DSpace 7.1 - REST API for approving or rejecting item

[Aar Cee]

DSpace 7.1 - Is there a REST API available for approving or rejecting an Item?

We have a scenario where we have a manual reviewer workflow task which can also be completed programmatically based on certain external event. Pls suggest if there is any endpoint to approve item programmatically.

Thanks!

[Tim Donohue]

Hi,

Yes, every action available in the User Interface is possible via the REST API.  Sometimes the easiest way to find the correct REST endpoints to use is to open your browser's DevTools and watch the Network tab, as it'll include every request made to the REST API each time you perform an action in the UI.

In terms of approving/rejecting items, you'd have to use several endpoints.

First, you *MUST* have a Workflow Item created.. 

https://github.com/DSpace/RestContract/blob/main/workflowitems.md#post-method  

It's possible this is already happening automatically though, if you have a Collection with workflows enabled.

Once a WorkflowItem exists, a number of PoolTasks (i.e. workflow tasks in a pool, waiting to be claimed) will be generated. These are only visible to people who are able to act on the Item while it's in workflow. https://github.com/DSpace/RestContract/blob/main/pooltasks.md

A PoolTask must be *claimed* by someone, before they can work on it. That turns it into a ClaimedTask: https://github.com/DSpace/RestContract/blob/main/claimedtasks.md#post-method

Once it's a ClaimedTask you can perform an action on it, including approval/rejection: https://github.com/DSpace/RestContract/blob/main/claimedtasks.md#post-method-single-resource-level

There's a lot more that can be done here, obviously, but that's the basics of the "flow".  I'd highly recommend using your Browser's DevTools to look at each request made when performing these actions from the UI...it's possible I forgot a step or simplified something here.

If you have further questions, feel free to ask on this list.

Good luck,

Tim

[Carlos De Santis]

Thank you very much for the publication regarding the workflow to approve an item.

Is there a way to move the collection item?

Thank you.

[DSpace Technical Support]

Hi,

I've just written a guide for locating which REST API endpoints to use for any action in DSpace. It can be done easily by just watching which requests the User Interface makes to the REST API when you perform a task in the User interface.

https://wiki.lyrasis.org/display/DSDOC7x/REST+API#RESTAPI-FindingwhichRESTAPIEndpointtouse

Tim