e-RegisterNow Application Programming Interface(API)

About the API

This video is an overview on how to use the e-RegisterNow API that is, Application Programming Interface. The e-RegisterNow user’s account must be enabled for the API. Enabling is done by checking a box in the Edit; User menu option.

The API is designed to allow developers access to company data for the purposes of software development in the form of making additional apps, reports or programs. Third party developers can also request additional API calls if a particular call doesn’t appear to be available. This is done by contacting the e-RegisterNow support team. The documentation for API calls can be found under the API link on the e-RegisterNow home page.

Inside the API documentation, there are three horizontal bars near the top of the page, which will open the API Menu. On each page, in the right hand column of the table there exists detailed documentation for each specific call making it easier to develop with it.

Here you will find all of the API call types that are currently available for use. These include:

1. Authentication – allows the api user to receive a 24-hour security token. This token is required for each of the subsequent API calls.

2. Gateway – allows for the making of credit card SALES and REFUNDS. These calls can allow a 3rd party program to use the company’s corporate merchant account

3. Email – facilitates sending out of emails and receipts.

4. Registrant Enrolment – provides enrolment information as well as event definition settings

5. Transactions – provides transaction lookups from approved and declined transactions. There is a 50 record limit for each call.

6. Tickets – provides information on ticket status and numeral counts for tickets sold and redeemed

7. Software – although not an API call, this page provides a list of available e-RegisterNow software and downloads to the latest versions. If you ever need to get a copy of the software please download the software from this page because it will always contain the latest version. If you click on version history you will be able to see what changes were made to the program.

8. JSON Validator – a link to a JSON Validator, this makes reading output from the API much easier

To use the API, begin by upgrading your e-RegisterNow user account to an API user account. This is done in the C-level or M-level, under the menu option Edit; User. Check the “API User” box.

Next, choose one of the authentication posts. These posts are used to Authenticate with the e-RegisterNow server. After submitting the post to the server you will receive a 24-hour security token to use for access to the rest of the calls.

How to Use the API

Now we will go over an example on how to use the API to get a customer’s receipt without knowing the receipt’s reference number. Note: This process is not done by hand but rather by making API calls. Let’s first check to make sure our user account is enabled to be an API user.

The next thing we will need is a 24-hour security token. To get a security token we need to go to the Authentication page. For this example, we will use API call 1.0 which requires an IKEY. An IKEY or ignition key is a key that links multiple M-accounts together. To learn the difference between 1.1 and 1.2 please refer to the C and M Accounts video. Type in your IKEY, your e-RegisterNow login email and, your password or pin. Next select whether you would like to receive the data in JSON or Tab Delimited, I will use JSON. Next click on the “POST” button, you will then see a long string of letters and numbers. This is your security token.

Now that we have our security token we need to lookup the custom’s transaction, so we will go to the Transactions page. Since we don’t have the customer’s reference number we first need to do a broad lookup for it. This means that we will use API call 6.1. First put in your security token and input any information that the customer has given you, this may include the cardholder name, credit card expiry date, the registrant’s name, their company name and the amount of the transaction. After inputting the information again choose between JSON and Tab Delimited and click “POST”. Depending on how much information you input you might get a return of multiple transactions, to make it easier to read we can put the JSON return string through the JSON Validator. Copy and paste the JSON into the validator and click “Validate”. It should now be easy to read.

We will now find the exact transaction that we are looking for. In this case it is Fred Flintstone., so we are going to copy the reference number associated to their transaction and paste it into API call 6.0 on the transactions page with your security token. Click “POST”. Now put the data through the JSON Validator and find the url link. Copy the link and paste it into your web browser. You will now see the customers receipt.

If there is any specific data that you would like to access and e-RegisterNow does not already have a call to access the data please do not hesitate to contact e-RegisterNow staff to have it be custom made.