Attivio v5.6 Documentation
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Overview

The Attivio Intelligence Engine (AIE) exposes an HTTP/REST API for use by client applications. 

The HTTP/REST API typically encapsulates a query (using either the Simple or Advanced Query Languages) and combines it with Field Expressions that influence the form of the search results. 

The new-and-improved JSON REST API is easier to implement that the XML REST API.  Investigate that API first.

REST API Parameters

The master list of QueryRequest REST parameters is on the HTTP REST APIs page.

You can experiment with the HTTP/REST API directly from the address line of your web browser.  The form-based Debug Search page of the AIE Administrator submits HTTP/REST requests.  You can pose a query using the form and then examine the HTTP/REST syntax in the address field of the browser over the XML search results page.

View incoming links.

Using the HTTP/REST API

The HTTP/REST API can be queried directly via HTTP GET or POST request to

http://<servername>:<baseport+1>/query

http://localhost:17001/query

Direct GET and POST

The HTTP/REST API supports both HTTP GET and POST operations. POST may be used for any query, but is especially useful for long requests that would otherwise go over the 4k character length maximum for HTTP GET operations. HTTP POST requests must set the content-type HTTP Header to application/x-www-form-urlencoded, must set the charset header to UTF-8, and must properly URL encode all values of the HTTP POST parameters.

Debug Search User Interface

The Debug Search in the Use the Attivio Administrator is a great way to experiment with the HTTP/REST API. The Debug Search form provides input boxes and select lists for all search options. The Debug Search form submits its form field inputs directly to the HTTP/REST API endpoint and displays the raw XML results from the HTTP/REST API.

The debug search utility can also be used to prototype an HTTP/REST API integration. Select different query options and view the raw XML results interactively to determine which query options should be used in an actual client integration. Once a set of query options has been finalized via the Debug Search form, the URL in the address box of the results display is the actual HTTP/REST API GET request that can be used by a client application.

Debug Search is accessible at:

http://<servername>:<baseport>/rest/search

http://localhost:17000/rest/search

Response XML

The HTTP/REST API returns results in XML format.

Main Article: XML REST Response

Examples

Some examples of the use of the HTTP/REST API queries are listed below:

  • Query for "test" using the simple query language and return full debugging information.

http://localhost:17001/query?workflows=search&q=test&q.type=simple&debug=true

  • Query for "book" and request facets for the "cat" field sorted by "cat" value and then by "cat" value count, the "author" field where each facet value has at least 3 matching documents and the count field.

http://localhost:17001/query?workflows=search&q=book&facet=cat(sortby=value,primarysort=desc,secondarysort=asc),author(minCutoff=3),count

  • Query for "british" using the PROMOTE scoring function. Note that AIE query parser requires us to quote backslashes in file paths inside strings, (i.e., "\" becomes "\\" in the filepath string).

http://localhost:17001/query?workflows=search&q=british&q.type=simple&hits=100&offset=0&fields=text&clientid=1234544&sort=PROMOTE%28%22C%3A\\attivio_1.6.0\\example\\data\\factbook\\sf.xml%22%29

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