xml api flickr tutorial username error message

[WaveLength]

I am getting the following error message when using the code from your flickr tutorial:
"No Username Specified".

I have entered my flickr api key in this line:
$apiKey = new XML_RPC_Value('[ENTER API KEY HERE]');

Is there something else I need to do to make this work?

For your reference, your flickr tutorial is here:
http://www.phpbuilder.com/columns/adam_delves20060417.php3?page=1

Thanks.

[bradgrafelman]

Can you show us the full code you're using when you get this error? (Don't forget to obfuscate any sensitive data, e.g. your API key.)

[WaveLength]

<?php
require_once 'XML/RPC.php';

/**
 * Returns the user ID of a user given their user name
 * This function attempts to retrieve a user ID from a given username 
 * if an error occurs the optional error variable will contain the error message.
 *
 * @see [url]http://www.flickr.com/services/api/flickr.people.findByUsername.html[/url]
 *
 * @param $username string Username to find
 * @param $error string Reference to variable which will hold the error message (if any).
 * @return mixed The user ID as a string, or false, if the call fails.
 */
function flickr_people_findByUsername($username, &$error=false)
{
$apiKey = $GLOBALS['apiKey']; // holds a reference to the RPC Client
$flickr = $GLOBALS['flickr']; // an XML_RPC_Value object containing the API key

    $params['api_key'] = $apiKey;
$params['username'] = new XML_RPC_Value($username);

	/* create an RPC Message and initialize it with the parameters */
$flickr_people_findByUsername = @(new XML_RPC_Message('flickr.people.findByUsername',
						array(new XML_RPC_Value($params, 'struct'))));

/* call the RPC */
$response = $flickr->send($flickr_people_findByUsername);

/* check for a fault */
    if (! $response->faultCode()) {
    /* load the response into a Simple XML object */
    $xml = simplexml_load_string(XML_RPC_Decode($response->value()));

    return $xml['nsid']; // return the user ID
    } else {
    $error = $response->faultString(); // set the $error variable to the fault description
    return false;
}
}

/**
 * Returns a SimpleXML object containing a list of photos for a given use as described in the
 * documentation for the flickr.people.getPublicPhotos API function.
 *
 * @param $user_id string User ID
 * @param $per_page int Maximum number of pictures to return.
 * @param $page_no int Page number to return. Defualts to 1.
 * @param $extra string Extra information asdesribed in the API documentation.
 * @param $error string Reference to variable which will hold the error message (if any).
 * @return SimpleXMLElement the XML document as a SimpleXMLElement object
 *
 * @see [url]http://www.flickr.com/services/api/flickr.people.getPublicPhotos.html[/url]
 */
function flickr_people_getPublicPhotos($user_id, $per_page=null, $page_no=null, $extras=null, &$error=false)
{
$apiKey = $GLOBALS['apiKey']; // holds a reference to the RPC Client
$flickr = $GLOBALS['flickr']; // an XML_RPC_Value object containing the API key

    $params['api_key'] = $apiKey;

$params['user_id'] = new XML_RPC_Value($user_id);

/* load optional argumentswhere they have been supplied */
if (! is_null($per_page)) {
    $params['per_page'] = new XML_RPC_Value($per_page);
}

if (! is_null($page_no)) {
    $params['page_no'] = new XML_RPC_Value($page_no);
}

if (! is_null($extras)) {
    $params['extras'] = new XML_RPC_Value($extras);
}	

/* create an RPC Message and initialize it with the parameters */
$flickr_people_getPublicPhotos = @(new XML_RPC_Message('flickr.people.getPublicPhotos',
							array(new XML_RPC_Value($params, 'struct'))));		

/* call the RPC */
$response = $flickr->send($flickr_people_getPublicPhotos);

    if (! $response->faultCode()) {
    /* if the response is alid, load it into a SimpleXMLElement and return */
    $xml = simplexml_load_string(XML_RPC_Decode($response->value()));
} else {
   $error = $response->faultString();
   return false;
    }	

    if ($xml['total'] == 0) {
    /* if not photos were found, return an error */
    $error = 'No Photos';
    return false;
    } else {
    return $xml->photo; // return only the photo list
    }
}

$error = false;
$apiKey = new XML_RPC_Value('[ENTER API KEY HERE]');

/* check first for a user name sent with the query string - if this does not exist an error is returned */
if (isset($_GET['username'])) {
/* create the client - the URI of the server endpoint and the host are both required */
$flickr = new XML_RPC_Client('/services/xmlrpc/', 'www.flickr.com');

/* find the user_id */
$username = $_GET['username'];

/* only get the pictures if the request for the user ID succeeded */
if (($user_id = flickr_people_findByUsername($username, $error))) {
    $photos = flickr_people_getPublicPhotos($user_id, 4, 1, null, $error);   
}	
} else {
$error ='No Username Specified';
}

?>
<html>
<head>
<title>Flickr RPC Demo</title>
<style type="text/css">
#latestFlickr { border: 2px solid black; width: 130px; text-align: center; }
#latestFlickr h2 { text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 70&#37;;}
#latestFlickr .flickrPhoto { margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;}
.flickrPhoto img {margin-bottom: 3px; border:0px;}
</style>

</head>
<body>
<div id="latestFlickr">
    <h2>Latest Flickr Photos</h2>
    <?php if ($error !== false): ?>
	<div class="error"><?php echo(htmlspecialchars($error)) ?></div>
    <?php else: ?>
	<?php foreach($photos as $photo): /* travese the photo list and
					     construct a link and image URL for each */?>
	    <div class="flickrPhoto">
		<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/<?php echo("{$user_id}/{$photo['id']}/") ?>"><img 
		    src="http://static.flickr.com/<?php echo("{$photo['server']}/{$photo['id']}_{$photo['secret']}_s.jpg") ?>" /></a>
	    </div>
	<?php endforeach; ?>
    <?php endif; ?>
</div>
</body>

</html>

[WaveLength]

Okay, the code shown above is the exact contents of the zip file that was posted with the article, which is here:

http://www.phpbuilder.com/columns/adam_delves20060417.php3

Being short of time, I just inserted my flickr api key where indicated, and expected the code to work. It didn't.

On closer examination today, I realized that a value for $_GET['username'] was needed.

I also realized that much of the php in the html section was garbled. So I fixed it, as shown below. But still, the functions return only errors. As a php beginner, I don't think I can sort this out.

I have 2 questions:
1. Why was such garbled code posted with an article on this website?
2. Why is there such a scarcity of php api xml examples on the internet? I have not found anything useful yet. Can anyone provide links to something that actually works, and is really clear so a beginner can learn from it?

Thanks.

MY FIXED VERSION OF THE HTML SECTION:

<html>
<head>
<title>Flickr RPC Demo</title>
<style type="text/css">
#latestFlickr { border: 2px solid black; width: 130px; text-align: center; }
#latestFlickr h2 { text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 70&#37;;}
#latestFlickr .flickrPhoto { margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;}
.flickrPhoto img {margin-bottom: 3px; border:0px;}
</style>

</head>
<body>
<div id="latestFlickr">
<h2>Latest Flickr Photos</h2>

<script language="php">

if ($error !== false){
print "<div class='error'>htmlspecialchars{$error}</div>";
}
foreach($photos as $photo) / travese the photo list and construct a link and image URL for each /
{
print "<div class='flickrPhoto'>
<a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/{$user_id}/{$photo['id']}/>
<img src='http://static.flickr.com/{$photo['server']}/{$photo['id']}{$photo['secret']}s.jpg')/></a></div>";
}
</script>

</div>
</body>
</html>

[WaveLength]

For anyone else who is having difficulty learning about this topic, here are some suggestions, based on what I have learned in the past few days:
1. Be sure your server has php5 installed, including simpleXML.
2. Visit the following links. You may find them helpful:

http://devzone.zend.com/article/2387
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWONayq1EKM
http://www.phpeveryday.com/articles/SimpleXML-Creating-a-SimpleXMLElement-P533.html

Google "simplexml api tutorial" for more.

Looking at the code for that article again, I think I should not have been so critical. I just did not understand the code, and could not get it to work.