CODEWITHSUNDEEP
rest
Lee Olayvar
Lee Olayvar

Reputation: 3810

How to edit a resource?

Pardon the simple question, but it seems most searches try to tell me which methods are designed for what actions. Eg, create & edit is PUT, create from plural (articles) is POST, and so on. (If you disagree with this, i was just using it as an example. :)

With that said, how do you initiate a resource edit? To create a resource, with a known url you preform a GET on an non-existing URL. Eg, GET:mysite/resource_one. This then returns a form, and the form submits a PUT to the same address and bam, the resource is created.

Now how do you edit that same resource? With 4 Methods, designed for CRUD, i am having issues because i can only seem to think of one way. To go to a new resource. Eg, GET:mysite/resource_one/edit. This then presents a form with existing data, you edit it, and then the data is submitted to GET:mysite/resource_one. This seems odd to me in a system that seems to be designed to allow full CRUD to be preformed on a resource, without leaving said resource.

So.. what is the proper method? I mean, if GET:mysite/resource_one/edit is right, then why not GET:mysite/resource_one/delete, GET:mysite/resource_two/create, and so on..

Replies much appreciated!

Upvotes: 2

Views: 1186

Answers (1)

Franci Penov
Franci Penov

Reputation: 75991

The URL always represents the resource, not the action. Thus, while mysite/resource_one/edit might be a proper URL to a page that initiates editing a resource, it's not a part of the REST API itself, it's part of the web app that uses that REST API to manipulate that resource. Moreover, in that example mysite/resource_one would be a confusing representation of the resource.

To create a new resource, you use POST on the parent resource, with the body of the request containing the data for the new resource. The response contains the URL for the newly created resource.

To update an existing resource, you use PUT on the resource URL, with the body of the request containing either full or partial update of the resource data.

Upvotes: 4

Related Questions