From 10.1.6 Spydus allows third parties (referred to as "vendors") to access the library system. For example, a vendor may be commissioned to build a front end for recording attendance at events. To give the vendors access to the available functions, use the API Manager to specify permissions and to generate a customer key.

• First, add a user account for the vendor (if not already create),
• Then, add the user to the API Manager

To add a user to the API Manager:

1. From the Module Menu select Maintenance, General and then API Manager.
2. Click New.
3. Click Link to find the user (i.e. the vendor), and click Select Record.
4. Select the permissions to give the vendor. In the example below, permission is provided for the LCF API, and all available Spydus module APIs. 

images/MAINT_API_MGR_PERMISSIONS_thumb.png

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For the LCF module, configurable parameters are:

• OPAC mode. Select this option to process transactions using the alert settings for "OPAC" rather than those for "Self service terminals".
• Global. Select this to look across all institutions for a borrower's loans, reservations, fees, etc.
• Include overdue fines in ‘fees-due-items’ count. Select this option to return the count of overdue fines in the 'fees-due-items' field in the patron response. If not selected, overdues will be included in the 'fines-due-items' field.  
• Include all outstanding fees in fee amount total. This parameter is not currently in use.
• Default borrower category. The default borrower category for new borrowers. If no category is set, we'll default to "Adult".
• Default registration expiry period. The default registration expiry period for new borrowers.
• Validate item barcode. Select this option if item barcodes are to be validated.
• Include RFID when identifying item. Select this option to use the RFID as well as the barcode to identify an item.
• Log access. If enabled, when the API user validates a borrower, the date, time, and location of access will be logged in the borrower record (BAL).

Next, select which modules the API user will have access to. Modules that currently support API access are:

• Circulation
• Events Management
• Public
  • Public grants access to authenticated functions performed as though a patron was accessing self-service features
• Home (requires Spydus 10.2 or higher)
• Enquiry (requires Spydus 10.2 or higher)
• General (requires Spydus 10.2 or higher)
• ERM (requires Spydus 10.6 or higher)

5. Click Save. You'll then see the authorisation information. Give this information — and a valid location code — to the vendor. The password is the one set up in the user account. With these five bits of information — customer key, username, password, institution ID and location code — the vendor can access the functions in the APIs.