Legacy Documentation

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Legacy API Library¶

Overview
Calling the API
Available APIs
Function Reference

Overview ¶

The API libraries attempt to provide a simple, unified abstraction to common ExpressionEngine operations. This includes managing templates and channels, as well as creating, editing, and deleting channel entries. Typically operations of this sort are complex with multiple steps to maintain database consistency. That makes them prone to errors and difficult to maintain. Making use of the provided APIs removes the burden of staying up-to-date with all of the required steps and ensures that your add-ons will remain functional even if the underlying architecture changes.

Calling the API ¶

class Api¶

ee()->load->library('api');

After loading the parent API library, the child classes are loaded with instantiate():

ee()->legacy_api->instantiate('channel_entries');

At this point, methods within the api_channel_entries api are callable via ee()->api_channel_entries->method_name();

Available APIs ¶

Channel Categories – Retrieve information on Channel Categories.
Channel Entries – Retrieve information on Channel Entries.
Channel Fields – Retrieve information on Channel Fields.
Channel Structure – Create, Modify, Delete & Update Channels.
Template Structure – Retrieve information on Template Groups.

Function Reference ¶

The following public functions are accessible:

Instantiate
Error Count
Make URL Safe
Is String URL Safe?

Instantiate ¶

Api::instantiate($which)¶

Instantiate an API:

ee()->legacy_api->instantiate('channel_entries');

Parameters:	$which (string) – Name of the API to instantiate. Options: `channel_categories`, `channel_entries`, `channel_fields`, `channel_structure`, and `template_structure`.
Exception:	Raises an exception if the specified API doesn’t exist
Return type:	Void

Error Count ¶

Api::error_count()¶

Get the number of API errors:

ee()->legacy_api->error_count();

Returns:	The number of errors generated in API functions
Return type:	Integer

Make URL Safe ¶

Api::make_url_safe($str)¶

Makes a string safe for use in a URL segment:

ee()->load->library('api');
$str = 'this is a string that's not URL safe.  (we will clean it for $5).';
$str = ee()->legacy_api->make_url_safe($str); // Result thisisastringthatsnotURLsafe.wewillcleanitfor5.

Note

Valid Characters are: a-zA-Z0-9_-.

Parameters:	$str (string) – String to make URL safe
Returns:	Cleansed string
Return type:	String

Is String URL Safe?¶

Api::is_url_safe($str)¶

Checks if a string is safe for use in a URL segment:

ee()->load->library('api');
$str = 'this is a string that\'s not URL safe.  (we will clean it for $5).';
if ( ! ee()->legacy_api->is_url_safe($str))
{
    // Do additional Processing on the string to make it URL safe
}

Parameters:	$str (string) – String to verify URL safety
Returns:	`TRUE` on success, `FALSE` on failure
Return type:	Boolean

ExpressionEngine® 3 User Guide

Legacy API Library¶