Django-rest-framework API in OPTIONS

Question

I am writing my first REST API (with django-rest-framework).

I am adding URL parameters to filter the results. I understand that the documentation for these parameters belongs to the verb OPTIONS. My code is:

class SuburbViewSet(viewsets.ReadOnlyModelViewSet): """ Retrieves the suburbs (20 per page). GET and OPTIONS allowed. """ model = Suburb serializer_class = SuburbSerializer def get_queryset(self): """ Can filter by region_id, ... - using query parameters in the URL. """ queryset = Suburb.objects.all() region_id = self.request.QUERY_PARAMS.get('region_id', None) if region_id is not None: queryset = queryset.filter(region_id=region_id) return queryset def metadata(self, request): ret = super(SuburbViewSet, self).metadata(request) ret['parameters'] = { "page": { "type": "integer", "description": "The page number", "required": False }, "region_id": { "type": "integer", "description": "The region ID to filter the results", "required": False } } return ret 

Is this the best / only REST way (explaining that the parameters are in OPTION)?

As for the django-rest-framework, I have expanded the metadata (self, request) that feel hacked. Did I miss some kind of built-in way to set parameter descriptions?

Thanks!

Answer 1

General views already include parameter descriptions in response to OPTIONS requests.

For example, after completing the training course, you will be able to make OPTIONS requests and check the available actions.

Be sure to set the --user parameter to --user existing user / password, or you will only have read-only access and will not receive part of the actions response.

 bash: curl -X OPTIONS --user amy:amy -v http://127.0.0.1:8000/snippets/ -H 'Accept: application/json; indent=4'; echo * About to connect() to 127.0.0.1 port 8000 (#0) * Trying 127.0.0.1... connected * Server auth using Basic with user 'amy' > OPTIONS /snippets/ HTTP/1.1 > Authorization: Basic YW15OmFteQ== > User-Agent: curl/7.22.0 (x86_64-apple-darwin11.2.0) libcurl/7.22.0 OpenSSL/1.0.0e zlib/1.2.5 libidn/1.22 > Host: 127.0.0.1:8000 > Accept: application/json; indent=4 > * HTTP 1.0, assume close after body < HTTP/1.0 200 OK < Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 09:27:01 GMT < Server: WSGIServer/0.1 Python/2.7.2 < Vary: Accept, Cookie < Content-Type: application/json; indent=4; charset=utf-8 < Allow: GET, POST, HEAD, OPTIONS < { "name": "Snippet List", "description": "This endpoint presents code snippets.\n\nThe `highlight` field presents a hyperlink to the hightlighted HTML\nrepresentation of the code snippet.\n\nThe **owner** of the code snippet may update or delete instances\nof the code snippet.\n\nTry it yourself by logging in as one of these four users: **amy**, **max**,\n**jose** or **aziz**. The passwords are the same as the usernames.", "renders": [ "application/json", "text/html" ], "parses": [ "application/json", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded", "multipart/form-data" ], "actions": { "POST": { "url": { "type": "field", "required": false, "read_only": true }, "highlight": { "type": "field", "required": false, "read_only": true }, "owner": { "type": "field", "required": false, "read_only": true }, "title": { "type": "string", "required": false, "read_only": false, "label": "title", "max_length": 100 }, "code": { "type": "string", "required": true, "read_only": false, "label": "code" }, "linenos": { "type": "boolean", "required": false, "read_only": false, "label": "linenos" }, "language": { "type": "multiple choice", "required": true, "read_only": false, "label": "language" }, "style": { "type": "multiple choice", "required": true, "read_only": false, "label": "style" } } } } 

You can also make OPTIONS requests through the API for viewing.