Using the API Overview
The following section offers how-to guides for common tasks that can be accomplished using the API. For those new to the API, we recommend beginning with the Recipes section, which provides step-by-step guidance for the most frequently used series of calls.
Prerequisites
When using the Advance API, you must create a client if you do not already have one. To make a request, you must first get an access token from Advance. Depending on the authorization flows your client uses, you can get an access token in the following ways:
- Getting an Access Token using the Resource Owner flow – for clients that use the Resource Owner flow
- Getting an Access Token using the Implicit flow – for clients that use the Implicit flow
The access token is then sent in the authorization header of a request to the API.
Once you have retrieved the token, you can make requests to the Advance API.
API Reference Documentation
You can view the latest documentation for the Advance API at http://hotdocsadvance.com/api/rest/documentation/index.html
API Base URL
See Advance REST API Base URL to find the URL to which you will make API requests.
API Versions
There are two supported versions of the API available.
- Version 1.1 is the stable, feature-complete version offering extensive functionality.
- Version 2.0 is in development and introduces support for work items using multiple templates.
- API 2.0 enables you to assign more than one template package to a work item. This can be useful if you have a set of templates that have a similar scope regarding the same matter.
API 2.0 can be used in conjunction with 1.1 to offer fuller functionality.
Please note that API 1.1 and the Advance user interface can only access work items that have a single template, regardless of how they were created. API 2.0 can create and access all work items.
Common API Requests
Our how-to guides provide detailed instructions and examples for some of the most frequently performed tasks using the API.
If you're new to the HotDocs Advance API, the following tasks may be useful starting points:
- Assembling a Document Using an Interview - this topic outlines all the steps required to download a document when you want to display an interview to gather data.
- Assembling a Document Using an Answer Set - this topic outlines all the steps required to download a document using answer data you already have.
- Creating a User
- Creating a Work Item in API 2.0 - this topic outlines the steps required to create a work item which supports multiple templates.