Simplify the payload needed for the API

[philipfrench]

The v3 POST/PATCH API to create/update an item is far more complicated than it needs to be…

To build the JSON for the update…

1. I need to known which fields are in which section. It needs a call to get meta-data of the workspace.
2. I also need to know the field types, this takes another call.

Field IDs are unique, so why do I have to tell the server which section a field is in?

But my question here is…

On the INTEGER, I can specify “5” as a string, and it is intelligent enough to accept this and cast to an Int. But only if the existing field is empty. Otherwise I get an error.

--> Can the API please be changed to provide this flexibility when there is an existing value?

It would generally save the second of the two calls above, and make it a bit more flexible?

[I'm expecting feedback about validity of json here. But in the example below, “link” and “fields” must be in this order. If “fields” is first, still valid json, then I receive a success 204 but the data is not actually updated !? ]

--> Can you please consider making an API that accepts a payload like this:

PATCH /api/v3/999/items/12345?easyPayload=true&ignoreInvalidFields=true&ignoreMissingPicklist=true

{

“DESCRIPTION”: “xx”,

“EXAMPLE_STR”: “xx”,

“EXAMPLE_INT”: “5”,  or 5

“EXAMPLE_DATE”: “2025-05-01”,

“JUST_IGNORE_THIS_IF_FIELD_DOES_NOT_EXIST”: “whatever”

“COUNTRY_PICKLIST”: “Something”,   … quietly ignore if no such value

“COUNTRIES_MULTI_PICKLIST”: ["UK", "USA", "France" ]

}

(Ideally URL fields rather than another ugly Content-Type header)

This would greatly reduce the complexity of the client code needed to make a REST call. Please consider this for the next API!