Movable Type User Manual: PROGRAMMATIC INTERFACES

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• PROGRAMMATIC INTERFACES
• XML-RPC API

PROGRAMMATIC INTERFACES

XML-RPC API

Movable Type features a full implementation of the Blogger XML-RPC API (where applicable). The only two methods that are not supported by Movable Type are getTemplate and setTemplate, due to the differences between Blogger's template system and Movable Type's template system. Usage of the XML-RPC API requires that your webserver have both LWP::UserAgent and SOAP::Lite installed; if yours does not, the Installation Instructions can tell you how to install them.

Following are the XML-RPC methods supported by Movable Type:

• blogger.newPost
  Parameters: String appkey, String blogid, String username, String password, String content, boolean publish

  Return value: on success, String postid of new post; on failure, fault

• blogger.editPost
  Parameters: String appkey, String postid, String username, String password, String content, boolean publish

  Return value: on success, boolean true value; on failure, fault

• blogger.deletePost
  Parameters: String appkey, String postid, String username, String password, boolean publish

  Return value: on success, boolean true value; on failure, fault

• blogger.getRecentPosts
  Parameters: String appkey, String blogid, String username, String password, int numberOfPosts

  Return value: on success, array of structs containing ISO.8601 dateCreated, String userid, String postid, String content; on failure, fault

  Notes: dateCreated is in the timezone of the blog blogid

• blogger.getUsersBlogs
  Parameters: String appkey, String username, String password

  Return value: on success, array of structs containing String url, String blogid, String blogName; on failure, fault

• blogger.getUserInfo
  Parameters: String appkey, String username, String password

  Return value: on success, struct containing String userid, String firstname, String lastname, String nickname, String email, String url; on failure, fault

  Notes: firstname is the Movable Type username up to the first space character, and lastname is the username after the first space character.

NOTE: the value of appkey is ignored by Movable Type in all XML-RPC methods.

You can use Movable Type's XML-RPC implementation with existing tools like BlogBuddy and Jericho (it has been tested with these two tools; it will most likely work with other tools, as well). For example, to set up BlogBuddy to post to your Movable Type blog, follow these instructions:

1. Download BlogBuddy from http://blogbuddy.sourceforge.net/. Unpack the archive, and install the application.

2. Open the BlogBuddy application.

3. Select General Settings from the Settings menu. On the General tab, enter your Movable Type username in UserName, and your password in Password.

4. In the Remote Host tab, enter the name of the host where your version of Movable Type is installed into Host name, and the path to mt-xmlrpc.cgi into Endpoint. For example, if mt-xmlrpc.cgi is located at http://www.foo.com/bar/mt-xmlrpc.cgi, you should enter www.foo.com into Host name, and /bar/mt-xmlrpc.cgi into Endpoint. If your webserver runs on a port other than 80, you should also change the port setting.

5. In the Blogs tab, click the Update blogs button; BlogBuddy will contact Movable Type on your webserver, and ask it for a list of blogs which you have access to (using getUsersBlogs, above).

6. You can now post to your Movable Type blog(s) using BlogBuddy's posting interface.