Description

Display live data from a JSON-feed / API on your wordpress-site!

Grab JSON from an URL and convert it to HTML on a WordPress-Page

JSON Content Importer – API- and Webservice-Connector – Powerful and Simple JSON-Import Plugin:

Use a templateengine to display the data from an JSON-Feed.
Define the url of the JSON-Feed, a template for it and other options like number of displayed items, cachetime etc..
Cacher with new Option: If a http-API request fails, you can use the maybe cached JSON. Set the radio-button in the plugins settings: what API-problem should be handled how (either a non valid API-http-response or a non JSON-API-response – or both). By default for backwards-compatibility this is switched off. Recommendation: Switch on the plugins-cacher (e. g. some minutes) and select the radiobutton for « If the API-http-answercode is not 200 OR sends invalid JSON: try to use cached JSON » in the plugins options.
The templateengine inserts the JSON-data in the template.
You can either use this as wordpress-shortcode inside a page – whereby some extras like urlencoding can be invoked.
Or use the Gutenberg Mode: Then you don’t have the hassle to put an shortcode together, test it and change it. With a Gutenberg-Block you can test it in realtime and create a shortcode (if you want to stay with shortcodes).

How to start and help

2 Steps using this plugin, plus: examples and the PRO-Version.

How to example of using the plugin

Basic structure of the Shortcode:
‘[jsoncontentimporter

url= »http://…json »
numberofdisplayeditems= »number: how many items of level 1 should be displayed? display all: leave empty or set -1″
urlgettimeout= »number: who many seconds for loading url till timeout? »
basenode= »starting point of datasets, the base-node in the JSON-Feed where the data is »
oneofthesewordsmustbein= »default empty, if not empty keywords spearated by ‘,’. At least one of these keywords must be in the created text (here: text=code without html-tags) »
oneofthesewordsmustbeindepth= »default: 1, number: where in the JSON-tree oneofthesewordsmustbein must be? »
]
This is the template:
Any HTML-Code plus « basenode »-datafields wrapped in « {} »
{subloop: »basenode_subloop »: »number of subloop-datasets to be displayed »}
Any HTML-Code plus « basenode_subloop »-datafields wrapped in « {} ». If JSON-data is HTML add « html » flag like « {fieldname:html} »
{/subloop: »basenode_subloop »}
[/jsoncontentimporter]’
templates like « {subloop-array:AAAA:10}{text}{subloop:AAAA.image:10}{id}{/subloop:AAAA.image}{/subloop-array:AAAA} » are possible:
one is the recursive usage of « subloop-array » and « subloop ».
the other is « {subloop:AAAA.image:10} » where « AAAA.image » is the path to an object. This is fine for some JSON-data.

Some special add-ons for datafields

« {street:purejsondata} »: Default-display of a datafield is NOT HTML, but HTML-Tags are converted : use this to use really the pure data from the JSON-Feed
« {street:html} »: Default-display of a datafield is NOT HTML: « < » etc. are converted to « &amp,lt; ». Add « html » to display the HTML-Code as Code.
« {street:htmlAndLinefeed2htmlLinefeed} »: Same as « {street:html} » plus « \n »-Linefeeds are converted to HTML-Linebreak
« {street:ifNotEmptyAddRight:,} »: If datafield « street » is not empty, add « , » right of datafield-value. allowed chars are: « a-zA-Z0-9,;_-:<>/ «
« {street:html,ifNotEmptyAddRight:extratext} »: you can combine « html » and « ifNotEmptyAdd… » like this
« {street:purejsondata,ifNotEmptyAddLeftRight:LEFT##RIGHT##} »: If datafield « street » is not empty, add text on the left and right
« {street:ifNotEmptyAdd:,} »: same as « ifNotEmptyAddRight »
« {street:ifNotEmptyAddLeft:,} »: If datafield « street » is not empty, add « , » left of datafield-value. allowed chars are: « a-zA-Z0-9,;_-:<>/ «
« {locationname:urlencode} »: Insert the php-urlencoded value of the datafield « locationname ». Needed when building URLs

JSON Content Importer PRO

This free version of « JSON Content Importer » can put together many JSON-Feeds and is flexible with it’s template-engine. But sometimes you might need more:

application building by creating a searchform and connect it to a JSON-API in the background: pass GET-Variables to use a dynamic JSON-Feed-URL (« talk to API / webservice »)
much better and more flexible templateengine: twig
use it as Widget
create and use Custom Post Types
usage on multisite installations
store Templates independent of pages
more Shortcode-Parameters
executing Shortcodes inside a template and
more features…

If the free version comes to your limit, I’m looking forward that you COMPARE PRO and FREE of the JSON Content Importer.

Captures d’écran

The JCI-Gutenberg Block is in the Widget-Blockarea
Add a Gutenberg-Block: Right the settings, left the output

Blocs

Cette extension fournit 1 bloc.

JSON Content Importer FREE

Installation

For detailed installation instructions, please read the standard installation procedure for WordPress plugins.

Login to your WordPress installation
Install plugin by uploading json-content-importer.zip to /wp-content/plugins/.
Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu.
Klick on « JSON Content Importer » menuentry in the left bar: basic caching-settings and more instructions about usage.
Cache folder: WP_CONTENT_DIR.’/cache/jsoncontentimporter’. So « WP_CONTENT_DIR.’/cache/' » must be writable for the http-daemon. The plugin checks this and might aborts with an error-message like dir is missing or not writeable. if so: check permissions of the directories.

FAQ

Help! I need more information!

Check the plugin-website!

What does this plugin do?

This plugin gives a wp-shortcode for use in a page/blog to import, cache and display JSON-data. Inside wp-shortcode some markups (and attributes like urlencode) are defined to define how to display the data.

How can I make sure the plugin works?

See this video and try to experiment:

Create a sample-page and use the wordpress-shortcode « jsoncontentimporter ». An example is given in the plugin-configpage and in the « Description »-Section.
there are 2 steps: . access to JSON and convert it to HTML: Step 1: Get access to the JSON-data and Step 2: Convert JSON to HTML.
The Pro-version comes with a installation-check option.

Who do I find the proper template for my JSON?

Check the plugin-website!
Free-Version: If you’re lost: open ticket at wordPress.org please provide the JSON-code or link to it (either in the posting or in a mail to the plugin author).

Don’t forget:

Donate whatever this plugin is worth for you

What does this plugin NOT do?

The plugins templateengine of the free version is focused on some basic JSON-imports.
If this comes to a limit check out the pro-version: There you can use the twig-templatengine, create custom posts out of JSON and many other features.
Your options if this plugin does not work:

use correct code for this plugin 😉
if the above is ok, change the JSON-Input
open ticket at wordPress.org provide the JSON-code there or an email to the plugin-author.
Check the pro-plugin!

Where is this plugin from?

This plugin is made in munich, bavaria, germany!
Famous for Oktoberfest, FC Bayern Munich, AllianzArena, DLD, TUM, BMW, Siemens, seas, mountains and much more…

Avis

augustelements 22 février 2023

This plugin does a great job of integrating JSON data with WordPress. It does require some coding knowledge, though it saves a ton of time with pulling in data. The support is also fast and reliable. The pro version is even more powerful with ability to set custom post type and custom field data!

wildfiree 20 février 2023

Title says it all. Great plugin, amazing documentation and support from developer. For even more features, look at the PRO version.

comprasae2512 21 novembre 2022

Fantastic plugin that solved my integration problem. Super fast and easy support. Indicate! Thank you all!

jeroen815 30 mai 2022

This plugin does exactly what it needs to do. When I was struggling with a technical detail, Bernhard perfectly helped me out. Thanks for the great support!

invision-studios 22 mai 2022

I haven't had the need to purchase the paid version of this plugin, as the free version here on Wordpress.org does everything I need. I've used it for 1/2 dozen products, and in only one case did I have to add any custom code (to parse the JSON text provided by a custom API). When I reached out to the author Bernhard with a question on two separate occasions, he replied with a solution within 24 hours. I'm so happy with this plugin I made a donation (you should too!). The plugin is incredibly simple, but powerful. I highly recommend it if you need to connect your WP site to JSON feed from an API. You can't go wrong.

codux 8 mars 2022 1 reply

I searched exactly for this plugin, very useful and the tutorial video is very understandable !! Thanks a lot @berkux ! One of best plugins ever !!!

Lire les 67 avis

Contributeurs & développeurs

« JSON Content Importer » est un logiciel libre. Les personnes suivantes ont contribué à cette extension.

berkux

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Traduisez « JSON Content Importer » dans votre langue.

Le développement vous intéresse ?

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Journal

1.3.17

WordPress 6.2 changed the way Blocks are rendered. This Update fixes the crash of the JCI-Block with wordpress 6.2

1.3.16

Fixed security issue: Rio D. discovered and reported a Cross Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability to Patchstack. Thank you Rio! For utilize you need WordPress-Backend-Access and the affected Page is in the WordPress-Adminarea only. Nevertheless: Update your JCI-Plugin, please!
PHP 8.1 fixes

1.3.15

New! Use JCILISTITEM to show a JSON-List: {subloop-array:mylist:no_first_item,no_last_item}AA{JCILISTITEM}BB<
{/subloop-array:mylist}, see https://doc.json-content-importer.com/json-content-importer/free-show-the-data/ for more
Enhanced! « purejsondata,ifNotEmptyAdd », « purejsondata,ifNotEmptyAddRight », « purejsondata,ifNotEmptyAddLeftRight » and « purejsondata,ifNotEmptyAddLeft », e. g. {jsondata:purejsondata,ifNotEmptyAddLeft:TEXT}, see https://doc.json-content-importer.com/json-content-importer/free-show-the-data/ for more
Plugin Ok with WP 6.1.1
PHP 8.1 fixes

1.3.14

New Shortcode-Parameter: « trytorepairjson=16 » in the Shortcode removes non ASCII characters from the JSON data
Bugfix after WordPress 6.0 changes: Load JSONcontentimporter-Quicktag in a slightly different way
Bugfix: Handling of JSON-Nodes containing ( or )
Plugin Ok with WP 6.0.2

1.3.13

Added sslverify-switch in the plugins general options: If a https-certificate is suddenly invalid, try to switch off it’s verification (not ideal, but pragmatic)
Some improvements for debug-infos (e. g. add debugmode=10 to the shortcode)
Plugin Ok with WP 5.8.1

1.3.12

Importaint speed-up Bugfix for JCI-Gutenberg-Block! If you run your WordPress with Gutenberg-Blocks (no ClassicEditor-Plugin active) several unneeded libraries are loaded (independend of using a JCI-Block or not). This slows the site and gives bad load-ratings e. g. at Googles Pagespeed ( https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/ ). With this fix the unneeded libraries are not loaded any more and the load-rating should be better.
Background-Check for allow_url_fopen in Plugin Options: If allow_url_fopen is not set to TRUE in the PHP-Settings, this might prevent PHP and the plugin to get JSON via http-requests from remote servers (if there no red text, all is ok)
Plugin Ok with WP 5.6.1

1.3.11

Internationalization added: Available languages are English, German. Feel free to add other languages!
Shotcodeparam nojsonvalue: If « nojsonvalue=y » the API-Answer is available as {nojsonvalue}, helpful if the API answer is not JSON
Plugin Ok with WP 5.6

1.3.10

Bugfix if subloop’s have several unreplaced {…} items
Plugin Ok with WP 5.5.1

1.3.9

Bugfix if a JSON-field is not always there or null (loop stopped if so)
Placeholders for template: If you want to have curly or square brackets {}[] in the template, this can trouble the shortcode-syntax or the template-parser. Use the placeholders #CBO# (curly brackets open), #CBC# (curly brackets close), #SBO# (square brackets open) and #SBC# (square brackets close) in the template, the placeholders will be replaced by it’s bracket-values in the end after parsing.
Plugin ok with WP 5.4.2

1.3.8

Compatibility fix: Plugin is now Ok with PHP 7.4

1.3.7

New Option: If a http-API request fails, you can use the maybe cached JSON. Set the radio-button in the plugins settings: what API-problem should be handled how (either a non valid API-http-response or a non JSON-API-response – or both). By default for backwards-compatibility this is switched off. Recommendation: Switch on the plugins-cacher (e. g. some minutes) and select the radiobutton for « If the API-http-answercode is not 200 OR sends invalid JSON: try to use cached JSON » in the plugins options.

1.3.6

Bugfix: Add Gutenberg-JS only in the backend (before it was also in the frontend)

1.3.5

New: Added a Quicktag to the WordPress-Text-Editor to insert the JSONContentImporter-Shortcode incl. an example

1.3.4

New Plugin-Option: Switch off Gutenberg features (maybe a site builder needs that)

1.3.3

Bugfix of Bugfix, sorry…

1.3.2

Bugfixes: detect Gutenberg and WordPress 5.0

1.3.1

Bugfixes

1.3.0

Plugin is ok with the Gutenberg Plugin 3.9.0
Gutenberg-Mode: With an active Gutenberg Plugin you get an easy example for testing and learing how to use the plugin. If you don’t want to use Gutenberg on live-stage: Use it to easy create the shortcode (almost avoid the learning of the shortcode-parameter-syntax)

1.2.20

Plugin is ok with WordPress 4.9.8
Plugin is ok with the Gutenberg Plugin 3.6.2
Plugin is ok with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): The plugin does not collect personal data itself. You may list the plugin in your GDPR-documentation as used software. Maybe the used API uses personal data – then you have to take care of the GDPR.
Improved debugmode (use debugmode=10 in the shortcode for that)
Changed the Videolink to a better HowTo-Video
Added upgradelink to pro plugin in PluginList

1.2.19

Plugin is ok with WordPress 4.9.1
Adding « debugmode=10 » to the Shortcode parameters will show you info about the API-JSON-retrieve and the used template for converting to HTML.
Ever since the plugin uses the PHP function « mb_check_encoding » to detect a maybe needed character-conversion. Unfortunately some WordPress/PHP-installations do not have the PHP-optional « Multibyte String »-library required for that. Then the plugin does not work. Now the availablility of « mb_check_encoding » is checked: If it’S not there the conversion-feature is disabled.
At the Plugin-options you can set a « Bearer »-accesskey for oAuth-Bearer-Authentication. The there defined accesskey-string is sent to the API as « Authorization:Bearer accesskey ». Some APIs just need « Authorization:accesskey ». So « Bearer » should not sent. To do this add « nobearer » (with one space at the end) at the beginning of the option-field.

1.2.18

Plugin is ok with WordPress 4.7.5
New option: Add Default Useragent for http-request (some APIs need that)

1.2.17

Plugin is ok with WordPress 4.7
https instead of http for Plugin-Website
Remove invalid quotation marks in shortcode-attributes (when copypasting example code this can happen)

1.2.16

Plugin is ok with WordPress 4.6.1
Plugin is ok with PHP 7.0
Cleaner Code

1.2.15

Plugin is ok with WordPress 4.5.2
Added features for coming future addons

1.2.14

Plugin is ok with WordPress 4.5
Improved description

1.2.13

Caching-Bug Fixed: WordPress 4.4.2 does not create a « /cache/ » folder. If « /cache/ » is missing, the plugin creates on. This is relevant for totally new WordPress installations, as older ones should have such a directory.

1.2.12

Plugin is ok with WordPress 4.4
minor change: prevent direct calls of plugin
bug fixed: path of cached files is now set ok

1.2.11

bugfix: problems with numeric JSON-values and field manipulators like {JSONkey:ifNotEmptyAdd:….}
beta feature Vers. 0.2: Fixed bug in using oAuth-Bearer-Accesscode for authentification at JSON-Server: Bearer-Code is added to the Request-Header.

1.2.10

bugfix: caching now works even with very long URLs
beta feature: On the Optionpage you can set an oAuth-Bearer-Accesscode for authentification at JSON-Server: This Bearer-Code is added to the Request-Header.

1.2.9

new: « {street:purejsondata} »: Default-display of a datafield is NOT HTML, but HTML-Tags are converted. If you want to use really the pure data from the JSON-Feed, add « :purejsondata ». Try first {street}, then {street:html} and then {street:purejsondata}. In some cases: Take care that « meta http-equiv=content-type… » is set to « utf-8 »

1.2.8

bugfix: handling of JSON-values with $

1.2.7

WordPress 4.3.1: check – all ok
bugfix: correct encoding of spaces when using {FIELD:html}
bugfix: deleting unfilled template-items containing dots

1.2.6

WordPress 4.3: check – all ok
added feature: remove unfilled template-placeholders {…}
introducing « JSON Content Importer PRO »

1.2.5

WordPress 4.2.3: check
minor bugfix regarding attribute « ifNotEmptyAddRight »
new Pluginwebsite: http://json-content-importer.com/

1.2.4

« & » in JSON-Feed-URLs are replaced by « & »

1.2.3

added a donated feature: new shortcode-params « oneofthesewordsmustnotbein », « oneofthesewordsmustnotbeindepth ». This is for excluding JSON-data from display: When one of the « , »-separated keywords at « oneofthesewordsmustnotbein » is found in the textblock, ignore this textblock

1.2.2

minor bugfix: JSON-Structures like { « $a »: « $b »} can be handled (before: « $ » made problems)

1.2.1

new feature « {street:htmlAndLinefeed2htmlLinefeed} »: Text-Linefeeds of JSON-data are converted to HTML-Linefeeds
Boolean JSON-Values were ignored before this version. Now the text « true » or « False » is displayed
Bugfixing Cacher: Timeout-Parameter of cache was not handled right
Fixed a bug with JSON-Value containing « $ »

1.2.0

new shortcode-parameter: « oneofthesewordsmustbein » and « oneofthesewordsmustbeindepth »
filter & hook for third party extensions added: hook « json_content_importer_extension » and filter « json_content_importer_result_root »
Sourcecode: Classes rearranged
minor bugfix: number of items in subloop/subloop-array was sometimes ignored and all was displayed
« made in munich » added (see faq)

1.1.2

Bugfix: tags like « {aa/aa} » are ok (previous: error)
Display JSON-HTML-Data really as HTML. Default: JSON-HTML-Data is displayed not as HTML but as HTML-Text. New in this version: tag-sytax like « {tag:html} » or « {street:html,ifNotEmptyAddRight:extratext} » allows real HTML-display.
New parameter in « [jsoncontentimporter] »-shortcode: set http-timeout « urlgettimeout ». default is 5 seconds (ueful if source-website of JSON is slow)
Logo of plugin: WordPress-Logo inserted
Update of screenshots

1.1.1

Bugfixes

1.1.0

Completely rewritten template engine for even better JSON-handling:

« subloop-array »: key should also be in the closing tag, e.g. « {subloop-array:KEY:10}{some_array_field}{/subloop-array:KEY} ».
The « subloop-array » without KEY in the closing tag is ok if there is only one « subloop-array » in the template. But if there are more than one « subloop-array » in the template insert the KEY in the closing tag!
Then the template engine can identify the correct JSON-data.
« subloop »: what is above for « subloop-array » is also for « subloop », e.g. « {subloop:KEY:10}{some_object_field}{/subloop:KEY} »
templates like « {subloop-array:AAAA:10}{text}{subloop:AAAA.image:10}{id}{/subloop:AAAA.image}{/subloop-array:AAAA} » are possible:
one is the recursive usage of « subloop-array » and « subloop ».
the other is « {subloop:AAAA.image:10} » where « AAAA.image » is the path to an object.
JSON-data with multiple use of arrays can be handled by the template engine

1.0.5

Added Screenshots
Enhanced « subloop-array », new processing of pure string/numeric-array data (before: only string/numeric-data in an object)
Enhanced FAQs: Added Link to Website for better creating shortcode-markups

1.0.4