Can I use this as an API?

[salvinoto]

Is there a way I can use this as an API and have an endpoint instead of the built in UI?

Thanks,
Sal

[zelon88]

You sure can! The API is detailed in the official Documentation;

https://github.com/zelon88/HRConvert2/tree/master/Documentation

Specifically, the following files are very useful if you are developing via API.....
https://github.com/zelon88/HRConvert2/blob/master/Documentation/CREATING_GUIS.txt
https://github.com/zelon88/HRConvert2/blob/master/Documentation/CREATING_LANGUAGE_PACKS.txt

If you use POST and GET inputs you can do this via command line, but it would be very time consuming.

To convert and download a file you need to........

1. Connect to convertCore.php, store the tokens it gives you in a variable.
2. Supply files to convert via upload, along with tokens in a multi-part POST request.
3. Supply the conversion options, along with tokens in a multi-part POST request.
4. Supply a download request, along with tokens in a multi-part POST request.

So it takes one GET request and three POST requests to get anything done via the API.

---

I have wrestled with the idea of enabling an "API only" configuration entry. I would want to have config.php define inputs & outputs separately via csv,tsv,yaml,xml,json.

I somewhat started working towards that goal with the latest UI changes in v3.3, which further consolidate the images, css, and js files used by the UI. There was no reason to have them stored outside the UI when the core has no use for them, and other UI's will probably ship with their own images, css, and js anyway.

[zelon88]

In v3.3.3 I added the following sections to the docs, specifically CREATING_GUIS.txt.....

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--About User Supplied GET Requests--

The following is a list of supported GET inputs with description & supported values for each;

  noGui
      GUI Operation
      Display the minimal amount of GUI elements to accomplish the mission.
      Set this input to any value to trigger the UI to display the least amount of elements that is possible.
      This input can also be specified by POST request, but GET will always take precedence.

  gui
      GUI Operation
      Select the GUI to use.
      Can be enabled/disabled in config.php.
      Supported GUI's can be added/removed in config.php.
      Set this input to the name of a UI that is installed to the UI folder & defined in config.php.
      This input can also be specified by POST request, but GET will always take precedence.

  language
      GUI Operation
      Select the language to use.
      Can be enabled/disabled in config.php to.
      Supported languages can be added/removed in config.php.
      Set this input to the nane of an installed ISO 639-1 language defined in config.php.
      This input can also be specified by POST request, but GET will always take precedence.
  
  color
      GUI Operation
      Select the color to use.
      Can be enabled/disabled in config.php to.
      Supported colors can be added/removed in config.php.
      Set this input to a supported color scheme defined in config.php.
      This input can also be specified by POST request, but GET will always take precedence.
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--About User Supplied POST Requests--

The following is a list of supported POST inputs, organized into sections based on when they are used, with description & supported values for each;

  General Use
      Token1
          String.
          This input is used whenever a user intends to use HRConvert2.
          This input is provided to the user by HRConvert2 via a hidden form field.
          This value must be stored & resubmitted with every subsequent request that is part of the same session.
          Set this input to the value of the hidden form field from convertGui1.php that has an 'id' of 'Token1'.
      Token2
          String.
          This input is used whenever a user intends to use HRConvert2.
          This input is provided to the user by HRConvert2 via a hidden form field.
          This value must be stored & resubmitted with every subsequent request that is part of the same session.
          Set this input to the value of the hidden form field from convertGui1.php that has an 'id' of 'Token2'.

  General File Operations
      download
          String or JSON Array.
          This input is used at any time to download user files.
          This input is used to generate file URLs for sharing operations.
          Set this input to a name or list of names to use for input files.
      filesToDelete
          String or JSON Array.
          This input is used at any time to delete user files.
          Set this input to a name or list of names to use for input files.

  File Conversion Operations
      convertSelected
          String or JSON Array.
          This input is used during File Conversions (excluding OCR & bulk archiving)
          Set this input to a name or list of names to use for input files.
      extension
          String.
          This input is used during File Conversions (excluding OCR & bulk archiving)
          Set this input to an extension to use for the output file.
      userconvertfilename
          String.
          This input is used during File Conversions (excluding OCR & bulk archiving)
          Set this input to a name to use for the output file.

  Image Conversions
      height
          Integer.
          This input is used during Image Conversions.
          Image height in number of pixels to use for the output file.
          Set this input to 0 to not resize the original image.
      width
          Integer.
          This input is used during Image Conversions.
          Image width in number of pixels to use for the output file.
          Set this input to 0 to not resize the original image.
      rotate 
          Integer.
          This input is used during Image Conversions.
          Number of degrees to rotate the image clockwise.
          Set this input to 0 to not rotate the original image.

  Audio Conversions
      bitrate
          Integer.
          This input is used during Audio Conversions.
          Bitrate to use for the output file.
          Set this input to 0 to use automatic bitrate detection.

  Archive Operations
      archive
          String.
          This input is used during Archive Operations (excluding conversions).
          Set this input to any value to trigger archive operations.
      userfilename
          String.
          This input is used during Archive Operations (excluding conversions).
          Set this input to the name to use for the output file.
      archExtension
          String.
          This input is used during Archive Operations (excluding conversions).
          Set this input to an extension to use for the output file.
      filesToArchive
          String or JSON Array.
          This input is used during Archive Operations (excluding conversions).
          Set this input to a name or list of names to use for input files.

  Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Operations
      pdfworkSelected
          String or JSON Array.
          This input is used during OCR Operations.
          Set this input to a name or list of names to use for input files.
      userpdfconvertfilename
          String.
          This input is used during OCR Operations.
          Set this input to a name to use for the output file.
      pdfextension
          String.
          This input is used during OCR Operations.
          Set this input to an extension to use for the output file.
      method
          Integer, 0 or 1.
          This input is used during OCR Operations.
          This input determines the internal method to use for performing the conversion.
          Set this input to 0 to use a simple approach to OCR.
          Set this input to 1 to use a more advanced approach to OCR.

  Virus Scanning Operations
      scantype
          String (clamav or scancore or all).
          This input is used during Virus Scanning Operations to scan a specific file.
          Set this input to 'clamav' to perform a virus scan with ClamAV Virus Scanner.
          Set this input to 'scancore' to perform a virus scan with ScanCore Virus Scanner.
          Set this input to 'all' to perform a virus scan with all installed Virus Scanners.
      filestoscan
          String or JSON Array.
          This input is used during Virus Scanning Operations.
          Set this input to a name or list of names to use for input files.
      clamScanButton
          String.
          This input is used during Virus Scanning Operations to scan all files with ClamAV.
          Set this input to any value to trigger virus scanning operations.
      scancorebutton
          String.
          This input is used during Virus Scanning Operations to scan all files with ScanCore.
          Set this input to any value to trigger virus scanning operations.
      scanallbutton
          String.
          This input is used during Virus Scanning Operations to scan all files with all installed virus scanners.
          Set this input to any value to trigger virus scanning operations. 
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