BitInstant PHP API Example

[brucegregory]

Does anyone have a working PHP script with bitinstant's API? If so will you please share.

Thanks!

[1714618041]

1714618041

[1714618041]

1714618041

[1714618041]

1714618041

[gweedo]

just use curl on this URL https://www.bitinstant.com/api/json/<method> not too difficult

[Gareth Nelson]

Does anyone have a working PHP script with bitinstant's API? If so will you please share.

Thanks!

If you still have a need for this then drop an email to support@bitinstant.com outlining what you're trying to do with our API and i'll help you out.

[BCB]

I started building a php wrapper a while ago but the documentation was so confusing I abandoned it. Let me know what calls you are looking to make and I'll see if I can dig it up. 

[crazylikeafox]

I started building a php wrapper a while ago but the documentation was so confusing I abandoned it. Let me know what calls you are looking to make and I'll see if I can dig it up.  

The documentation is atrocious, and if anyone is successfully using their API and can answer my question, I'd be forever grateful.  Blockchain.info's implementation of the Bitinstant API (the "Deposit With Cash" function) has been broken for 3 days, which is probably a bad sign.  To get a quote, we're supposed to send along the user's birthday, and the documentation says "User's birthday in the following format:" and ends there.  The format isn't specified.  I could probably guess the proper format if the server would accept anything at all, but unfortunately I can't get that far.

When I send a properly-encoded JSON request to:

https://www.bitinstant.com/api/json/GetQuote/ (to get a quote)

With a post body of:

{"pay_method":"zipzap","amount":80,"dest_exchange":"btc","dest_account":"1FqWCdCdFeok2ifsfYbcFxwiC8pE7h9xhC","notify_email":"test@example.com"}

It returns:

{"error": "Update your code - pass parameters as the POST body, JSON encoded"}

No matter what you do.  Can anyone shed any light on this?

[crazylikeafox]

Why is your amount a string it should be

Code:

{"pay_method":"zipzap","amount":80,"dest_exchange":"btc","dest_account":"1FqWCdCdFeok2ifsfYbcFxwiC8pE7h9xhC","notify_email":"test@example.com"}

Forgot to mention that.  I've tried it both ways, and it doesn't matter.  Returns the same error message.  I was grasping at straws when I did that.

[payb.tc]

what do you mean by "post body" ?

how are you encoding it? are you putting that JSON in a string var?

are you using curl?

[crazylikeafox]

what do you mean by "post body" ?

how are you encoding it?

are you using curl?

I've tried it in the above format with both cURL and in a Delphi program.  Doesn't matter, same result.  You would think they would ask for a named Post field, like "jsondata={json stuff}" but the documentation disputes that and doesn't list any field name.

[crazylikeafox]

Did you make sure to set the header as "application/json" for the content type? Also make sure your not sending it as a post parameter but your actually write it to the url

I am using application/json but could you clarify what you mean by "make sure your not sending it as a post parameter but your actually write it to the url"?

Thanks for the help.

[crazylikeafox]

Did you make sure to set the header as "application/json" for the content type? Also make sure your not sending it as a post parameter but your actually write it to the url

I am using application/json but could you clarify what you mean by "make sure your not sending it as a post parameter but your actually write it to the url"?

Thanks for the help.

So instead of sending an array you send the data like

Code:

curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS,"{\"pay_method\":\"zipzap\",\"amount\":80.00,\"dest_exchange\":\"btc\",\"dest_account\":\"1FqWCdCdFeok2ifsfYbcFxwiC8pE7h9xhC\",\"notify_email\":\"test@example.com\"}");

Yes then, it appears that I'm sending it correctly.  It just doesn't work.

[payb.tc]

could you try letting PHP generate the json instead?

and if so, output the $data_string so that we can see what the difference are (if any).

[payb.tc]

Code:

$data = array(
      "pay_method" => "zipzap",
      "amount" => 80.00,
      "dest_exchange" => "btc",
      "dest_account" => "1FqWCdCdFeok2ifsfYbcFxwiC8pE7h9xhC",
      "notify_email" => "test@example.com", 
      "fName" => "John",
      "lName" => "Doe"
);
$data_string = json_encode($data);

[crazylikeafox]

Seems to be working now...will post sample code based on the help in this thread in a few minutes.  Thanks guys!

[crazylikeafox]

I got it working here try this code

Code:

<!DOCTYPE HTML>
<html>
<head>
<title></title>
</head>
<body>
<?php                                                                   
$data_string = "{\"pay_method\":\"zipzap\",\"amount\":80.00,\"dest_exchange\":\"btc\",\"dest_account\":\"1FqWCdCdFeok2ifsfYbcFxwiC8pE7h9xhC\",\"notify_email\":\"test@example.com\",\"fName\":\"John\",\"lName\":\"Doe\", \"dob\":\"1985-01-01\"}";                                                                                
 
$ch = curl_init('https://www.bitinstant.com/api/json/GetQuote');                                                                      
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, "POST");                                                                     
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $data_string);                                                                  
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);                                                                      
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array(                                                                          
    'Content-Type: application/json',                                                                                
    'Content-Length: ' . strlen($data_string))                                                                       
);                                                                                                                   
 
$result = curl_exec($ch);
echo $result;
?>
</body>
</html>

and it returns

Code:

{"NotifyEmail": "test@example.com", "ReferID": "None", "FirstName": "Doe", "DestExchange": "btc", "PayMethod": "zipzap", "LastName": "1985-01-01", "ZipZapCustomerLang": "en", "ExchangeName": "Bitcoin Address", "ZipZapCustomerCountry": "John", "ZipZapMerchantOrderID": "7c3c13a8-fbfa-49db-9e4d-a181343aec87", "DestAccount": "1FqWCdCdFeok2ifsfYbcFxwiC8pE7h9xhC", "eventtype": "Quote for new transaction", "ExpectedMaxDeliveryTime": "240.0", "ZipZapMerchantCustomerID": "3610", "OurRate": "3.99%%", "SneakPreviewUser": "129.49.21.91", "AmountPaidByClientUSD": "80.0", "expires": "1360823739.58", "GuaranteedDeliveryTime": "3600.0", "EventID": "ac10fa24-daaf-461f-9b70-1b8737be95af", "QuoteID": "ece8fa32-724b-4145-bfa4-fbeaa3592e83", "AmountCreditedToClientAccountUSD": "76.808", "dob": "", "EventSentAt": "1360820139.58", "ZipZapPassthru": "ece8fa32-724b-4145-bfa4-fbeaa3592e83"}

I just realized the same thing.  Thank you so much for the help!  BitInstant, for the love of god, fix your docs.

[payb.tc]

so the conclusion is that you needed to be posting a mandatory field, d.o.b., yet the error message was too vague.

[crazylikeafox]

so the conclusion is that you needed to be posting a mandatory field, d.o.b., yet the error message was too vague.

Actually, no.  It does come back with a proper error message saying the format that the DOB must be in once you get to the point where it will accept the data.  I haven't yet analyzed it enough to tell the functional differences between my code and the working code, so I don't have a conclusion yet as to what was going wrong.  They were incredibly similar.

[qrs]

I have full script The Bitcoin Shopping Cart Interface in PHP, do you want it?

[crazylikeafox]

I have full script The Bitcoin Shopping Cart Interface in PHP, do you want it?

Thanks, I would love it if you could PM me a link.  Too bad BitInstant is out of commission at the moment and not communicating what's going on, but hopefully they'll be back soon.