Multiple optional parameters in flask-restful API?

Question

I have a very simple API. You give it a name, email, address, age, and it returns:

{
    'your name is':name,
    'your email is': email,
    'your address is': address,
    'your age is': age
}

However I am trying to make these parameters optional.

So I can call the API with http://127.0.0.1:5000/overflow_test/name=John i.e. name only. Or I can call with just name and email http://127.0.0.1:5000/overflow_test/name=John&email='email@gmail.com

I believe my problem lies in the api.add_resource section below:

from flask import Flask
from flask_restful import Resource, Api
import requests

app = Flask(__name__)

api = Api(app)

class hlr_lookup(Resource):

    def get(self,name,email,address,age):

        return {
            'your name is':name,
            'your email is': email,
            'your address is': address,
            'your age is': age
        }

api.add_resource(hlr_lookup,'/overflow_test/<string:name><string:email><string:address><string:age>')


if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(debug=True)

I have tried many different variations of that add_resource line.

I have checked related questions here, but the answers all structure the request like this: '/overflow_test/parameter1/parameter2/parameter3/paramter4' i.e. all the parameters are separated by a slash /.

Is it possible to do it separated by ampersands? & ? It's the style of API I'm more used to using.

http://127.0.0.1:5000/overflow_test/name=John&email='email@gmail.com

The current output if I just use the name John:

# api call

http://127.0.0.1:5000/overflow_test/name=John


# result

{
    "your name is": "name=J",
    "your email is": "o",
    "your address is": "h",
    "your age is": "n"
}

Answer 1

Solved by using flask-resful's reqparse.

More info here: https://blog.miguelgrinberg.com/post/designing-a-restful-api-using-flask-restful

from flask import Flask
from flask_restful import Resource, Api
from flask_restful import reqparse


app = Flask(__name__)

api = Api(app)

class print_stuff(Resource):


    def __init__(self):
        self.reqparse = reqparse.RequestParser()
        self.reqparse.add_argument('name', type = str, default='')
        self.reqparse.add_argument('email', type = str, default='')
        self.reqparse.add_argument('address', type = str, default='')
        self.reqparse.add_argument('age', type = str, default='')
        super(hlr_lookup, self).__init__()

    def get(self):

        args = self.reqparse.parse_args()



        return {
            'your name is':args['name'],
            'your email is': args['email'],
            'your address is': args['address'],
            'your age is': args['age']
        }

api.add_resource(print_stuff,'/overflow_test')


if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(debug=True)

Now I can call the api like this:

127.0.0.1:5000/print_stuff?name=John&age=23&address=main street new york&email=something@gmail.com