REST API

Introduction

The Planview IdeaPlace Rest API is being released in a phased manner. The intention is to release capability in combinations to meet high demand customer use cases.

How It Works

How to Access the API Developer Guide

Full details of IdeaPlace’s API capabilities can be found within your instance of IdeaPlace at /docs/api/index.html, or you can follow the link on the API Management screen, found in the Feature Management section of Administration. A PDF of the IdeaPlace  API Developer Guide is also attached. Also see API Documentation for Slack.

Rest API page update.jpg

 

           

Common IdeaPlace API Use Cases

The IdeaPlace API is a service that can be used to engage members outside of the IdeaPlace software. Using the API, developers can access IdeaPlace challenge, participant and idea information to build integrations between IdeaPlace and other applications already in use by your organization. A PDF of the API Developer Guide is attached below.

Here are some common ways clients use the IdeaPlace API:

  • Broadcasting challenges and ideas: New challenges and/or new ideas can be channeled through digital signage, enterprise applications, collaboration tools or your intranet by leveraging the IdeaPlace API. In addition, challenge phase information can be retrieved and actioned upon to provide status updates or calls to action during specific time frames.

  • Posting ideas from outside of IdeaPlace: Gathering ideas exactly when inspiration strikes is not always easy. The IdeaPlace API supports idea posting, so applications can be built or integrated with - and reside in the areas where good ideas start. The plant floor, the store aisle, or the break room; allow users to post ideas from anywhere, at anytime, from any device.

  • Managing user accounts and attributes: Curious if your user database includes employees from five years ago? Leverage the IdeaPlace API to integrate with IT and HR systems to automate the process of disabling accounts, updating member attributes, or gathering a list of all available users in the IdeaPlace platform.

  • Performing deep analysis on challenge and idea data: Business Intelligence is key to understanding the behaviors and habits of your employees, partners, and customers. Using the IdeaPlace API, applications can be built to extract IdeaPlace information and analyze it with your existing BI application(s). Consider having the ability to review 100% of the ideas from your challenges or determine how additional interactions help build ideas. Discover where innovation happens in your organization and how your teams interact around disruptive concepts.

           

NOTE

Clients can build integrations with other applications using the IdeaPlace API. This requires development and infrastructure outside of the IdeaPlace platform, by the client. IdeaPlace does not have any pre-built integrations that will work for client instances, however we have included an attachment with sample code that may be of use. 

           

           

           

API Functionality

IdeaPlace's API includes the following functionality:

User Upsert

An API POST capability is included, for creating or updating a User. See the attached API User Upsert Functionality for additional details.

Get Idea API Call

When idea details are retrieved via the API, it will include the date that the idea was published.

Put API Call

This call offers support for PUT calls to ideas. The PUT response will return the idea and be formatted in the same way as the idea POST response. The PUT response will be available to the idea owner, administrator and super administrator, as well as any other custom role that has rights to edit an idea.

Attachment Download API

This API is available to download all attachments for a site (not instance). This download is in zip format and relates to a given ideaid or SiteId. This API is only accessible to Super Administrators, who access this function via the Reports page at the very bottom, by clicking the Download Attachments button. A zip file will be created..

Username Filter

The API contains a call that allows for the filtering of the users by Username. This supplements the ability to filter on UserID.

Get Comments 

(and replies to comments) on a specific idea

Post a Comment on an Idea

Post a Reply to a comment on an idea

           

           

Background

The REST API's initial release (January 2017) focused on the first eight of the 18 areas listed below. The Fall 2017 Release focused on items 9 - 18:

  1. Authentication - This will allow users to be authenticated to use the API feature. This is a key building block for all future API functionality.
  2. Get list of communities/challenges - This returns a list of communities and challenges to which the user has access.
  3. Get challenge details - The Challenge Details that can be polled will include Challenge Title, Challenge Description, Challenge Launch Time and Phase Launch/End Time.
  4. Get list of ideas in a challenge -  This will give the list of accessible ideas in a community or challenge.
  5. Get list of categories - This will give the list of categories in a community or challenge.
  6. Get idea template - This returns the idea template information that is needed to create an idea.
  7. Post an idea - With the release of 3.9.2, it will be possible to post ideas into IdeaPlace from third party applications. This will allow ideas to be posted directly to specific challenges or communities from outside of IdeaPlace. Authentication will be provided through the API.
  8. Get idea details - The ability to poll IdeaPlace to obtain either a complete list of ideas from a challenge or community as well as a single idea will be available as of the 3.9.2 release. All details associated with an idea template inside a given challenge or community will be available.
  9. Get a list of users fitting specific criteria (admin and above).
  10. Get a list of all users in your instance (super admin).
  11. Get user details (super admin, user’s own details).
  12. Enable/disable a specific user (super admin).
  13. Update user profile attributes (super admin, user’s own profile).
  14. Get Challenge Details - Phase Announcements and Enabled Activities (admin and above).
  15. Filter ideas by Stage (i.e., Submission, Validation) and Status (i.e., open, closed, archived).
  16. Get expanded idea details, such as stage, category, votes, views and ratings.
  17. Get engagement statistics, such as likes, comments and views, for all users given a specific timeframe.
  18. Get the number of ideas in each stage.

Further development will be taking place to add increased capability to the API.

           

Additional Information

The API example Postman requests used the in the “How It Works” video is attached to this article and can be downloaded here.