary key id
$user_id = $db->getUserId($api_key);
}
} else {
// api key is missing in header
$response["error"] = true;
$response["message"] = "Api key is misssing";
echoRespnse(400, $response);
$app->stop();
}
}
/**
* ----------- METHODS WITHOUT AUTHENTICATION ---------------------------------
*/
/**
* User Registration
* url - /register
* method - POST
* params - name, email, password
*/
$app->post('/register', function() use ($app) {
// check for required params
verifyRequiredParams(array('name', 'email', 'password'));
$response = array();
// reading post params
$name = $app->request->post('name');
$email = $app->request->post('email');
$password = $app->request->post('password');
// validating email address
validateEmail($email);
$db = new DbHandler();
$res = $db->createUser($name, $email, $password);
if ($res == USER_CREATED_SUCCESSFULLY) {
$response["error"] = false;
$response["message"] = "You are successfully registered";
} else if ($res == USER_CREATE_FAILED) {
$response["error"] = true;
$response["message"] = "Oops! An error occurred while registereing";
} else if ($res == USER_ALREADY_EXISTED) {
$response["error"] = true;
$response["message"] = "Sorry, this email already existed";
}
// echo json response
echoRespnse(201, $response);
});
/**
* User Login
* url - /login
* method - POST
* params - email, password
*/
$app->post('/login', function() use ($app) {
// check for required params
verifyRequiredParams(array('email', 'password'));
// reading post params
$email = $app->request()->post('email');
$password = $app->request()->post('password');
$response = array();
$db = new DbHandler();
// check for correct email and password
if ($db->checkLogin($email, $password)) {
// get the user by email
$user = $db->getUserByEmail($email);
if ($user != NULL) {
$response["error"] = false;
$response['name'] = $user['name'];
$response['email'] = $user['email'];
$response['apiKey'] = $user['api_key'];
$response['createdAt'] = $user['created_at'];
} else {
// unknown error occurred
$response['error'] = true;
$response['message'] = "An error occurred. Please try again";
}
} else {
// user credentials are wrong
$response['error'] = true;
$response['message'] = 'Login failed. Incorrect credentials';
}
echoRespnse(200, $response);
});
/*
* ------------------------ METHODS WITH AUTHENTICATION ------------------------
*/
/**
* Listing all tasks of particual user
* method GET
* url /tasks
*/
$app->get('/tasks', 'authenticate', function() {
global $user_id;
$response = array();
$db = new DbHandler();
// fetching all user tasks
$result = $db->getAllUserTasks($user_id);
$response["error"] = false;
$response["tasks"] = array();
// looping through result and preparing tasks array
while ($task = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
$tmp = array();
$tmp["id"] = $task["id"];
$tmp["task"] = $task["task"];
$tmp["status"] = $task["status"];
$tmp["createdAt"] = $task["created_at"];
array_push($response["tasks"], $tmp);
}
echoRespnse(200, $response);
});
/**
* Listing single task of particual user
* method GET
* url /tasks/:id
* Will return 404 if the task doesn't belongs to user
*/
$app->get('/tasks/:id', 'authenticate', function($task_id) {
global $user_id;
$response = array();
$db = new DbHandler();
// fetch task
$result = $db->getTask($task_id, $user_id);
if ($result != NULL) {
$response["error"] = false;
$response["id"] = $result["id"];
$response["task"] = $result["task"];
$response["status"] = $result["status"];
$response["createdAt"] = $result["created_at"];
echoRespnse(200, $response);
} else {
$response["error"] = true;
$response["message"] = "The requested resource doesn't exists";
echoRespnse(404, $response);
}
});
/**
* Creating new task in db
* method POST
* params - name
* url - /tasks/
*/
$app->post('/tasks', 'authenticate', function() use ($app) {
// check for required params
verifyRequiredParams(array('task'));
$response = array();
$task = $app->request->post('task');
global $user_id;
$db = new DbHandler();
// creating new task
$task_id = $db->createTask($user_id, $task);
if ($task_id != NULL) {
$response["error"] = false;
$response["message"] = "Task created successfully";
$response["task_id"] = $task_id;
echoRespnse(201, $response);
} else {
$response["error"] = true;
$response["message"] = "Failed to create task. Please try again";
echoRespnse(200, $response);
}
});
/**
* Updating existing task
* method PUT
* params task, status
* url - /tasks/:id
*/
$app->put('/tasks/:id', 'authenticate', function($task_id) use($app) {
// check for required params
verifyRequiredParams(array('task', 'status'));
global $user_id;
$task = $app->request->put('task');
$status = $app->request->put('status');
$db = new DbHandler();
$response = array();
// updating task
$result = $db->updateTask($user_id, $task_id, $task, $status);
if ($result) {
// task updated successfully
$response["error"] = false;
$response["message"] = "Task updated successfully";
} else {
// task failed to update
$response["error"] = true;
$response["message"] = "Task failed to update. Please try again!";
}
echoRespnse(200, $response);
});
/**
* Deleting task. Users can delete only their tasks
* method DELETE
* url /tasks
*/
$app->delete('/tasks/:id', 'authenticate', function($task_id) use($app) {
global $user_id;
$db = new DbHandler();
$response = array();
$result = $db->deleteTask($user_id, $task_id);
if ($result) {
// task deleted successfully
$response["error"] = false;
$response["message"] = "Task deleted succesfully";
} else {
// task failed to delete
$response["error"] = true;
$response["message"] = "Task failed to delete. Please try again!";
}
echoRespnse(200, $response);
});
/**
* Verifying required params posted or not
*/
function verifyRequiredParams($required_fields) {
$error = false;
$error_fields = "";
$request_params = array();
$request_params = $_REQUEST;
// Handling PUT request params
if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'PUT') {
$app = Slim::getInstance();
parse_str($app->request()->getBody(), $request_params);
}
foreach ($required_fields as $field) {
if (!isset($request_params[$field]) || strlen(trim($request_params[$field])) <= 0) {
$error = true;
$error_fields .= $field . ', ';
}
}
if ($error) {
// Required field(s) are missing or empty
// echo error json and stop the app
$response = array();
$app = Slim::getInstance();
$response["error"] = true;
$response["message"] = 'Required field(s) ' . substr($error_fields, 0, -2) . ' is missing or empty';
echoRespnse(400, $response);
$app->stop();
}
}
/**
* Validating email address
*/
function validateEmail($email) {
$app = Slim::getInstance();
if (!filter_var($email, FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL)) {
$response["error"] = true;
$response["message"] = 'Email address is not valid';
echoRespnse(400, $response);
$app->stop();
}
}
/**
* Echoing json response to client
* #param String $status_code Http response code
* #param Int $response Json response
*/
function echoRespnse($status_code, $response) {
$app = Slim::getInstance();
// Http response code
$app->status($status_code);
// setting response content type to json
$app->contentType('application/json');
echo json_encode($response);
}
$app->run();
?>
But, like others people, I've got some error when I try to call the register method :
{
error: true
message: "Required field(s) name, email, password is missing or empty"
}
It seems that $_REQUEST is empty so the parameters are not sent...
I try with curl or with RestClient app extension in Google Chrome, it still doesn't work...
Any idea to make it work ?

Answer 1

Another way of accessing the post params, which worked for me is:
// reading post params
$name = $app->request->params('name');
$email = $app->request->params('email');
$password = $app->request->params('password');
And the response you got
{
error: true
message: "Required field(s) name, email, password is missing or empty"
}
means your post parameters are empty. Try using Postman - REST Client to test your REST API calls. I faced the same problem while using Firefox Add-On "Poster"
Note: while testing the api make sure you are properly making a POST request and not GET request.

Answer 2

You should remove '.' in DbConnect.php and DbHandler.php
DbConnect.php
include_once dirname(__FILE__) . './Config.php';
-> include_once dirname(__FILE__) . '/Config.php';
DbHandler.php
include_once dirname(__FILE__) . './Config.php';
-> include_once dirname(__FILE__) . '/Config.php';
That make 2 file include exact what they need. I change this and the API run very good.
Note: You should add header when you call api by Chrome add-on.
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

Answer 3

You need to parse the raw data from php input stream.
if (!empty($_GET)) {
$_INPUT = $_GET;
} else {
$_INPUT = json_decode(file_get_contents('php://input'), TRUE);
}
see this
and this

Answer 4

I used firefox and POSTER addon for test REST API. After I open poster window from tools->poster. In the url put my path to www/task_manager/v1/register and in parameters tab I pass three parameter for name, email, password and after that I click on body from parameters and click post button.
its worked for me. and i saw good result.
Note:
I cant use chrome advanced REST, because for unknown reason chrome didnt let me to install that addon!