Author : Sajid M. Sheikh, Anselm Mathias, Annah M. Jeffrey and Shedden Masupe

 
Application developers can use APIs to integrate different functionalities into their application to access information and data or insert content from other applications. Airtime is one of the most popular Open source radio management system used. However, the Airtime application did not have any integration or automation facilities that could be used by Third party and micro service providers. This research project was therefore aimed at developing codes/ APIs in order to achieve this task. The paper presents developed APIs to insert content and data into an open source web radio system, in order to allow any developer of micro services to have the possibility to easily use the Web Radio. A systematic development process was followed in designing and creating the APIs. The Airtime application was installed on a local Linux server using Apache, PostgreSQL and the Restler Framework. Data models were then defined for handling input and output responses by the system and the API’s that were to be built. PHP code was written to address the tasks that the APIs need to perform using the Restler Framework to provide REST based implementation and integration with the Airtime application using the HTTP protocol. Testing was done using error codes. Where errors were encountered, the PHP API codes were revisited and errors traced and modified until they performed the tasks they were designed for. By reverse engineering the Postgre SQL database that supports the airtime application, suitable functions were designed and then developed to meet the objectives of inserting content into an open source web radio. The API functions that were created are track/download, track/upload, playlist/create, playlist/ edit, playlist/add track and playlist/remove track. The developed APIs allow developers to upload their own tracks, media like interviews and news broadcasts to be broadcasted on the radio. The APIs also allow developers to list the line-up of a show and change the playlist if necessary. With the assistance of the Restler (Luracast) framework, Object Oriented PHP code and SQL, scripts weresuccessfully written and tested to provide the required functionalities.

Keywords: Airtime, API, Open Source, PHP, Radio, Restler, SQL, Web Radio.

Article published in International Journal of Current  Engineering  and Technology, Vol.3,No.3(Aug- 2013)