Zend Framework 2 REST API : want to call get() instead of getList()

Question

I am building RESTful API in Zend Framework 2. My route is article/person. I know that if id is not passed in url then it will call getList() method, not get().

In my case, I don't pass id as a get or post parameter but I pass it in HTTP header. As I use id to perform database operations, I want it to call get() method, not getList(). How can I tweak the code to do that?

Is it possible to specify exact method name to call in routing?

Answer 1

I don't pass id as a get or post parameter but I pass it in HTTP header

This does make your REST invalid, so it isn't actually REST anymore. You therefor cannot use the RestfulAbstractController without customization.

You can either write your own abstract controller or you override the getIdentifier method:

protected function getIdentifier($routeMatch, $request)
{
    $identifier = $this->getIdentifierName();
    $headers    = $request->getHeaders();

    $id = $headers->get($identifier)->getFieldValue();
    if ($id !== false) {
        return $id;
    }

    return false;
}

Make sure you set the correct identifier name in each controller. In this case, the identifier name should match the name of the header you are using.

Note this will be used for GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE and HEAD requests, not only for GET!

/edit:

The getIdentifier method is called in the flow a controller determines which method to run. Normally, it's this:

1. The controller is constructed
2. The controller's dispatch is called (the controller is Dispatchable)
3. The dispatch triggers an event "dispatch"
4. The method onDispatch listens to this event
5. In the AbstractRestfulController the method tries to determine which method to call

For #5, it checks for example if the request is a GET request. If so, it checks if there is an identifier given. If so, the get() is used. If not, the getList() is used. The "if there is an identifier given" check is done with the getIdentifier() method.

If you extend the AbstractRestfulController with your own abstract controller and override the getIdentifier(), you can determine your own identifier. This way, you can check for the header instead of the route parameter or query parameter.