php-api-client-forge

Create restful API client from Postman Collection data (or other sources) in PHP with least code.

php-api-client-forge

• Create restful API client class from Postman Collection data (or other sources)
• Auto generate class @method documentation for phpDoc
• Auto generate Markdown API Documentation

Import API definitions from Postman exported JSON to a JSON compatible with Guzzle\Description format or pass a GuzzleHttp\Command\Guzzle\Description object and your API class is ready to roll.

As a bonus, you will also get an auto generated API documentation in markdown format. Moreover, you will get a php file with @method declarations for phpDoc class documentation.

This package needs to be used as parent. Extend the Client class to make you own API class.

This is specially designed to import Postman collection exported as JSON (Collection v2.1 - Schema).

Basics

<?php

namespace My\Namespace\ApiProvider;

use SudiptoChoudhury\Support\Forge\Api\Client as ApiForge;

class Api extends ApiForge
{

    protected $DEFAULT_API_JSON_PATH = './config/GuzzleDescription.json';
    
    protected $DEFAULTS = [
        'AuthToken' => 'xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx',
        'ClientID' => 'xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx',
        'client' => [
            'base_uri' => 'https://api.provider.com/api/v1/',
            'verify' => false,
            'headers' => [
                'Authorization' => 'authtoken {{AuthToken}}',
                'X-clientID' => "{{ClientID}}",
            ],
        ],
    ];

}
 

That should be it. Nothing else is required. All the API endpoint will be intelligently converted to functions of this class. For example, if you have an endpoint [GET]/products, you will get a getProducts function. Here are some more examples:

HTTP Method	Endpoint	Converted function name	Parameters	Example call
GET	/products	getProducts	none	$api->getProducts()
GET	/products/{product_id}	getProduct	product_id	$api->getProduct(['product_id' => 101])
POST	/products	addProduct	a list of params	$api->addProduct($data)
PUT	/products/{product_id}	updateProduct	product_id and a list of other parameters	$api->updateProduct(['product_id' => 101])...
DELETE	/products/{product_id}	deleteProduct	product_id	$api->deleteProduct(['product_id' => 101])

Tried best to normalize the singulars and plurals.

There can be cases when the API endpoint structure is same as the another but the data passed to it determines a different action altogether. Ideally, this should not happen but not all API enpoints are ideally created. So, an endpoint like [get]/products?filter_by=active along with another endpoint [get]/products will have the same name. To keep both, the default behaviour is to add an _ before the duplicate name. However, you can add filters or hooks to completely change the duplicate name to something else.

Installation

Requirements

• Any flavour of PHP 7.0+ should do

Install With Composer

You can install the library via Composer by adding the following line to the require block of your composer.json file (replace dev-master with latest stable version):

"sudiptochoudhury/php-api-client-forge": "dev-master"

or run the following command:

composer require sudiptochoudhury/php-api-client-forge

Importing Postman JSON

Export your Postman Collection using COllecton v2.1 format. It will be exported as JSON. Give the file a name, say postman.json and keep it inside a folder in your project.

Next, extend Import class (recommended) or may use it directly.

By Extending the Import class

<?php
namespace My\Namespace\ApiProvider;

use SudiptoChoudhury\Support\Forge\Api\Import as ParentImport;

/**
 * Class Import
 *
 * @package Pour\Package\Name
 */
class Import extends ParentImport
{

    protected $DEFAULT_API_JSON_PATH = './config/GuzzleDescription.json';
    protected $DEFAULT_SOURCE_JSON_PATH = './config/postman.json';
    
}

You are ready to import. That's pretty much it (though there are tons of configurable options and hooks... we will come to that soon).

Now, let's import in some other part of your codebase.

<?php

use My\Namespace\ApiProvider\Import;
...
new (Import())->writeDefinition();
...

Done!

Directly using parent class

It's even simpler (though)

<?php

use SudiptoChoudhury\Support\Forge\Api\Import;

...
new (Import([
   './config/postman.json'
]))->writeDefinition( './config/GuzzleDescription.json');
...

Simpler, eh!

You will find a new .json, a new .md and a new .php file to server you well in your API venture forward.

The .json file is obviously based on data structure required to create a GuzzleHttp\Command\Guzzle\Description object.

The .php file has phpDoc @method definitions and may look something similar to

<?php
/** 
 * @method	array	getHostedpage(array $parameters)	Getting the details of a particular hosted page
 * @method	array	getHostedpages()	Listing all the hostedpages

You can copy the method definitions parts to yor API class extended from the Client class.

The .md file is a markdown file with a table containing details of the API functions, equivalent endpoints, parameters, default values for parameters (if defined) and description - all derived from the Postman json file.

However, I would recommend to use the extend option as you will get a plethora of options to hook into various sections of parent code while the conversion of the Postman data to Guzzle Description is undergoing. You may want to add default values or change a name or change description or skip some items. All can be done by overriding functions of Import parent class and defining custom filter functions.

What are custom filter function?!!!

Well, let's pick an example. Let's say you see you want to change the duplicate function name for [get]/products as I stated an example in previous section. By default, the duplicate name will be set to _getProducts (remember? by default adding a _ before the name).

Now, in your extended Import class just define this

<?php

		/** This is a filter 
		* @param $apiFunctionName
		* @param array $helperData
	 	* @return string
	 */
    public function filterFinalName($apiFunctionName, $helperData = [])
    {
        if ($apiFunctionName === '_getProducts') {
            $apiFunctionName = 'getActiveProducts';
        }
        return $apiFunctionName;
    }

This is a filter function. The name must start with filter followed by the filter name and can then optionally add an _ and anything you want after that, just in case you want to define multiple functions for the same filter (like - filterFinalName_xxx or filterFinalName_001).

Each filter function will receive the value to be modified in the first parameter. The optional second parameter will be an associative array of helper data items that may help in determining logic of how the filter can be applied. At times it may also be the source of data to build documentation layouts. For example, the markdown API table is generated via a default filter. You can override it to generate the API table in your own way. May be you do not like table structure, you may devise you own structure. Sky is the limit. Additionally, there are a lot of filters dedicated to create a complete markdown documentation with sections like title, menu, description, table, header, footer, install, even donate and contact. Just tap into the desired layout filters and fill in your own content.

The table below gives you details of all the filters.

But before that, you can also do similar things by totally overriding the parent's functions. For example, readApiName can be overridden to extend or replace existing logic to detect a function name with your own logic. However, filters help in changing things in a granular way. There can be 10 filters applied to a single function you wan to override and you may need to just use one filter out of them instead of writing a big bunch of overriding code. Of course, choice is yours.

Filter Name	Description
Name	API function name of a single Endpoint
Slug	A slug derived from API's name defined in Postmam
FinalName	API function name after all logic has been applied
Params	Api function parameters
Uri	Endpoint
Operation	Opetaion data of a single endpoint for Guzzle Description
Title	Title of the Postman collection
DocMethodFinalText	phpDoc method as joined text
DocMDItem	Markdown API for single endpoint details as array
DocMDApiExternalLink	Markdown's placeholder for link to external (API service provider's) API Documentation
DocMDEndpoint	Endpoint of API item in Markdown documentation
DocMDDescription	Description of API item in Markdown documentation
DocMDParams	Parameters of API Item Markdown documentation
DocMDParamDefaults	Default values for parameters of API item Markdown documentation
DocMDLayoutTitle	Markdown documentation title
DocMDLayoutSubtitle	Markdown documentation subtitle
DocMDLayoutHeader	Markdown documentation header
DocMDLayoutMenu	Markdown documentation menu
DocMDLayoutDescription	Markdown documentation description
DocMDLayoutRequirements	Markdown documentation requirements section
DocMDLayoutInstall	Markdown documentation install section
DocMDLayoutGetStarted	Markdown documentation gettting started section
DocMDLayoutSetup	Markdown documentation setup section
DocMDLayoutExamples	Markdown documentation examples section
DocMDLayoutTable	Markdown documentation API table section - helper data can be iterated to get data in this structure -[ 'method' => '\<function name\>', 'endpoint' => '\<endpoint uri\>', 'parameters' => [<indexed array>], 'defaults' => ['<associative array>'], 'description' => '<api description>']
DocMDLayoutFooter	Markdown documentation footer section
DocMDLayoutNotes	Markdown documentation notes section
DocMDLayoutReferences	Markdown documentation references section
DocMDLayoutContact	Markdown documentation contact us section
DocMDLayoutDonate	Markdown documentation donate section
DocMDFinalLayoutArray	All Markdown documentation layouts as array
DocMDFinalText	Full Markdown documentation as text
APIDefinitionFinalJson	The full Guzzle Description
DocMethodItem	phpDoc method for single endpoint
DocMethodDescription	Markdown documentation
DocMethodFinalArray	All phpDoc methods as array
DocMethodParams	Parameters for phpDoc
DocMethodData	What needs to shown in the parenthesis of the method signature in phpDoc
DocMethodSignature	Full single method signature for phpDoc
GroupName	Postman Collection's Group Name
GroupDescription	Post Collection's Description