====URL (Method)====

The **url** method is a [[style|function method]] that is used to act as a 'proxy' for another API.

Unlike the [[redirect|Redirect]] method, this endpoint hides the URL of the eventual destination.

It's generally used when there is something blocking network traffic between the end user and an existing API endpoint, or when the results from an API endpoint need to be translated/converted before use.

===Additional Info.json Parameters===

This method requires a **url** parameter - this is the full url to the 'real' API function. This path can include [[substitutions|substitutions]].

===How It Works===

For this method, the user-provided parameters are available as [[substitutions]].

For example, the following info.json file...

<code>
{
    "name": "Testing",
    "method": "redirect",
    "path": "[SERVER]/api/random?message=[msg]",
    "parameters": [{ 
             "name": "Message",
             "type": "string", 
             "tag": "msg",
             "default": "Hello World"
    }].
   "folder": "Testing"
}
</code>

...would result in the following steps if it was called with the default parameter values.

===Building the Full URL===

The full URL would be built up from the available substitutions, from...

<code>
[SERVER]/api/random?message=[msg]
</code>

to

<code>
myardiserver.com/api/random?message=Hello World
</code>

===Proxying the Function Call===

The URL would then be called //from the ARDI server//. The results would then be delivered back to the caller.