Getting Started

Introduction

VectorVMS brings together a wide selection of application programming interfaces (APIs) to give you access to the vendor management system. Currently you can use our APIs to access requisition data.  In the future you will have the ablility to submit candidates, submit and approve timesheets, and many other functions. There are two steps to getting started with VectorVMS APIs. The first is to request access and get your API Key and Secret. The key and secret identify your account and application to the API and are needed for any API calls. To request access, click the Contact Us link and fill out the Request for Access form. Once you have received notification that you access has been set up, you will be able to log into the API Developer Portal.  Click the My Account link to find your API Key and Secret.

Authentication

VectorVMS APIs use authentication keys and signatures to allow access to the API. Each API requires its own separate key, and the API key and signature must be included in each request. Your API Keys and Secrets are created automatically when access is first set up and later when additional API access is granted. 

The signature is a generated using API Key+Secret+Timestamp Hash (SHA-256).  The timestamp hash is in milliseconds, UTC time, and only utilizes the first 10 digits of the generated string.  This signature can be generated using a variety of different methods.  For example: Javascript, C#, or within Postman.

Here is sample code for generating the signature via Postman (in the pre-request script area). This code can be modified for use in standard javascript.  Please note that Crypto JS is required for the above code (included with Postman):

 

// Access your env variables like this
var key=pm.environment.get("v3 API key");
var secret = pm.environment.get("v3 API secret");

const now = new Date();
var t = now.getTime().toString();
t = t.substring(0,10);

var sig = CryptoJS.SHA256(key + secret + t).toString();
// Set the new environment variable
pm.globals.set("sig", sig);

 

Here is an example call to the VectorVMS API using API key and signature authentication in the header:

curl -X GET "https://uat.vmsapi.vectorvms.com/requisitions?filterfield=&filtervalue=&filteroperator=&Vendor_Org_Id=1989&Client_Org_Id=1988" -H  "accept: application/json" -H  "x-api-key: {your_api_key}" -H  "x-signature: {your_api_signature}"

Using APIs

Various methods can be used to call the VectorVMS APIs once you have access. For example, you can use our Interactive APIs to test those calls against live data.

To use the Interactive APIs:

  1. Click the Interactive API link and select the API you want to view from the dropdown.
  2. Click the specific API you wish to test (GET, POST, etc)
  3. Click Try it out.
  4. Enter the desired parameters and API Key.
  5. Generate a signature and enter in the required field.
  6. Click Execute.

version 66 as of 3 years ago by Gregory Kreh