book

RESTful Web Clients

by Mike Amundsen

February 2017

Intermediate to advanced

350 pages

8h 1m

English

O'Reilly Media, Inc.

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What’s in This BookThe ChaptersThe DialoguesThe ArtworkWhat’s Not in This BookUser Interface DesignBasics of HypermediaProgramming with HTML, CSS, and JavaScriptSource CodeExternal ReferencesConventions Used in This BookO’Reilly SafariHow to Contact UsAcknowledgments
References
Credits
The Task Processing System (TPS) Web AppHTML from the ServerCommon Web Browser as the ClientObservationsThe Task Services Web APIWeb API Common PracticeDesigning the TPS Web APIImplementing the TPS Web APIObservationsSummaryReferences
The JSON Web API ClientObjectsAddressesActionsQuick SummaryThe JSON SPA ClientThe HTML ContainerThe Top-Level Parse LoopObjects, Addresses, and ActionsDealing with ChangeAdding a Field and FilterCoding a New ClientSummaryReferences
XML or JSON: Pick a Side!The New Crop of Hypermedia FormatsThe Fallacy of The Right OneReframing the ProblemThe Representor PatternSeparating Format from FunctionalityThe Selection AlgorithmAdapting and TranslatingA Server-Side ModelHandling the HTTP Accept HeaderImplementing the Message Translator PatternGeneral Representor ModulesThe WeSTL FormatA Sample RepresentorSummaryReferences
The HAL FormatLinksObjects and PropertiesEmbedded Links and ObjectsQuick SummaryThe HAL RepresentorLinksPropertiesEmbeddedSample TPS Output from the HAL RepresentorThe HAL SPA ClientThe HTML ContainerThe Top-Level Parse LoopLinksEmbeddedPropertiesHandling Actions for HALQuick SummaryDealing with ChangeAdding an ActionThe HAL-FORMS ExtensionThe SpecificationThe ImplementationSummaryReferences
What Problem Are You Solving?Double Diamond Model of DesignClosed Solution Versus Open SolutionModeling InteractionMaldonado’s MechanismsVerplank’s HumansA Hypermedia Interaction LoopThe Request, Parse, Wait LoopImplementing RPW in CodeHandling Verplank’s KNOW StepSummaryReferences
The Siren FormatEntitiesClassPropertiesLinksActionsSubEntitiesQuick SummaryThe Siren RepresentorThe Top-Level LoopClassPropertiesEntitiesActionsLinksSample TPS Output from the Siren RepresentorThe Siren SPA ClientThe HTML ContainerThe Top-Level Parse LoopLinksEntitiesPropertiesActionsQuick SummaryDealing with ChangeAdding the Email Field and FilterTesting the Email FieldThe Profile Object Description (POD) ExtensionThe POD SpecificationThe ImplementationDisplaying Objects in Siren Using PODQuick SummarySummaryReferences

Versioning for the InternetTCP/IP’s Robustness PrincipleHTTP’s Must IgnoreHTML’s Backward CompatibilityGuidelines for Non-Breaking ChangesAPI DesignersServer ImplementorsClient ImplementorsSummaryReferences
The Collection+JSON FormatLinksItemsQueriesTemplateErrorA Quick SummaryThe Collection+JSON RepresentorThe Top-Level Processing LoopLinksItemsQueriesTemplateErrorThe Collection+JSON SPA ClientThe HTML ContainerThe Top-Level Parse LoopLinksItemsQueriesTemplateErrorQuick SummaryDealing with ChangeAdding the Note Object to the TPS APICj and the OAA ChallengeQuick SummaryExtending Collection+JSONSupporting Improved Input with Cj-TypesThe Cj-Suggest ExtensionQuick SummarySummaryReferences
The Unix PhilosophyThe TPS Microservices at BigCoThe Tasks Service with Collection+JSONThe User Service with SirenThe Notes Service with HALOne Client to Rule Them AllThe Home ServiceThe Multiformat Client SPA ContainerThe Format-Switching Client UISummaryReferences
Chapter 1, Our HTML Roots and Simple Web APIsChapter 2, JSON ClientsChapter 3, The Representor PatternChapter 4, HAL ClientsChapter 5, The Challenge of Reusable Client AppsChapter 6, Siren ClientsChapter 7, Versioning and the WebChapter 8, Collection+JSON ClientsChapter 9, Hypermedia and Microservices
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Content preview from RESTful Web Clients

Chapter 6. Siren Clients

“First you will come to the Sirens who enchant all who come near them.”

The Odyssey, Circe

Bob and Carol

“Hi, Bob. Just stopping by to talk to you about our work on creating more adaptable API clients.”

“Hello, Carol. Glad you stopped by. So, what’s our next move?”

“Well, the team has decided they want to explore using the Siren hypermedia type this time. It seems to have more hypermedia features than HAL.”

“Yes, I heard about Siren. It’s being used for some Internet of Things work, right?”

“Right. Zetta is the IoT platform. Siren looks like it has lots of support for describing actions within the responses themselves.”

“Yes, these look a lot like HTML FORMS, don’t they? A URL, a method, and a set of arguments. Nice. But didn’t you solve this problem for HAL with the HAL-FORMS extension?”

“The problem with the HAL-FORMS solution is that ...