====== Spreadshirt Webservices API ======

Unofficial documentation for the spreadshop webservices API based on the SOAP protocol.
:!: **Please note, this documentation is obsolete since the release of the new REST based API. The new official documentation is here [[http://wiki.developer.spreadshirt.net/]]**

===== Overview =====
Firstly, if you've never heard of web services or SOAP or REST before, or if dealing with XML sounds daunting, then this documentation might be an uphill struggle for you. However, I do intend developing some customisable plugins/widgets later which should be of interest to non-progammers.

====What can I NOT do with Spreadshirt Web Services?====
To save you time, let's get this out of the way first. If you were hoping that Spreadshirt's web services would allow you to create an application to **create** t-shirts on the fly like in their [[http://www.spreadshirt.net/en/IE/Create-t-shirt/Designer-59/|t-shirt designer]] then this is not the solution. Their web services are read-only in that respect.

==== So what can I do with Spreadshirt Web Services? ====
Spreadshirt web services allows you to extract the information from your own Spreadshirt store in XML format which you can transform using a scripting language so you can display the information in any way you want. So, what does that mean? In practical terms this breaks down into two broad scenarios: 
  - The main use is to create a shop entirely on your own domain (not in a frame) with entirely your own interface. This means you could build a shop using Flash or JavaScript to create a more interesting interface. It also means you could also make a mashup with another web service, such as Amazon, and sell products from both on the same page. **Note that the last stage, checkout, is always carried out on Spreadshirt's servers for obvious security reasons.**
  - The second use is for a blog or some site that isn't a shop but would like to have an interactive widget displaying your goods, for instance, in a sidebar, i.e. if you don't want to have a whole shop on your site. You could use AJAX or Flash to make a widget to display some of your products down along a column.

=====Known Issues======
  * Setting up the Flash shop requires setting up a simple [[flash_shop:php_proxy_script|proxy script]] to relay XML between Flash and the webservice.
  * ''redeem_coupon'' does not work yet
  * Articles do not contain list of available colors, if color is not fixed

FIXME Need to add section about the basket URL I found in the Flash movie.
  * There is no real possibility to have the checkout happen within your system. 
    * There is no method to handle the payment options or secure transactions.
    * There is no possibility to choose how the order should be dispatched.
    * There is no possibility to giftwrap.
    * There's no method to handle signing up to Spreadshirt.



===== API reference =====
The [[API:]] reference is the an improved version of the API documents released by Spreadshirt. I've simply added details and noted errors. This is still a work in progress. Please help me to make this as complete and helpful a reference as possible.



  

===== Sample applications =====
I'm trying to gather together a number of sample [[apps:|applications]] both as illustrations to anyone who wants to use the services but also as starting points for your own projects.