Ask-A-Dev: When will XML-RPC show up?
First the short answer: really soon.
Now, the explanation:
The whole XML-RPC server for Textpattern is almost ready – including complete implementations of Blogger/MetaWeblog/MovableType APIs, with the notable lack of support for metaWeblog.newMediaObject (at least for now). It will eventually be released to the public.
As you can see, I’m not saying it will be included into core when ready, but released to the public. Why?, mostly because we’re trying to put all our efforts into the next big Textpattern release – crockery branch into the repo – and don’t want to add nothing more than bugfixes to the existing stable branch.
Of course, it will be included by default with crockery, like many other new goodies we’re going to talk about here really soon.
In brief:
- XML-RPC for textpattern will be released as a separated package for 4.0, and included by default into crockery.
- All the upcoming upgrades of 4.0.x version will be bugfix/mainteinance releases, and new things there will be limited to new translations or really simple or important patches.
- We’re starting the road to crockery, the next Textpattern major release.
Some obvious questions I think you could have now about XML-RPC implementation:
- Why isn’t it already in the repository?: It’s new code for an existing and stable package, and the 4.0 repository branch is being used by many people to update their production installs. We don’t want to add any code there until we can test it enough.
- When are those tests going to be completed?: I’ll start to use it on my own weblog this week – I’ve found a cool PocketPC client, SharpMT PocketPC I’d like to play with – and we’re going to eat our own dog food for a week or so. Then, we’d like to start a round of beta testing before we release it. If no problems are detected, we hope to offer it here for public download during the next weeks.
A few curiosities:
- It uses Simon’s IXR_Library which has been included in Textpattern for a long time, so no completely new RPC-libraries are required for textpattern.
- There is a new “wrapper” to invoke specific Textpattern functionality which could be used in the future to add implementations of am atom-server, atom-clients or moblogging tools.
- Blogger API’s template related methods are also implemented, this means you can edit your templates using a desktop XML-RPC client.
There is going to be documentation for developers – I have already written more than 20 pages – and as many specific client configuration samples, including screen shots, as we can collect during the next weeks.
These are good news, and I’m itching to try it with Flock!
You rock, Pedro!
— Thomas Stache · Jan 14, 08:40 PM · #
Aargh! How about activating “never display email” here?
— Thomas Stache · Jan 14, 08:45 PM · #
have got bored of cutting and pasting into the pages tab
guess this would make it lot more simpler same thing is also applicable to the CSS?
— shishira · Jan 16, 09:10 PM · #
No, it isn’t.
There are not XML-RPC methods to edit stylesheets described on the existing APIs, so, there aren’t xml-rpc clients which could do that.
Maybe in a future ATOM implementation ;-).
— Pedro Palazón · Jan 17, 06:03 PM · #
Thanks for the thorough update. Hope all goes well.
— Anton Zuiker · Jan 17, 06:16 PM · #
When your ready for a few beta testers, I am willing to try. I have a couple of small sites I could put this one (10-30 visitors a day). And I have been itching for the XML-RPC stuff for awhile. I want to test with Bloggar and Performancing for Firefox.
— Eric · Jan 19, 05:30 AM · #
I take note of the offer and will elaborate a list of I will provide feedback if can do beta-testing users for the next week :-).
— Pedro Palazón · Jan 19, 10:29 AM · #
Just a follow up. I’d be willing to do beta-testing with feedback. :)
— Eric · Jan 23, 06:46 PM · #
Great to hear that :) Does “complete implementations of Blogger/MetaWeblog/MovableType APIs” also include the mt_keywords field for the metaWeblog post struct?
— Horst Gutmann · Jan 25, 01:46 PM · #
Any news on beta testing this?
— Eric · Feb 15, 02:46 AM · #
Hi Pedro,
This is great news. Pls let us know when you have an early access (beta) of the xml-rpc api available. We would like to test it with our offline editor (Zoundry Blog Writer).
— Pidge · Feb 27, 05:05 PM · #
I’m itching to see this, text junkie that I am . . .
— C.L. Everett · Mar 2, 05:12 AM · #
Any updates or timeline on this?
I’m holding off my switch from MT, until xml-rpc is up :)
TxP has been awesome in my testing so far, but I’m still waiting.
Thanks!
— AJP · Mar 3, 09:55 PM · #
Yeah. What about xml-rpc? When it will be awailable?
— Krivetsky · Mar 11, 11:08 PM · #