API Type Administration

This function allows you to view or modify existing api types and to define new ones. The api type controls which 8MS API calls a user is permitted access to. Each user in the system is assigned an api type on the Users screen.

In the menu frame, select the API Types link located in the System Admin section of the menu. The following will appear on the screen:

Enter the API Type:
- To enter an existing one, select the type from the Select an existing type drop-down list. The fields will populate with the existing information for that user type.
- To add a new API type, enter the type in the or enter a new one text field.
Carrier Express API calls for a particular carrier may only be sent to Carrier Express if permission has been given to send API calls to that carrier. Access to a carrier is granted by selecting the appropriate checkboxes to the left of the label Carrier Express Carriers. If a user's api type does not grant access to a carrier, the API call will be immediately rejected with an error code indicating the user does not have permission to work with that carrier on Carrier Express.
Granting access to Carrier Express is not done by simply granting access to the carriers in API Types. For details on configuring a Company to use Carrier Express see the Carrier Express Administration page. Granting access to Carrier Express should be coordinated with the 8MS Support Team since there is additional work to be done at the carrier site(s) as well.
Each API call in the system is represented by an entry in the Available Permissions or Selected Permissions column. An API call listed in the Selected Permissions column is turned on for the current type; an API call listed in the Available Permissions is turned off for the current type. Clicking on an API call moves it from one side to the other (i.e., turns the API call on or off). Clicking on a section heading (e.g., Batch Requests) moves all of the API calls in the section.
Selecting the buttons will toggle the selection of all the API calls on the screen (i.e., the contents of the Available and Selected Permissions columns will be swapped).
To save changes or to save an API type, select the button.
To delete an API type, select the button.

The API Types screen manages two forms of API access.

An 8MS API User will need to be given access to the Carrier Express Request API calls. This is controlled by selecting the desired API calls, moving the calls from the Available Permissions section to the Selected Permissions section.
A Carrier Express API User will need to be given access to carriers within Carrier Express. This is controlled by the checkboxes in the top area of the API Types screen.

It is unlikely that any single user will ever be granted both forms of access. If you have questions on this, please contact the 8MS Support Team.