Use REST with Web Content Manager items

Use REST with Web Content Manager items

This topic provides an overview of the options available when working with Web Content Manager items, including the types of items that can be created and updated, and other important information related to the process of creating and updating content items using REST.

Item types

The following item types can be created, read, updated and deleted using the WCM REST service:

Site areas
Content items
Presentation templates
Projects
The following component types:

Text
Short text
Rich text
HTML
Number
Date and Time
Image
File resource
Style Sheet

The following element types can also be created, read, updated and deleted in site areas and content items using the WCM REST service:

Text
Short text
Rich text
HTML
Number
Date and Time
Image
File resource
Style Sheet

Content representations
Atom entry documents
Each web content item has an associated atom entry document. The entry document provides access to the common metadata.properties of the item, such as title and description, along with links to related items, and access control information.
The default media type of an entry document is application/atom+xml, however application/json representations can also be obtained. Entry documents can be retrieved by executing an HTTP GET to the entry resource. Entry resource URIs can be obtained from:

the service document
links in other entry documents
links in feed documents
using POC to resolve an ID

Example links to entry documents:
<link rel="edit" href="/wps/mycontenthandler/!ut/p/wcmrest/SiteArea/c6b00ee6-d628-4cbd-9e65-15c90f2093a6"/>
<link rel="parent" href="/wps/mycontenthandler/!ut/p/wcmrest/item/ae6a3632-a1b5-456a-866e-e9baab84fe29"/>
<link rel="library" href="/wps/mycontenthandler/!ut/p/wcmrest/item/54a68ca2-c550-4385-966f-b0b612147547"/>
Media resources

In addition to the entry document, most items will also have a media resource associated with them. The media resource exists to store the content of the item, for example, HTML or an image. The media resource location is found in the edit-media link of an items entry document. Media resource URLs support HTTP GET and PUT.

<link rel="edit-media" type="text/html" href="/wps/mycontenthandler/!ut/p/wcmrest/PresentationTemplate/02da6e9d-20ca-4c54-ae4a-f1114fa8e948"/>
Content Negotiation

When a resource supports multiple representations with different content types, clients can use content negotiation to request a specific representation. For example, entry documents are available in application/atom+xml; type=entry and application/json. There are two ways a client can specify the media type the client can accept:

HTTP Accept header

Accept: application/atom+xml

Request parameter mime-type

GET /wps/mycontenthandler/!ut/p/wcmrest/SiteArea/c6b00ee6-d628-4cbd-9e65-15c90f2093a6?mime-type=application%2Fjson HTTP/1.0

The methods used to specify the accept type work for all supported media types as listed in Supported media types.

Item path

The path of a requested item can be included by specifying the options=item-path URL parameter. For example:
HTTP 1.1 GET /wps/mycontenthandler/wcmrest/SiteArea/c0b72020-10b7-4197-a436-62a1d94ce03f?options=item-path
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<entry xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:wcm="http://www.ibm.com/xmlns/wcm">
    ...
    <wcm:path>
        <wcm:pathElement>
            <wcm:title xml:lang="en-GB">rest_query_library</wcm:title>
            <wcm:name>rest_query_library</wcm:name>
            <wcm:link label="Read" rel="alternate" xml:lang="en-GB" href="/wps/mycontenthandler/wcmrest/Library/69452890-2f40-4ce6-90af-e65620a552af"/>
        </wcm:pathElement>
        <wcm:pathElement>
            <wcm:title xml:lang="en-GB">site_b</wcm:title>
            <wcm:name>site_b</wcm:name>
            <wcm:link label="Read" rel="alternate" xml:lang="en-GB" href="/wps/mycontenthandler/wcmrest/SiteArea/c44dc8e1-eea5-4262-842c-562788a34461"/>
        </wcm:pathElement>
    </wcm:path>
…
</entry>
   
Example entry

This is an example in application/atom+xml format:
<entry xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:wcm="wcm/namespace">
    <id>3aabfe14-cc9e-4eb5-ad06-d4fc8fd2f1df</id>
    <title>SampleHTMLComponent</title>
    <link rel="edit" href="/wps/mycontenthandler/!ut/p/wcmrest/LibraryHTMLComponent/3aabfe14-cc9e-4eb5-ad06-d4fc8fd2f1df"/>
    <link rel="edit-media" type="text/html" href="/wps/mycontenthandler/!ut/p/wcmrest/LibraryHTMLComponent/3aabfe14-cc9e-4eb5-ad06-d4fc8fd2f1df"/>
    <link rel="library" href="/wps/mycontenthandler/!ut/p/wcmrest/item/c98d11e1-7f2a-480e-9aac-40eb1949cbda"/>
    <link rel="create-draft" href="/wps/mycontenthandler/!ut/p/wcmrest/item/3aabfe14-cc9e-4eb5-ad06-d4fc8fd2f1df/create-draft"/>
    <link rel="change-to-draft" href="/wps/mycontenthandler/!ut/p/wcmrest/item/3aabfe14-cc9e-4eb5-ad06-d4fc8fd2f1df/change-to-draft"/>
    <link rel="versions" href="/wps/mycontenthandler/!ut/p/wcmrest/item/3aabfe14-cc9e-4eb5-ad06-d4fc8fd2f1df/versions"/>
    <link rel="add-attachment" href="/wps/mycontenthandler/!ut/p/wcmrest/LibraryHTMLComponent/3aabfe14-cc9e-4eb5-ad06-d4fc8fd2f1df/attachments"/>
    <updated>2011-05-30T02:05:44.574Z</updated>
    <author>
        <wcm:distinguishedName>uid=wpsadmin,o=defaultWIMFileBasedRealm</wcm:distinguishedName>
        <uri>/wps/mycontenthandler/!ut/p/digest!wtpqWRz_9ePiiVHk1Rw2cw/um/users/profiles/Z9eAeH1C2JG561RC6JM47H9E4MMG6PHO6JM4C5JD0JMOC6BEEJS464JDG3I56K1</uri>
        <name>wpsadmin</name>
    </author>
    <wcm:owner>
        <wcm:distinguishedName>uid=wpsadmin,o=defaultWIMFileBasedRealm</wcm:distinguishedName>
        <uri>/wps/mycontenthandler/!ut/p/digest!wtpqWRz_9ePiiVHk1Rw2cw/um/users/profiles/Z9eAeH1C2JG561RC6JM47H9E4MMG6PHO6JM4C5JD0JMOC6BEEJS464JDG3I56K1</uri>
        <name>wpsadmin</name>
    </wcm:owner>
    <wcm:name>SampleHTMLComponent</wcm:name>
    <wcm:type>LibraryHTMLComponent</wcm:type>
    <wcm:state>PUBLISHED</wcm:state>
   </entry>
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