CONTENTdm API Reference

Overview

dmwebservices is a simple wrapper around the CONTENTdm Server API functions, with a few exceptions to improve error handling. A few additional API functions are handled by the utils controller on the CONTENTdm Website instead of by dmwebservices on the CONTENTdm Server. For more details, see the "CONTENTdm Website API Reference" toward the bottom of this page.

dmwebservices provides an interface to the CONTENTdm Server API functions, in the form:

http://CdmServer.com:port/dmwebservices/index.php?q=function/param1/param2/format

function: One of the API functions listed below

param1, param2, etc.: Function-specific parameters documented in the function references linked below

format: Either "xml" to return the response as XML, or "json" to return JSON

For CONTENTdm sites hosted by OCLC, note the following:

1. The Server URL must use HTTPS:// rather than HTTP://
2. Do not use a port number (":81") with the Server URL.
3. Do not use the loopback interface ("localhost") in place of the Server URL.

CONTENTdm Server API Functions — dmwebservices

application-level functions

wsAPIDescribe

server-level functions

collection-level functions

item-level functions

CONTENTdm Website API Reference — utils

The following API functions are handled by the utils controller on the CONTENTdm Website, instead of by dmwebservices on the CONTENTdm Server. The utils functions return binary data, where the dmwebservices functions return text in XML or JSON format. These functions also differ in that utils calls are relative to the URL of the CONTENTdm Website, but dmwebservices calls are absolute, requiring the full URL of the CONTENTdm Server.