This is the primary API client to make API calls. It deals with constructing and executing XML-RPC calls against the SoftLayer API.

You can pass in your username and api_key when creating a SoftLayer client instance. However, you can set these in the environmental variables 'SL_USERNAME' and 'SL_API_KEY'

Creating a client instance by passing in the username/api_key:

import SoftLayer
client = SoftLayer.Client(username='YOUR_USERNAME', api_key='YOUR_API_KEY')

Creating a client instance with environmental variables set:

# env variables
# SL_USERNAME = YOUR_USERNAME
# SL_API_KEY = YOUR_API_KEY
import SoftLayer
client = SoftLayer.Client()

Below is an example of creating a client instance with more options. This will create a client with the private API endpoint (only accessable from the SoftLayer network), a timeout of 2 minutes, and with verbose mode on (prints out more than you ever wanted to know about the HTTP requests to stdout).

client = SoftLayer.Client(
        username='YOUR_USERNAME',
        api_key='YOUR_API_KEY'
        endpoint_url=SoftLayer.API_PRIVATE_ENDPOINT,
        timeout=240,
        verbose=True,
    )

The SoftLayer API client for python leverages SoftLayer's XML-RPC API. It supports authentication, object masks, object filters, limits, offsets, and retrieving objects by id. The following section assumes you have a initialized client named 'client'.

The best way to test our setup is to call the getObject method on the SoftLayer_Account service.

client['Account'].getObject()

For a more complex example we'll retrieve a support ticket with id 123456 along with the ticket's updates, the user it's assigned to, the servers attached to it, and the datacenter those servers are in. To retrieve our extra information using an object mask.

Retreive a ticket using Object Masks.

ticket = client['Ticket'].getObject(
    id=123456, mask="mask[updates, assignedUser, attachedHardware.datacenter]")

Now add an update to the ticket.

update = client['Ticket'].addUpdate({'entry' : 'Hello!'}, id=123456)

Let's get a listing of virtual guests using the domain example.com

client['Account'].getVirtualGuests(
    filter={'virtualGuests': {'domain': {'operation': 'example.com'}}})

This call gets tickets created between the beginning of March 1, 2013 and March 15, 2013.

client['Account'].getTickets(
    filter={
        'tickets': {
            'createDate': {
                'operation': 'betweenDate',
                'options': [
                    {'name': 'startDate', 'value': ['03/01/2013 0:0:0']},
                    {'name': 'endDate', 'value': ['03/15/2013 23:59:59']}
                ]
            }
        }
    }
)

SoftLayer's XML-RPC API also allows for pagination.

client['Account'].getVirtualGuests(limit=10, offset=0)  # Page 1
client['Account'].getVirtualGuests(limit=10, offset=10)  # Page 2

Here's how to create a new Cloud Compute Instance using SoftLayer_Virtual_Guest.createObject. Be warned, this call actually creates an hourly CCI so this does have billing implications.

client['Virtual_Guest'].createObject({
        'hostname': 'myhostname',
        'domain': 'example.com',
        'startCpus': 1,
        'maxMemory': 1024,
        'hourlyBillingFlag': 'true',
        'operatingSystemReferenceCode': 'UBUNTU_LATEST',
        'localDiskFlag': 'false'
    })

.. autoclass:: SoftLayer.Client
   :members:
   :undoc-members:

   .. automethod:: SoftLayer.Client.__getitem__

.. autoclass:: SoftLayer.API.Service
   :members:
   :undoc-members:

   .. automethod:: SoftLayer.API.Service.__call__

.. automodule:: SoftLayer.exceptions
   :members:
   :undoc-members:

If you've been using the older Python client (<2.0), you'll be happy to know that the old API is still currently working. However, you should deprecate use of the old stuff. Below is an example of the old API converted to the new one.

import SoftLayer.API
client = SoftLayer.API.Client('SoftLayer_Account', None, 'username', 'api_key')
client.set_object_mask({'ipAddresses' : None})
client.set_result_limit(10, offset=10)
client.getObject()

... changes to ...

import SoftLayer
client = SoftLayer.Client(username='username', api_key='api_key')
client['Account'].getObject(mask="mask[ipAddresses]", limit=10, offset=0)

Below are examples of how the old usages to the new API.

Importing the module

# Old
import SoftLayer.API

# New
import SoftLayer

Creating a client instance

# Old
client = SoftLayer.API.Client('SoftLayer_Account', None, 'username', 'api_key')

# New
client = SoftLayer.Client(username='username', api_key='api_key')
service = client['Account']

Making an API call

# Old
client = SoftLayer.API.Client('SoftLayer_Account', None, 'username', 'api_key')
client.getObject()

# New
client = SoftLayer.Client(username='username', api_key='api_key')
client['Account'].getObject()

# Optionally
service = client['Account']
service.getObject()

Setting Object Mask

# Old
client.set_object_mask({'ipAddresses' : None})

# New
client['Account'].getObject(mask="mask[ipAddresses]")

Using Init Parameter

# Old
client.set_init_parameter(1234)

# New
client['Account'].getObject(id=1234)

Setting Result Limit and Offset

# Old
client.set_result_limit(10, offset=10)

# New
client['Account'].getObject(limit=10, offset=10)

Adding Additional Headers

# Old
# These headers are persisted accross API calls
client.add_header('header', 'value')

# New
# These headers are NOT persisted accross API calls
client['Account'].getObject(headers={'header': 'value'})

Removing Additional Headers

# Old
client.remove_header('header')

# New
client['Account'].getObject()

Adding Additional HTTP Headers

# Old
client.add_raw_header('header', 'value')

# New
client['Account'].getObject(raw_headers={'header': 'value'})

Changing Authentication Credentials

# Old
client.set_authentication('username', 'api_key')

# New
client.username = 'username'
client.api_key = 'api_key'