Creating a web service client

Moodle 2.0

You need to have already setup a web service. You can get help from How to enable web services for ordinary users or How to enable web services for an external system . Then have a look to your security keys page. You'll find there your token and the web service documentation associated with this token.

Officially supported protocols

• REST: the Moodle REST server uses POST for parameters and XML for returned values. This server is not RESTfull.
• SOAP: the Moodle SOAP server is based on the Zend SOAP server (itself based on the PHP SOAP server). Zend publishes a Zend SOAP client. The current server implementation doesn't work with Java/.Net because we didn't generated a fully describe WSDL yet. If you are working on a Java/.Net client, follow or participate to the tracker issue MDL-20804
• XML-RPC: the Moodle XML-RPC server is based on Zend XML-RPC server. Zend also publishes a Zend XML-RPC client.
• AMF: the Moodle AMF server is based on the Zend AMF server. The test client can be found in Settings blocks > Site Administration > Development > Web service test client > AMF Test client.

PHP client examples

In all these client examples we will create two groups calling the web service function moodle_group_create_groups.

XML-RPC

The Moodle XML-RPC server extends Zend XML-RPC Server. It is recommended to have a look to the Zend XML-RPC client documentation

include 'Zend/Loader/Autoloader.php'; Zend_Loader_Autoloader::autoload('Zend_Loader');

$function = "moodle_user_get_users_by_id";

// id of the users $params = array(array(2,4));

$serverurl = "http://{servername}/webservice/xmlrpc/server.php?wstoken=$token";

$client = new Zend_XmlRpc_Client($serverurl);

print "

";
try {
    $data = $client->call($function, $params);
    var_dump ($data);
} catch (exception $exception) {
    var_dump ($exception);
}
print "

";

SOAP

The Moodle SOAP server extends Zend SOAP Server. It is recommended to have a look to the Zend SOAP client documentation. Except the class name Zend_Soap_Client, the entire example code would be similar to XML-RPC.

REST

Look at the web service function documentation on your security keys page to know about the returned XML structure.

//get the profile data of Moodle User

include 'Zend/Loader/Autoloader.php'; Zend_Loader_Autoloader::autoload('Zend_Loader');

$params = array(

   'userids' => array(2,4), // the params to passed to the function
   'wsfunction' => 'moodle_user_get_users_by_id',   // the function to be called
   'wstoken' => '8dc8f5ca046129706c0d85a56efcaddd' //token need to be passed in the url

);

//set web service url server $serverurl = "http://{servername}/webservice/rest/server.php";

$client = new Zend_Http_Client($serverurl);

print "

";
try {
    $client->setParameterPost($params);    
    $response = $client->request('POST');

    var_dump ($response);
} catch (exception $exception) {
    var_dump ($exception);
}
print "

";