REST

oTree has a REST API that enables external programs (such as other websites) to communicate with oTree.

A REST API is just a URL on your server that is designed to be accessed by programs, rather than being opened manually in a web browser.

One project that uses the REST API a lot is oTree HR.

Setup

Note

“Where should I put this code?”

This code does not need to go inside your oTree project folder. Since the point of the REST API is to allow external programs and servers to communicate with oTree across the internet, you should put this code in that other program. That also means you should use whatever language that other server uses. The examples on this page use Python, but it’s simple to make HTTP requests using any programming language, or tools like webhooks or cURL.

import requests  # pip3 install requests
from pprint import pprint


GET = requests.get
POST = requests.post

# if using Heroku, change this to https://YOURAPP.herokuapp.com
SERVER_URL = 'http://localhost:8000'
REST_KEY = ''  # fill this later

def call_api(method, *path_parts, **params) -> dict:
    path_parts = '/'.join(path_parts)
    url = f'{SERVER_URL}/api/{path_parts}/'
    resp = method(url, json=params, headers={'otree-rest-key': REST_KEY})
    if not resp.ok:
        msg = (
            f'Request to "{url}" failed '
            f'with status code {resp.status_code}: {resp.text}'
        )
        raise Exception(msg)
    return resp.json()

“oTree version” endpoint

Note

New beta feature as of March 2021.

GET URL: /api/otree_version/

Example

data = call_api(GET, 'otree_version')
# returns: {'version': '5.0.0'}

“Session configs” endpoint

Note

New beta feature as of March 2021.

GET URL: /api/session_configs/

Returns the list of all your session configs, as dicts with all their properties.

Example

data = call_api(GET, 'session_configs')
pprint(data)

“Rooms” endpoint

Note

New beta feature as of March 2021.

GET URL: /api/rooms/

Example

data = call_api(GET, 'rooms')
pprint(data)

Example output (note it includes session_code if there is currently a session in the room):

[{'name': 'my_room',
  'session_code': 'lq3cxfn2',
  'url': 'http://localhost:8000/room/my_room'},
 {'name': 'live_demo',
  'session_code': None,
  'url': 'http://localhost:8000/room/live_demo'}]

“Create sessions” endpoint

POST URL: /api/sessions/

Here are some examples of how the “create sessions” endpoint can be used:

• Other websites can create oTree sessions automatically
• You can make a fancier alternative to oTree’s Configure sessions interface (e.g. with sliders and visual widgets)
• Process that will create new oTree sessions on some fixed schedule
• Command line script to create customized sessions (if otree create_session is not sufficient)

Example

data = call_api(
    POST,
    'sessions',
    session_config_name='trust',
    room_name='econ101',
    num_participants=4,
    modified_session_config_fields=dict(num_apples=10, abc=[1, 2, 3]),
)
pprint(data)

Parameters

• session_config_name (required)
• num_participants (required)
• modified_session_config_fields: an optional dict of session config parameters, as discussed in Configure sessions.
• room_name if you want to create the session in a room.

“Get session data” endpoint

Note

New feature as of March 2021. In beta until we get sufficient user feedback.

GET URL: /api/sessions/{code}

This API retrieves data about a session and its participants. If participant_labels is omitted, it returns data for all participants.

Example

data = call_api(GET, 'sessions', 'vfyqlw1q', participant_labels=['Alice'])
pprint(data)

“Session vars” endpoint

Note

As of April 2021, this endpoint requires you to pass a session code as a path parameter. If the session is in a room, you can get the session code with the rooms endpoint.

POST URL: /api/session_vars/{session_code}

This endpoint lets you set session.vars. One use is experimenter input. For example, if the experimenter does a lottery drawing in the middle of the experiment, they can input the result by running a script like the one below.

Example

call_api(POST, 'session_vars', 'vfyqlw1q', vars=dict(dice_roll=4))

“Participant vars” endpoint

POST URL: /api/participant_vars/{participant_code}

Pass information about a participant to oTree, via web services / webhooks.

Example

call_api(POST, 'participant_vars', 'vfyqlw1q', vars=dict(birth_year='1995', gender='F'))

“Participant vars for room” endpoint

POST URL: /api/participant_vars/

Similar to the other “participant vars” endpoint, but this one can be used when you don’t have the participant’s code. Instead, you identify the participant by the room name and their participant label.

Example

call_api(
    POST,
    'participant_vars',
    room_name='qualtrics_study',
    participant_label='albert_e',
    vars=dict(age=25, is_male=True, x=[3, 6, 9]),
)

Parameters

• room_name (required)
• participant_label (required)
• vars (required): a dict of participant vars to add. Values can be any JSON-serializable data type, even nested dicts/lists.

You will need to give participants a link with a participant_label, although this does not need to come from a participant_label_file.

Authentication

If you have set your auth level to DEMO or STUDY, you must authenticate your REST API requests.

Create an env var (i.e. Heroku config var) OTREE_REST_KEY on the server. Set it to some secret value.

When you make a request, add that key as an HTTP header called otree-rest-key. If following the setup example above, you would set the REST_KEY variable.

Demo & testing

For convenience during development, you can generate fake vars to simulate data that, in a real session, will come from the REST API.

In your session config, add the parameter mock_exogenous_data=True (We call it exogenous data because it originates outside oTree.)

Then define a function with the same name (mock_exogenous_data) in your project’s shared_out.py (if you are using a text editor, you may need to create that file).

Here’s an example:

def mock_exogenous_data(session):
    participants = session.get_participants()
    for pp in participants:
        pp.vars.update(age=20, is_male=True) # or make it random

You can also set participant labels here.

When you run a session in demo mode, or using bots, mock_exogenous_data() will automatically be run after creating_session. However, it will not be run if the session is created in a room.

If you have multiple session configs that require different exogenous data, you can branch like this:

def mock_exogenous_data(session):
    if session.config['name'] == 'whatever':
        ...
    if 'xyz' in session.config['app_sequence']:
        ...