home > support > API > Marketplace API > booking creation > get booking key
Getting a new booking key
Note this step is only required for Tour Operators (not Marketplace Agents).
Obtaining a booking key in various situations
- Bookings on a public facing website
- You must obtain a booking key using the process detailed below, this enables the marketplace tracking to work correctly
- Booking assigned to a specific agent
- Use Search Agents to obtain a booking key that represents the agent
- Staff created booking not assigned to a specific agent
- Set the booking key to "NO_AGENT"
Bookings on a public facing website
The process is:
- Call the Get booking redirect API call detailed below, redirect the users browser to the URL that TourCMS returns
- TourCMS processes the users cookie and redirects them back, the new booking key will be provided in the query string
The key is valid for 24 hours for that customer and there is no requirement to keep requesting the key from TourCMS within that 24 hour period. Each new customer however will require their own key. So for example you may want to request a booking key once when a customer first enters a booking process and then store it in their session.
Get booking redirect API call
This process will ensure that TourCMS picks up any Marketplace affiliate/PPC tracking information previously stored in the users browser by retrieving a cookie and recording the details alongside the newly created booking key.
Notes
Get a URL for use in retrieving a new booking key, ensures marketplace data (clicks, referrer) is maintained on the final booking / customer record.
Only for use by Tour Operators (mandatory step), not required when the API is being used by Marketplace Agents.
REST info
| Endpoint | /c/booking/new/get_redirect_url |
| Formats | XML |
| Example | /c/booking/new/get_redirect_url.xml POST data: |
| Verb | POST |
Code samples
PHP examples use the PHP Client Library with SimpleXML
Description
object get_booking_redirect_url ( SimpleXmlElement $url_data, int $channel )
Parameters
- $customer_data
- SimpleXmlElement containing the URL we want TourCMS to send the customer to
- $channel
- ID number for the channel the booking is being made with
Example
This is a two step example, the first step calls the API and then redirects the customer to TourCMS, the second step will then accept the customer back once TourCMS has finished and process the querystring parameters it has added.
Step 1: Call the API then redirect the customer to TourCMS
// Create a new SimpleXMLElement to hold the url
$url_data = new SimpleXMLElement('<url />');
// Response URL is the page we use to receive the customer back
$url_data->addChild('response_url', 'https://example.com/step2.php');
// Call TourCMS API
$result = $tourcms->get_booking_redirect_url($url_data, $channel);
// Process the redirect URL
$redirect_url = $result->url->redirect_url;
// Redirect the customer to TourCMS
header("Location: " . $redirect_url);
Step 2: TourCMS has redirected the customer back, we retrieve our key
// Retrieve the new booking Key TourCMS has generated
print "The booking key is: " . $_GET['booking_key'];
The booking key is: 0_0_12345678_1234_123abcd456fgh789123This booking key will of course not be displayed to the customer, it is just required for Tour Operator API use when subsequently calling the Start New Booking API method.
C# examples use the .Net Client Library
Overload list
XmlDocument GetBookingRedirectUrl (XmlDocument urlData, int channelId)
Parameters
- urlData
- XML document containing the URL we want TourCMS to redirect back to
- channelId
- The channel we intend to make a booking via
VB examples use the .Net Client Library
Overload list
XmlDocument GetBookingRedirectUrl (XmlDocument urlData, Integer channelId)
Parameters
- urlData
- XML document containing the URL we want TourCMS to redirect back to
- channelId
- The channel we intend to make a booking via
NodeJS examples use the NodeJS Wrapper
Example
TourCMS.getBookingRedirectUrl({
channelId: 3930,
responseUrl: "http://www.example.com",
callback: function(response) {
console.log(response.url.redirect_url);
}
});https://live.tourcms.com/..........Looking for sample code in a different language? TourCMS and community provided API libraries
Querystring parameters
There are no querystring parameters.
Post fields
| XML Node | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| url |
The root XML element, must contain:
|
Response fields
| XML Node | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| request | Confirmation of the request that you sent | ||||
| error | Any error message returned, if there is no error this will just contain the text OK. | ||||
| url |
|