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Version: 4.4

Function Definitions

An External function definition is the class, and collection of functions, used to define:

  • any parameters that the function expects to take, including any types
  • what the function will return, including any types
  • whether the function has been deprecated, or not

It also includes the code that will actually be executed by the function.

The function definition should be located within the external namespace of a component.

Example

For a component named local_groupmanager located in local/groupmanager which is responsible for creating groups on request, you may have:

  • a Web service function named: local_groupmanager_create_groups
  • defined in a class named local_groupmanager\external\create_groups
  • which is located local/groupmanager/classes/external/create_groups.php

A service definition:

  • must extend the \core_external\external_api class
  • must declare an execute_parameters function to describe the expected parameters of the function
  • must declare an execute function which is called with the functions and performs the expected actions
  • must declare an execute_returns function to describe the values returned by the function
  • may declare an execute_is_deprecated function to declare a function as deprecated
Since 4.2
Writing plugins supporting Multiple Moodle versions

The External API subsystem was restructured in Moodle 4.2 and moved from classes within a manually-required file, to autoloaded and namespaced classes.

If you are developing a plugin whose codebase is used or tested in multiple Moodle versions, including older versions of Moodle, then you:

  • must require_once the lib/externallib.php file
  • must extend the external_api class instead of \core_external\external_api

This will allow your plugin to continue working without deprecation notices or failures.

Please note that deprecation notices will be added to this pathway from Moodle 4.6 onwards.

An example definition​

local/groupmanager/classes/external/create_groups.php
<?php

namespace local_groupmanager\external;

use external_function_parameters;
use external_multiple_structure;
use external_single_structure;
use external_value;

class create_groups extends \core_external\external_api {
    public static function execute_parameters(): external_function_parameters {
        return new external_function_parameters([
            'groups' => new external_multiple_structure(
                new external_single_structure([
                    'courseid'  => new external_value(PARAM_INT, 'The course to create the group for'),
                    'idnumber'    => new external_value(
                        PARAM_RAW,
                        'An arbitrary ID code number perhaps from the institution',
                        VALUE_DEFAULT,
                        null
                    ),
                    'name' => new external_value(
                        PARAM_RAW,
                        'The name of the group'
                    ),
                    'description' => new external_value(
                        PARAM_TEXT,
                        'A description',
                        VALUE_OPTIONAL
                    ),
                ]),
                'A list of groups to create'
            ),
        ]);
    }

    public static function execute(array $groups): array {
        // Validate all of the parameters.
        [
            'groups' => $groups,
        ] = self::validate_parameters(self::execute_parameters(), [
            'groups' => $groups,
        ]);

        // Perform security checks, for example:
        $coursecontext = \context_course::instance($courseid);
        self::validate_context($coursecontext);
        require_capability('moodle/course:creategroups', $coursecontext);

        // Create the group using existing Moodle APIs.
        $createdgroups = \local_groupmanager\util::create_groups($groups);

        // Return a value as described in the returns function.
        return [
            'groups' => $createdgroups,
        ];
    }

    public static function execute_returns(): external_single_structure {
        return new external_single_structure([
            'groups' => new external_multiple_structure([
                'id' => new external_value(PARAM_INT, 'Id of the created user'),
                'name' => new external_value(PARAM_RAW, 'The name of the group'),
            ])
        ]);
    }
}
note

Available parameter types are defined in lib/moodlelib.php and are used by the validate_parameters() function and during return value checking to ensure that the service is called and working as defined.

See also​