Step by Step Guide to Building a WordPress API Integration in Python

Introduction

Hey there, fellow code wranglers! Ready to dive into the world of WordPress API integration with Python? You're in for a treat. WordPress's API is a powerhouse, and when you pair it with Python's simplicity, you've got a match made in developer heaven. Let's cut to the chase and get your Python talking to WordPress like old friends.

Prerequisites

Before we jump in, make sure you've got:

• A Python environment (3.6+ recommended)
• The requests library (pip install requests)

You're probably all set, but just in case, run a quick pip install requests to cover your bases.

Authentication

WordPress uses OAuth 2.0, which might sound fancy, but it's pretty straightforward. You'll need:

1. A client ID
2. A client secret

Head to your WordPress site, install the "Application Passwords" plugin if you haven't already, and generate these credentials. Keep them safe – they're your golden tickets.

Setting up the API Connection

Let's get our Python script ready to chat with WordPress:

import requests

base_url = "https://your-wordpress-site.com/wp-json/wp/v2"
headers = {
    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"
}

Replace YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN with the real deal, and you're good to go.

Basic API Operations

Now for the fun part – let's CRUD it up!

GET: Fetching Posts

response = requests.get(f"{base_url}/posts", headers=headers)
posts = response.json()
print(posts)

POST: Creating a New Post

new_post = {
    "title": "Hello API World",
    "content": "This post was created via API. Neat, huh?",
    "status": "publish"
}
response = requests.post(f"{base_url}/posts", headers=headers, json=new_post)
print(response.json())

PUT: Updating a Post

updated_post = {
    "title": "Updated via API",
    "content": "This post has been updated. Technology is amazing!"
}
response = requests.put(f"{base_url}/posts/123", headers=headers, json=updated_post)
print(response.json())

DELETE: Removing a Post

response = requests.delete(f"{base_url}/posts/123", headers=headers)
print(response.status_code)

Working with Custom Post Types

Got custom post types? No problem:

# Fetch custom post types
response = requests.get(f"{base_url}/custom_post_type", headers=headers)
custom_posts = response.json()

# Create a custom post type
new_custom_post = {
    "title": "New Custom Post",
    "content": "This is a custom post type entry.",
    "status": "publish"
}
response = requests.post(f"{base_url}/custom_post_type", headers=headers, json=new_custom_post)

Handling Media Uploads

Let's add some pizzazz with image uploads:

files = {
    'file': open('awesome_image.jpg', 'rb')
}
response = requests.post(f"{base_url}/media", headers=headers, files=files)
media_id = response.json()['id']

# Attach to a post
updated_post = {
    "featured_media": media_id
}
requests.put(f"{base_url}/posts/123", headers=headers, json=updated_post)

Error Handling and Rate Limiting

Always be prepared:

try:
    response = requests.get(f"{base_url}/posts", headers=headers)
    response.raise_for_status()
except requests.exceptions.HTTPError as err:
    print(f"Oops, something went wrong: {err}")

# Basic rate limiting
import time

def rate_limited_request(url):
    response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
    if response.status_code == 429:
        retry_after = int(response.headers.get('Retry-After', 5))
        time.sleep(retry_after)
        return rate_limited_request(url)
    return response

Advanced Queries

Want to get fancy? Try these:

# Filtering and sorting
params = {
    "categories": 5,
    "orderby": "date",
    "order": "desc",
    "per_page": 10,
    "page": 2
}
response = requests.get(f"{base_url}/posts", headers=headers, params=params)

Putting It All Together

Here's a little script that ties it all together:

import requests
import time

base_url = "https://your-wordpress-site.com/wp-json/wp/v2"
headers = {"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"}

def rate_limited_request(method, url, **kwargs):
    response = method(url, **kwargs)
    if response.status_code == 429:
        retry_after = int(response.headers.get('Retry-After', 5))
        time.sleep(retry_after)
        return rate_limited_request(method, url, **kwargs)
    return response

# Fetch recent posts
posts = rate_limited_request(requests.get, f"{base_url}/posts", headers=headers).json()

# Create a new post
new_post = {
    "title": "API Magic",
    "content": "Look ma, no hands!",
    "status": "publish"
}
created_post = rate_limited_request(requests.post, f"{base_url}/posts", headers=headers, json=new_post).json()

# Upload and attach media
with open('cool_pic.jpg', 'rb') as img:
    files = {'file': img}
    media = rate_limited_request(requests.post, f"{base_url}/media", headers=headers, files=files).json()

updated_post = {
    "featured_media": media['id']
}
rate_limited_request(requests.put, f"{base_url}/posts/{created_post['id']}", headers=headers, json=updated_post)

print("All done! Check your WordPress site for the new post with an image.")

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now armed and dangerous with WordPress API knowledge. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility – use your newfound skills wisely.

For more in-depth info, check out the official WordPress REST API Handbook. Now go forth and integrate!

Happy coding, you magnificent developer, you!