1 Document Information
2 Introduction
3 Amazon Web Services Offerings
4 Search, Parameter, and Sort Types
5 Working with Amazon.com Catalog Data
6 Accessing the Amazon.com Catalog via
XML/HTTP
7 Using the Amazon.com XSLT Service
8 Accessing Amazon.com Data via SOAP
9 DTD, XSD and SOAP WSDL
10 Enabling Transactions with Amazon.com
11 Using the Developer’s Message Board and Reporting
Bugs
Appendix
A: List of Common Product Modes and Browse IDs
Appendix
B: References and Resources
Appendix C:
Document Control
1 Document
Information
This section describes the audience, assumptions,
contributors, and conventions used in this document.
1.1 Overview
Thanks for downloading the Amazon.com Web Services
software developers kit. Two audiences who will find this document useful
are:
- Web site owners who want to
enhance their Web site with Amazon content and features.
- Developers who wish to
experiment with or create applications built on Amazon.com Web
Services.
The
first Web services that we have exposed are:
- Product Display
- The ability to search for and retrieve product information from the
Amazon.com catalog, including filtering for products sold by specific
third-party sellers.
- Shopping Cart
- The ability to add Amazon.com products to shopping carts, wish
lists, and registries from third-party locations.
Using these services, Web site owners and developers can
now create applications capable of interacting with Amazon.com's
catalog, search engine, shopping cart and merchandising tools to provide
more robust offerings on third-party Web sites. Instead of simply linking
to our various products, they can embed search results, top sellers,
customized lists, recommendations, and even the Amazon.com shopping cart
within their applications. And with our XSLT engine, they can convert
standard Web services XML into customizable snippets of HTML, making it
even easier to use our data.
This document should contain all you need to get
started. We have provided a forum to discuss Amazon.com Web Services with
other developers at http://forums.prospero.com/am-assocdevxml.
And if you have feedback you'd like to send us, please feel free to do so -
you can contact us at webservices@amazon.com.
This release of Amazon.com Web Services described in
this guide is version 2.0. The full terms of use are described in the file
AMAZON.COM_LICENSE.TXT, included in this kit.
1.2 Who Should Read
this Guide?
This document is useful for Web site owners and
developers who want to create applications capable of interacting with Amazon.com's catalog, search engine, shopping cart and
merchandising tools to provide more robust offerings on third-party Web
sites. It is also useful for third-party sellers who have uploaded their
own inventory onto the Amazon.com platform, and now want to download those
same products (plus a lot of other features) to create a store filled with
their own products on their personal or business Web site.
1.3 Document
Assumptions
This document assumes a reader who has working knowledge
of XML, SOAP, or XSLT, and an understanding of how to integrate data into
an application or Web site.
1.4 Concepts Used In
This Document
This section lists terms relevant to this product, and
provides definitions for those terms.
Some of these definitions come from http://www.webopedia.com/.
Term
|
Definition
|
SOAP
|
Simple Object Access Protocol provides a way for
applications to communicate with each other over the Internet,
independent of platform. Unlike OMG's IIOP,
SOAP piggybacks a DOM onto HTTP (port 80) in order to penetrate server
firewalls, which are usually configured to accept port 80 and port 21
(FTP) requests.
SOAP relies on XML to define the format of the
information and then adds the necessary HTTP headers to send it.
SOAP was developed by Microsoft, DevelopMentor,
and Userland Software and has been proposed to
the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) as a standard.
|
XML
|
Short for Extensible Markup Language, a specification
developed by the W3C. XML is a pared-down version of SGML, designed
especially for Web documents. It allows designers to create their own
customized tags, enabling the definition, transmission, validation, and
interpretation of data between applications and between organizations.
|
API
|
Abbreviation of application program
interface, a set of
routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. A good
API makes it easier to develop a program by providing all the building
blocks. A programmer puts the blocks together.
Most operating environments provide an API so that programmers
can write applications consistent with the operating environment.
Although APIs are designed for programmers, they are ultimately good for
users because they guarantee that all programs using a common API will
have similar interfaces. This makes it easier for users to learn new
programs.
|
URI
|
Short for Uniform
Resource Identifier, the generic term for all types of names and
addresses that refers to objects on the World Wide Web. A URL is one kind
of URI.
|
DTD
|
Short for document type definition. A DTD states
what tags and attributes are used to describe content in an SGML
document, where each tag is allowed, and which tags can appear within
other tags. For example, in a DTD one could say that LIST tags can
contain ITEM tags, but ITEM tags cannot contain LIST tags. In some
editors, when authors are inputting information, they can place tags only
where the DTD allows. This ensures that all the documentation is
formatted the same way.
|
XSD
|
XSD (XML Schema Definition), a Recommendation of the
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), specifies how to formally describe the
elements in an Extensible Markup Language (XML) document. This
description can be used to verify that each item of content in a document
adheres to the description of the element in which the content is to be
placed.
|
WSDL
|
Short for Web Services Description Language, an
XML-formatted language used to describe a Web service's capabilities as
collections of communication endpoints capable of exchanging messages.
WSDL is an integral part of UDDI, an XML-based worldwide business
registry. WSDL is the language that UDDI uses. WSDL was developed jointly
by Microsoft and IBM.
|
Java
|
Java is an object-oriented language similar to C++,
but simplified to eliminate language features that cause common
programming errors. Java source code files (files with a .java extension) are compiled
into a format called bytecode (files
with a .class extension),
which can then be executed by a Java interpreter.
Compiled Java code can run on most computers because
Java interpreters and runtime environments, known as Java Virtual Machines (VMs), exist for most operating systems. Bytecode can also be converted directly into machine
language instructions by a just-in-time compiler (JIT).
|
Perl
|
Short for Practical Extraction
and Report Language, Perl is a programming language developed by Larry
Wall, especially designed for processing text. Because of its strong text
processing abilities, Perl has become one of
the most popular languages for writing CGI scripts. Perl
is an interpretive language, which makes it easy to build and test simple
programs.
|
.NET
|
A Microsoft operating system platform that
incorporates applications, a suite of tools and services and a change in
the infrastructure of the company's Web strategy.
There are four main principles of .NET from the
perspective of the user:
·
It erases the boundaries between applications and the Internet.
Instead of interacting with an application or a single Web site, .NET
will connect the user to an array of computers and services that will
exchange and combine objects and data.
·
Software will be rented as a hosted service over the Internet
instead of purchased on a store shelf. Essentially, the Internet will be
housing all your applications and data.
·
Users will have access to their information on the Internet from
any device, anytime, anywhere.
·
There will be new ways to interact with application data, such as
speech and handwriting recognition.
|
PHP
|
PHP Hypertext Preprocessor is a server-side, HTML embedded scripting language used to create
dynamic Web pages.
In an HTML document, PHP script (similar syntax to
that of Perl or C) is enclosed within special
PHP tags.
Because PHP is embedded within tags, the author can
jump between HTML and PHP (similar to ASP and Cold Fusion) instead of
having to rely on heavy amounts of code to output HTML. And, because PHP
is executed on the server, the client cannot view the PHP code.
PHP can perform any task any CGI program can do, but
its strength lies in its compatibility with many types of databases.
Also, PHP can talk across networks using IMAP, SNMP, NNTP, POP3, or HTTP.
PHP was created sometime in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf. During mid
1997, PHP development entered the hands of other contributors. Two of
them, Zeev Suraski
and Andi Gutmans,
rewrote the parser from scratch to create PHP version 3 (PHP3).
|
ASP
|
A specification for a dynamically created Web page
with an .ASP extension
that utilizes ActiveX scripting -- usually VB Script or Jscript code.
When a browser requests an ASP page, the Web server generates a page with
HTML code and sends it back to the browser. So ASP pages are similar to
CGI scripts, but they enable Visual Basic programmers to work with
familiar tools.
|
XSL
|
Short for Extensible Style Language, a specification
for separating style from content when creating HTML or XML pages. The
specifications work much like templates, allowing designers to apply
single style documents to multiple pages. XSL is the second style
specification to be offered by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The first, called Cascading Style
Sheets (CSS), is similar to XSL but does not include two major XSL
innovations -- allowing developers to dictate the way Web pages are
printed, and specifications allowing one to transfer XML documents across
different applications. W3C released the first draft of XSL in August
1998, and promotes the specifications as helpful to the Web's speed,
accessibility, and maintenance.
|
XSLT
|
Short for Extensible Style Language Transformation, the language used in XSL style sheets
to transform XML documents into other XML documents.
An XSL processor reads the XML document and follows
the instructions in the XSL style sheet, and then it outputs a new XML
document or XML-document fragment.
This is extremely useful in e-commerce, where the same
data need to be converted into different representations of XML. Not all
companies use the exact same programs, applications and computer systems.
|
REST
|
Acronym for REpresentational
State Transfer .
Another way to describe the process of passing data over HTTP via
XML.
|
ISBN
|
ISBN stands for “International Standard Book Number”.
Most books in the Amazon.com catalog have a unique ISBN.
|
ASIN
|
ASIN stands for “Amazon.com Standard Item Number”.
Every product in the Amazon.com catalog (with the exception of Auction
and Zshops products) has a unique ASIN.
|
Browse Node
|
A browse node (or browse ID) is a number that
corresponds to a general subject area of Amazon.com. Browse IDs can
generally be found in the URL string when visiting a specific browse
section at the Amazon.com Web site. Please see appendix A for more
information on how to find browse nodes.
|
UPC
|
UPC stands for “Universal Product Code”. The
Amazon.com catalog contains UPCs for music
items only.
|
Keyword
|
A keyword is a general search term that is used to
find products in the Amazon.com catalog. Often, more than one keyword is
used at the same time to form a short phrase (such as “finance
software”).
|
Listmania! List
|
Listmania! lists are created by Amazon.com customers, and
comprise a group of products centered on a specific theme.
|
1-Click
|
1-Click is a technology employed on the Amazon.com Web
site that enables customers to purchase items without entering address or
credit card information.
|
Shopping Cart
|
The Amazon.com shopping cart allows customers to
“carry” items with them as they continue to shop in other parts of the
store. Once all necessary items are added to their shopping cart, they
can complete their order by providing Amazon with address and credit card
information.
|
Wish List
|
A wish list is an Amazon.com feature that enables
customers to create a list of desired products that can be accessed by
friends and family.
|
Registry
|
There are two types of registries at Amazon.com –
wedding registries and baby registries. Similar to wish lists, they allow
customers to create lists of desired products for friends and family to
view and purchase.
|
Third-party Seller
|
A third-party seller is an entity other than
Amazon.com who sells their own items on the Amazon Web site. Sellers can
range from major retailers like Target and Office Depot, to an individual
working out of their home.
|
Marketplace Items
|
Marketplace items are products that are sold by
third-party sellers at the Amazon.com Web site.
|
Exchange
|
An “exchange” is a unique ID that is assigned to an
offering when a third-arty seller uploads it into the Amazon catalog.
|
1.5 Document
Conventions
- Commands
and keywords appear in boldface.
- New,
important terms are italicized when accompanied by a definition
or discussion of the term.
- Please
note is used to denote additional helpful suggestions or important
notices.
- [variable] is used to denote variables within a URL.
2.1 What are Web
Services?
Web services
are applications whose logic and functions are accessible using standard
Internet protocols and data formats such as Extensible Markup Language
(XML) over Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and SOAP (Simple Object
Access Protocol). Like component-based development, Web services represent
black-box functionality that can be reused without worrying about how the
service is implemented.
A Web service interface is defined strictly in terms of
the messages that the service accepts and generates. Applications using a
Web Service can be implemented on any platform in any programming language,
as long as they can create and consume messages defined for the service
interface. A Web service can also aggregate other services to provide a
higher-level set of features.
Why developers should be interested in Web services?
- Interoperability
- Any Web service can interact with any other Web service and can be
written in any language.
- Ubiquity -
Web services communicate using HTTP and XML. Any connected device that
supports these technologies can both host and access Web services.
- Low Barrier to
Entry - The concepts behind Web services are easy to understand,
and developers can quickly create and deploy them using many tool-kits
available on the web.
- Industry
Support - Major content providers and vendors are supporting the
Web services movement.
Most Web services make use of either SOAP or XML over
HTTP (also known as REST) to make requests and deliver responses via the
Internet.
- XML over HTTP
(or XML/HTTP) uses URLs with specific name/value pairs to invoke
methods and processes within Amazon.com's
Web Services framework. The URL is the primary method used for message
passing. Once the URL is processed, a well-formatted XML document is
returned as a response. Because XML/HTTP is based on such a widely
accepted methodology, most developers should have no problem creating
applications capable of quickly communicating with the Web services
that expose this interface.
- SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), a more complex
method of sharing messages between client and server, was developed to
deal with the limitations of XML/HTTP. SOAP is a lightweight protocol
intended for exchanging structured information in a decentralized,
distributed environment. It uses XML technologies to define an
extensible messaging framework providing a message construct that can
be exchanged over a variety of underlying protocols. The framework has
been designed to be independent of any particular programming model
and other implementation-specific semantics.
Amazon.com Web Services offers developers the choice of
XML/HTTP or SOAP to access information in our catalog and databases. Which
method should you use? Mostly, it depends on what you are the most
comfortable with. There is significant industry debate over which Web
Services method is the "best"; at Amazon.com, we decided to take
a neutral approach and offer access via both methods.
2.2 Web Services
Development Process
This section shows the three stages of developing an
application or Web site that uses Amazon Web Services.

Step 1: Download the SDK
To download the Software Developer’s Kit, please go to
the following URL:
http://associates.amazon.com/exec/panama/associates/join/developer/kit.html
The developer’s kit contains this API Guide, as well as
code samples for Java, Perl, SOAP, XML, and XSLT.
Step 2: Obtain a Developer's Token
In order to use Amazon.com Web Services, you will first
need to register and obtain a valid developer token. You can get your token
here at the following address:
https://associates.amazon.com/exec/panama/associates/join/developer/application.html
Step 3: Develop Your Application or Web site
Use this guide to develop your application. Amazon places a few restrictions on the
usage of our data. How you use the
data is governed by license terms in the file AMAZON.COM_LICENSE.TXT,
included in this kit.
Please note:
Not all information available on the Amazon.com Web site is made
available via the Web services interface.
2.3 Earning Money Through the Amazon Associates Program
If you find yourself sending a lot of traffic to
Amazon.com through sites and applications that you have developed through
Web Services, you may decide that you want to be compensated for that
traffic. Fortunately, Amazon.com already has an existing program - the
Associates Program -- that enables Web site owners to link to our store and
earn referral fees for any sales that are generated through their links.
2.3.1 Embedding
Your Associates ID in Your Request
Each Associate is assigned an Associates ID, and this
same ID can very easily be embedded into any XML/HTTP or SOAP calls made to
the Amazon.com Web site.
To do so, simply replace the "webservices-20"
tag found in the examples with your Associates ID. This will have the effect
of automatically inserting your Associates ID in product links within the
XML document. In fact, if you already have an application that parses the
XML data and uses product links contained within that data, you won't have
to change your application in any way - simply replace the Associates ID
and you are all set. (The same is true if you are using our XSLT service to
generate pre-formatted HTML widgets).
2.3.2 Making
Your Application Available to Amazon Associates
Developers can earn money by providing their solution or
applications to hundreds of thousands of Amazon Associate Web
sites. Please send information about your application, script, or code
to webservices@amazon.com
if you would like to have your application made available to all
of our associate websites.
2.3.3 For More Information
For more information about the Associates program, or to
apply to the program, please see http://www.amazon.com/associates.
3
Amazon Web Services Offerings
This section shows each of the various types of requests
and responses available via Amazon Web Services.
3.1 Graphical Overview
This section provides a graphic that shows how data comes
to Amazon, is processed, and is returned.

3.2 Constraints and Limitations
of Amazon Web Services
This section shows the limits of Amazon Web Services.
Issue
|
Limitation
|
Request length
|
Limited to the length of a URL if you are performing
an XML/HTTP query. (Internet Explorer
supports a maximum length of 2083 characters).
|
Maximum number
of words in a query
|
Unlimited. Make sure to separate each word with the
characters “%20”.
|
Maximum number
of results per query
|
Each XML document, both lite
and heavy, will display a maximum of ten products per page. To obtain
more than ten results for a search, you simply need to pass a
"page" parameter in your URL. For example, to get the top 30
books written by Stephen King (instead of simply the top 10), you would
need to make three separate calls into Amazon.com, with the parameters
page=1 (which will give you books #1 through #10), page=2 (books #11
through #20) and page=3 (books #21 through #30).
|
Returned
catalog data constraints
|
Amazon attempts to return as much data as possible for
each query. In those cases where
Amazon is not the primary owner of the data (such as third-party
reviews), we may not be legally able to release that data. Our goal, however, is to return as much
product information as we can.
|
Multiple
product entries
|
Some product attributes have multiple entries. (For
example, many products in our database have 100 or more customer
reviews.) To make our XML documents simpler, we have set a maximum limit of
ten authors, ten actors/actresses, ten artists, five similar products and
three customer reviews for any product that is returned in the
document. The Listmania
searches will return up to ten items.
|
Missing
products in returned data
|
Please note that not all products in the Amazon
catalog contain catalog attributes. Amazon returns whatever
information is stored in our catalog. If the data is missing from
our catalog, it will be a null value or excluded from our XML document as
well.
|
4
Search, Parameter, and Sort Types
This section provides a reference of the available
search, parameter, and sort types.
4.1 Search Types
This section shows the various searches that can be used
with Amazon.com Web Services.
Search
|
Description
|
Keyword
|
Searches for a user-specified keyword
|
Browse Node
|
Searches for a user-specified browse node
|
Third-party
Seller
|
Searches for a user-specified third-party seller
|
ASIN/ISBN
|
Searches for a user-specified ASIN/ISBN
|
Third-party
ASIN Offering
|
Searches for a user-specified third-party ASIN
offering
|
UPC
|
Searches for a user-specified universal price code
|
Exchange
|
Searches for a user-specified exchange
|
Author
|
Searches for a user-specified author
|
Artist/Musician
|
Searches for a user-specified artist or musician
|
Actor/Actress
|
Searches for a user-specified actor/actress
|
Director
|
Searches for a user-specified director
|
Manufacturer
|
Searches for a user-specified manufacturer
|
Power
|
Searches for a user-specified power search
|
Listmania
|
Searches for a user-specified listmania
list
|
Wish List
|
Searches for a user-specified wish list
|
Similar
Products
|
Searches for products similar to a user-specified
product
|
Seller Profile
|
Searches for a specific seller profile
|
4.2 Parameter Types
This section shows the various parameter types that can
be used with Amazon.com Web Services.
Parameter
|
Description
|
v
|
Version
|
t
|
Associates tag
|
dev-t
|
Developer token
|
sort
|
Sort type (see section 4.3 for more details)
|
mode
|
Product line
|
type
|
Output type
|
f
|
Output format
|
page
|
Result page
|
offer
|
The offer parameter is used to request and limit
the types of offerings returned as part of an Asin
search. If the offer parameter is not supplied then the returned data
does not include any offering information. If the parameter is supplied
it must be one of the following values:
1. ThirdPartyNew
2. Used
3. Collectible
4. Refurbished
5. All
|
offerpage
|
The offerpage
parameter is used to request a particular page of
offering information. The default value is 1; 25 offerings are
returned per page.
To put offer and offerpage together, consider the following page:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/offering/list/-/0385503822/used/ref%3Dbuy%5Fpb%5Fu%5F
The offer parameter
selects a single "tab" of info (Used/New/Collectible). Then the
offerpage selects successive chunks of 25
offers within the page. There is no way to request All offers.
|
offerstatus
|
The offerstatus parameter is
used to request either open (value = "open") or closed
(value="closed") offers when requesting information about a
seller using the SellerSearch request.
|
keyword
|
The keyword parameter is used in SellerSearch
requests, and allows the user to filter a specific seller’s products by a
keyword.
|
seller-browse-id
|
The seller-browse-id parameter is used in SellerSearch requests, and allows the user to filter
a specific seller’s products by a browse ID. Seller browse IDs use a
different taxonomy than Amazon.com retail – to view the seller browse ID
tree, please go here:
http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/browse-zshops/68280
The ID is the number after the “browse-zshops” string.
|
KeywordSearch
|
Keyword search specifier
|
BrowseNodeSearch
|
Browse node search specifier
|
SellerSearch
|
Seller search specifier
|
AsinSearch
|
ASIN/ISBN search specifier
|
UpcSearch
|
UPC search specifier
|
ExchangeSearch
|
Exchange search specifier
|
AuthorSearch
|
Author search specifier
|
ArtistSearch
|
Artist/Musician search specifier
|
ActorSearch
|
Actor/Actress search specifier
|
DirectorSearch
|
Director search specifier
|
ManufacturerSearch
|
Manufacturer search specifier
|
ListmaniaSearch
|
Listmania search specifier
|
SimilaritySearch
|
Similarity search specifier
|
SellerProfile
|
The SellerProfile
parameter requests request for information about a particular seller. The
value of the parameter is an encrypted representation of the Seller ID.
|
ExchangeRequest
|
Exchange query specifier
|
WishlistRequest
|
Wishlist query specifier
|
SellerProfileRequest
|
Seller profile query specifier
|
SellerRequest
|
Seller query specifier
|
PowerRequest
|
Power search query specifier
|
4.3 Sort Types
This section shows the possible ways to sort data for
the various types of searches Amazon Web Services offers. Each section shows the type of sort available
and the value used to call that sort. Sorts can be used for the following
searches: Keyword, Browse Node, Author, Artist/Musician, Actor/Actress,
Director, Manufacturer and Power.
Please note:
If a sort parameter isn’t specified in the request, the default sort
order is set to the same order used by the Amazon.com Web site for that
particular node.
4.3.1 Sorting
Books Results
This table shows the possible books sort types and their
corresponding values.
Sort Type
|
Value
|
Featured Items
|
+pmrank
|
Bestselling
|
+salesrank
|
Average
Customer Review
|
+reviewrank
|
Price (Low to
High)
|
+pricerank
|
Price (High to
Low)
|
+inverse-pricerank
|
Publication
Date
|
+daterank
|
Alphabetical
(A-Z)
|
+titlerank
|
Alphabetical
(Z-A)
|
-titlerank
|
4.3.2 Sorting
Software Results
This table shows the possible software sort types and
their corresponding values.
Sort Type
|
Value
|
Featured items
|
+pmrank
|
Bestselling
|
+salesrank
|
Alphabetical
|
+titlerank
|
Price (High to
Low)
|
+price
|
Price (Low to
High)
|
-price
|
4.3.3 Sorting
Outdoor Living Results
This table shows the possible outdoor living sort types
and their corresponding values.
Sort Type
|
Value
|
Featured Items
|
+psrank
|
Bestselling
|
+salesrank
|
Alphabetical
(A-Z)
|
+titlerank
|
Alphabetical
(Z-A)
|
-titlerank
|
Manufacturer
(A-Z)
|
+manufactrank
|
Manufacturer
(Z-A)
|
-manufactrank
|
Price (Low to
High)
|
+price
|
Price (High to
Low)
|
-price
|
4.3.4 Sorting
Tools Results
This table shows the possible tools sort types and their
corresponding values.
Sort Type
|
Value
|
Featured Items
|
+psrank
|
Bestselling
|
+salesrank
|
Alphabetical
(A-Z)
|
+titlerank
|
Alphabetical
(Z-A)
|
-titlerank
|
Manufacturer
(A-Z)
|
+manufactrank
|
Manufacturer
(Z-A)
|
-manufactrank
|
Price (Low to
High)
|
+price
|
Price (High to
Low)
|
-price
|
4.3.5 Sorting
Camera and Photo Results
This table shows the possible camera and photo sort
types and their corresponding values.
Sort Type
|
Value
|
Featured Items
|
+pmrank
|
Bestselling
|
+salesrank
|
Alphabetical
(A-Z)
|
+titlerank
|
Alphabetical
(Z-A)
|
-titlerank
|
4.3.6 Sorting
Computers Results
This table shows the possible computers sort types and
their corresponding values.
Sort Type
|
Value
|
Featured Items
|
+psrank
|
Bestselling
|
+salesrank
|
Alphabetical
(A-Z)
|
+titlerank
|
Alphabetical
(Z-A)
|
-titlerank
|
4.3.7 Sorting
Video Games Results
This table shows the possible video games sort types and
their corresponding values.
Sort Type
|
Value
|
Featured Items
|
+pmrank
|
Bestselling
|
+salesrank
|
Alphabetical
|
+titlerank
|
Price (Low to
High)
|
+price
|
Price (High to
Low)
|
-price
|
4.3.8 Sorting
Music Results
This table shows the possible music sort types and their
corresponding values.
Sort Type
|
Value
|
Featured Items
|
+psrank
|
Bestselling
|
+salesrank
|
Artist Name
|
+artistrank
|
Original
Release Date
|
+orig-rel-date
|
Alphabetical
|
+titlerank
|
4.3.9 Sorting
Office Products Results
This table shows the possible sort types and their
corresponding values.
Sort Type
|
Value
|
Featured Items
|
+pmrank
|
Bestselling
|
+salesrank
|
Alphabetical
(A-Z)
|
+titlerank
|
Alphabetical
(Z-A)
|
-titlerank
|
Price (Low to
High)
|
+price
|
Price (High to
Low)
|
-price
|
Review
|
+reviewrank
|
4.3.10 Sorting Video Results
This table shows the possible video sort types and their
corresponding values.
Sort Type
|
Value
|
Featured Items
|
+psrank
|
Bestselling
|
+salesrank
|
Alphabetical
|
+titlerank
|
4.3.11 Sorting Electronics Results
This table shows the possible electronics sort types and
their corresponding values.
Type
|
Value
|
Featured Items
|
+pmrank
|
Bestselling
|
+salesrank
|
Alphabetical
|
+titlerank
|
Review
|
+reviewrank
|
4.3.12 Sorting DVDs Results
This table shows the possible DVD sort types and their
corresponding values.
Type
|
Value
|
Bestselling
|
+salesrank
|
Alphabetical
|
+titlerank
|
4.3.13 Sorting Kitchen Results
This table shows the possible kitchen sort types and
their corresponding values.
Type
|
Value
|
Featured Items
|
+pmrank
|
Bestselling
|
+salesrank
|
Alphabetical
(A-Z)
|
+titlerank
|
Alphabetical
(Z-A)
|
-titlerank
|
Manufacturer
(A-Z)
|
+manufactrank
|
Manufacturer
(Z-A)
|
-manufactrank
|
Price (Low to
High)
|
+price
|
Price (High to
Low)
|
-price
|
5
Working with Amazon.com Catalog Data
This section explains how to work with two core
attributes of the Amazon.com catalog: pricing data and product image
data.
5.1
Prices
Most products in the Amazon catalog will have at least
two separate price attributes -- a "list" price (which is the
manufacturer’s suggested retail price) and an "our price" (which
is what Amazon.com actually charges for the product). The "our"
price attribute is the true Amazon.com price -- you should use that one on
your Web site. The "list" price is included so that you can
calculate product discounts if you would like.
In heavy documents, many products will also contain
additional data for up to three other prices -- a "used" price, a
"refurbished" price and a "collectible" price. ("Lite" documents sometimes contain used pricing as
well). These prices are usually listed by our third-party merchants, and
are available for your use if you would like. Because a product often has
multiple used, refurbished and collectible prices, the returned data
contains the lowest one for each category.
For more information on retrieving prices set by
third-party merchants, please see section 6.6.3, below.
5.1.1 Pricing
Display Guidelines
Since pricing is a sensitive issue with most shoppers,
here are some tips to ensure that the customer has a good experience as he
or she makes the transition from your Web site to ours:
- If a product shows
"our price" but not "list price", this is because
there is no Amazon.com discount.
- There may be
occasions when the "our price" does not match the price that
is prominently featured on the product detail page. This happens
because in some instances we give a third-party seller the same
merchandising space that is usually devoted to an Amazon.com product.
- You should
retrieve data results once every hour, in order to ensure that your Web site reflects the most up-to-date price.
- Please put a
notice somewhere on your Web site that says "Amazon.com prices
subject to change."
5.2 Product Images
Every product should have a "large image," a
"medium image," and a "small image" attribute. In most
cases, these attributes will correspond to large, medium and small
thumbnail images of the product in question. However, there are some
products that we do not have images for -- in these cases, the image URL
will point to a 1 pixel invisible GIF. Unfortunately, we do not yet have a
way of signifying these 1 pixel GIFs directly in
the returned data.
5.3 Generating
Additional Product Results
Because some queries could potentially return a large
number of results, Amazon breaks down the results and returns them in
ten-item chunks. To obtain more than
ten results for a search, you simply need to pass a "page"
parameter in your URL. For example, to get the top 30 books written by
Stephen King (instead of simply the top 10), you would need to make three
separate calls into Amazon.com, with the parameters page=1 (which will give
you books #1 through #10), page=2 (books #11 through #20) and page=3 (books
#21 through #30).
Specifying
a page value of 1 requests
the first page, 2 the second,
and so forth. A special value called TotalResults is returned as
a part of most requests that can return more than one result. This value
indicates the total number of items (not pages) that are available from the
query.
The
process for obtaining “N” items
in a search is to create an algorithm as shown:
- Form the basic
query (omitting the page parameter)
- Set a page variable to 1
- Finalize the query by
inserting the page variable into the basic query
- Issue the query
- If this is the first
page, compute the total number of pages needed based on N and the value of TotalResults
- Repeat steps 4 and 5
until the desired number of results have been fetched
6
Accessing Amazon.com Data via XML/HTTP
This section explains the process of accessing
Amazon.com data via XML over HTTP.
6.1
Amazon XML Usage Overview
This section of the document details how to invoke
Amazon.com catalog information using the XML/HTTP method by passing
parameters such as keywords and browse nodes in the URL. The resulting XML
can come in two forms - a "lite"
document that contains essential catalog information such as a product's
name or price, and a "heavy" document that contains more complete
product information such as sales ranking and customer reviews. Please see
the lite and heavy DTD and XSD (part 8) for more
information on the specific elements of the two document versions.
6.2 Guidelines for
Accessing Amazon.com Data via XML over HTTP
This section shows general guidelines for accessing
Amazon.com data via XML over HTTP.
- Your
Web site or application should make no more than one (1) request per
second to our servers.
- Your
Web site or application should have some kind of caching mechanism to
temporarily store Amazon catalog data.
- Your
Web site or application should contain some measure of error handling.
- Your
Web site or application should not be configured to immediately retry
failed server requests—doing so only exacerbates problems.
6.3 Keyword Searches
via XML
A keyword is a general search term that is used to find
products in the Amazon.com catalog. Often, more than one keyword is used at
the same time to form a short phrase (such as “finance software”). To call
a list of products in XML based on a keyword (or keywords), please use the
following request format:
6.3.1 Call
and Response
Request Format
|
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token goes here]&KeywordSearch=[subject
keyword goes here]&mode=[product
line goes here]&type=[lite or heavy]&page=[page #
goes here]&sort=[sort type goes here
(optional)]&f=xml
|
Response
|
The KeywordSearch request
returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
Objective: Generate a list of bestselling books on the
topic of dogs in a "lite" XML document.
- Subject
keyword: dogs
- Product
line: books
- Document
type: lite
- Page:
1
The URL will look like this:
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token
goes here]&KeywordSearch=dogs&mode=books&type=lite&page=1&f=xml
If you have more than one subject keyword, you can
simply separate them with "%20", such as:
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token
goes here]&KeywordSearch=dogs%20cats&mode=books&type=lite&page=1&f=xml
You would use also use "%20" if you had one
subject that contained more than one word, such as "KeywordSearch=civil%20war" or "KeywordSearch=Ronald%20Reagan".
6.4 Browse Node
Searches via XML
The browse structure is the way that Amazon.com
organizes products into subjects and categories on our site so that
customers can find the product they want easily and efficiently. A browse
ID is a number that corresponds to a general subject area of Amazon.com.
For example, the browse ID for the parent books category is 1000. To generate
a list of products in XML based on a specific browse node, please use the
following format:
6.4.1 Call
and Response
Request Format
|
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[Developer’s ID goes here]&BrowseNodeSearch=[browse
node goes here]&mode=[product
line goes here]&type=[lite or heavy] &page=[page #
goes here]&sort=[sort type goes here
(optional)]&f=xml
|
Response
|
The BrowseNodeSearch
request returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
6.4.2 Example
To generate a "heavy" XML document listing
top-selling books, the URL would look like this:
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token goes
here]&BrowseNodeSearch=1000&mode=books&type=heavy&page=1&f=xml
For a list of common browse IDs, and instructions on how
to find any browse ID on our Web site, please see Appendix A.
6.5 Third-party Seller
Searches via XML
There are thousands of third-party sellers who offer
their own products on the Amazon.com Web site. If you are interested in
receiving an XML list of products offered by a specific seller, you simply
need to plug that seller’s unique ID into the request format below. To find
the seller ID, visit the seller’s “member profile” page. The ID appears in
that page’s URL after the “/ts/customer-glance”
string. For example, in the following URL, the seller ID would be A2OFEB6YLE4L1K.
http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/customer-glance/A2OFEB6YLE4L1K
6.5.1 Call
and Response
Request Format
|
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s ID goes here]&SellerSearch=[seller ID
goes here]&type=[lite or heavy]&page=[page #
goes here]&offerstatus=[open or
closed]&seller-browse-id=[seller browse ID goes here
(optional)]&keyword=[keyword goes here (optional)]&f=xml
|
Response
|
The SellerSearch request
returns a SellerSearchDetails node.
|
6.5.2 Example
To find all products sold by seller ID A2X9B5IEW90TAF,
the query would look like this:
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s ID goes
here]&SellerSearch=A2X9B5IEW90TAF&type=heavy&offerstatus=open&page=1&f=xml
Each value for the “page” parameter gives 25 results (as
opposed to 10 results in some of the previous searches). The “offerstatus” parameter refers to listings that are
either “open” or “closed”. Closed listings are product offerings that are
listed by the seller in the Amazon.com catalog, but are not able to be
purchased.
You can also filter a seller’s listings by a specific
seller browse node or keyword. Seller browse IDs use a different taxonomy
than Amazon.com retail – to view the seller browse ID tree, please go here:
http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/browse-zshops/68280 (The ID is the number after the
“browse-zshops” string).
6.6 ASIN and ISBN
Searches via XML
Every unique product in Amazon.com's
catalog has an "ASIN", which is short for "Amazon Standard
Item Number". (For our books category, a book's ASIN is the same as
its "International Standard Book Number", or "ISBN").
You can find a product's ASIN in one of two ways:
- It should be listed
in the fine print on a product's detail page.
- Alternatively, you
can look in the URL of that same detail page. In most cases, the
format of the URL should start like this: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/nnnnnnnnnn/. The
ASIN number is the 10-digit number that appears directly after
"ASIN".
6.6.1 Standard
Searches
To query for an ASINs
attributes in XML form, you would use the following format:
6.6.16.6.1.1
Call and Response
Request Format
|
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[Developer’s ID goes here]&AsinSearch=[ASIN/ISBN
goes here]&type=[lite or heavy]&f=xml
|
Response
|
The AsinSearch request
returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
6.6.26.6.1.2
Example
To generate XML for ASIN #0439139597 (Harry Potter Book
4), you would use this URL:
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token
goes here]&AsinSearch=0439139597&type=lite&f=xml
You can use up to 10 ASINs in
one call for "heavy" XML documents, and up to 30 ASINs for "lite"
XML documents. ASINs in the URL should be
separated by commas, such as:
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token
goes here]&AsinSearch=0439139597,0439064872,0439136350&type=lite&f=xml
6.6.2 Marketplace
Searches
You can also use the AsinSearch
to retrieve information about products sold by third party sellers
(Amazon.com allows third-party sellers to sell their own products in our
catalog). To find all third-party offerings for a specific ASIN in XML, use
the offer and offerpage parameters as shown in
the table below.
6.6.36.6.2.1
Call and Response
Request Format
|
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s ID goes here]&AsinSearch=[ASIN/ISBN
goes here]&type=heavy&offer=[offer
types goes here:
choices are All, ThirdPartyNew, Used,
Collectible and Refurbished]&offerpage=[page # goes here]&f=xml
|
Response
|
The AsinSearch request
returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
6.6.46.6.2.2
Example
To generate XML for all “used” offerings of ASIN #
B00005JKDR, you would use this format:
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s ID goes
here]&AsinSearch=B00005JKDR&type=heavy&offer=Used&offerpage=1&f=xml
The “offerpage” parameter is
similar to the “page” parameter in previous examples, with each offerpage returns 25 offerings. So if a specific ASIN
had 40 different used offerings, you would need to make two requests to the
service, the first with “offerpage=1” and the
second with “offerpage=2”.
6.7 UPC Searches via
XML
Amazon.com's catalog also
contains UPC (Universal Product Code) information for music CDs and
cassettes (at this time, we do not have UPC information for
product lines other than music). Again,
you can use up to 10 UPCs in one call for a heavy
XML document, and 30 UPCs for a lite document. Individual UPCs
should be separated by commas.
Please note:
UPC searches can only be used to retrieve music items.
6.7.1 Call
and Response
Request Format
|
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s
ID goes here]&UpcSearch=[UPC goes here]&mode=[product line goes here:
choices are music, classical]&type=[lite or heavy]&f=xml
|
Response
|
The UPCSearch request
returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
6.7.2 Example
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token
goes here]&UpcSearch=076732601822&mode=music&type=lite&f=xml
6.8 Exchange Searches
via XML
Every item in the Amazon.com catalog that is offered by
a third-party seller has a unique “exchange” ID. To query for a particular
exchange ID’s attribute in XML, please use the following format:
6.8.1 Call
and Response
Request Format
|
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[Developer’s ID goes here]&ExchangeSearch=[Exchange
ID goes here]&type=lite&f=xml
|
Response
|
The ExchangeSearch
request returns a ListingProductInfo node. The ListingProductInfo node contains an array of ListingProductDetails nodes.
|
6.8.2 Example
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token
goes here]&ExchangeSearch=Y02Y1147465Y7635477&mode=music&type=lite&f=xml
6.9
Author Searches via
XML
This section shows how to create a request for an author
search.
6.9.1 Call
and Response
Request Format
|
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s ID goes here]&AuthorSearch=[author
name goes here]&mode=[product
line goes here: must be books]&type=[lite or heavy]&page=[page #
goes here]&sort=[sort type goes here
(optional)]&f=xml
|
Response
|
The AuthorSearch request
returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
6.9.2 Example
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token
goes here]&AuthorSearch=Tom%20Clancy&mode=books&type=lite&page=1&f=xml
6.10 Artist/Musician Searches via XML
This section shows how to create a request for an
artist/musician search.
6.10.1 Call and Response
Request Format
|
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[Developer’s ID goes here]&ArtistSearch=[artist/musician
name goes here]&mode=[product
line goes here: choices are music, classical]&type=[lite or heavy]&page=[page #
goes here]&sort=[sort type goes here
(optional)]&f=xml
|
Response
|
The ArtistSearch request
returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
6.10.2 Example
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token
goes here]&ArtistSearch=The%20Rolling%20Stones&mode=music&type=lite&page=1&f=xml
6.11 Actor/Actress Searches via XML
This section shows how to create a request for an
actor/actress search.
6.11.1 Call and Response
Request Format
|
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s ID goes here]&ActorSearch=[actor/actress
name goes here]&mode=[product
line goes here: choices are dvd, vhs, video]&type=[lite or heavy]&page=[page #
goes here]&sort=[sort type goes here
(optional)]&f=xml
|
Response
|
The ActorSearch request
returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
6.11.2 Example
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token
goes here]&ActorSearch=Marilyn%20Monroe&mode=vhs&type=lite&page=1&f=xml
6.12 Director Searches via XML
This section shows how to create a request for a
director search.
6.12.1 Call and Response
Request Format
|
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s ID goes here]&DirectorSearch=[director's
name goes here]&mode=[product
line goes here: choices are dvd, vhs, video]&type=[lite or heavy]&page=[page #
goes here]&sort=[sort type goes here (optional)]&f=xml
|
Response
|
The DirectorSearch
request returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
6.12.2 Example
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token
goes here]&DirectorSearch=Stephen%20Spielberg&mode=dvd&type=lite&page=1&f=xml
6.13 Manufacturer Searches via XML
This section shows how to create a request for a
manufacturer search.
6.13.1 Call and Response
Request Format
|
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s ID goes here]&ManufacturerSearch=[manufacturer
goes here]&mode=[product
line goes here: choices are electronics, kitchen, videogames,
software, photo, pc-hardware]&type=[lite or heavy]&page=[page #
goes here]&sort=[sort type goes here
(optional)]&f=xml
|
Response
|
The ManufacturerSearch
request returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
6.13.2 Examples
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token
goes here]&ManufacturerSearch=palm&mode=electronics&type=lite&page=1&f=xml
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token
goes here]&ManufacturerSearch=braun&mode=kitchen&type=heavy&page=1&f=xml
6.14 Power Searches via XML
A power search is used to retrieve book information
using a complex query. You can use the power search to send Amazon.com
complex descriptions of books you are looking for. The syntax for a power
search is shown below:
- author:
ambrose
- author:
ambrose and binding: (abridged or large
print) and pubdate: after 11-1996
- subject:
history and (spain
or mexico)
and not military and language: spanish
- (subject:
marketing and author: kotler) or (publisher:
harper and subject: "high
technology")
- keywords:
"high tech*" and not fiction and pubdate:
during 1999
- isbn: 0446394319 or 0306806819 or 1567993850
You can use the following properties of a book in your
search:
- Title
- Subject
- Author
- Keyword
- ISBN
- Publisher
- Language
- Publication
date (pubdate)
You can use the words and, or, and not
to link different parts of a book description. You can also group
properties together using parentheses if that seems necessary to convey the
precise meaning of your description.
Please note: Because power searches can only be
used on book-related searches on the Amazon site, power search results will
only return book-related searches in XML.
6.14.1 Call and Response
Request Format
|
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s ID
goes here]&PowerSearch=[search query goes here]&mode=[product line goes here: must be books]&type=[lite or heavy]&page=[page # goes here]&sort=[sort type goes here
(optional)]&f=xml
|
Response
|
The PowerSearch request
returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
Please note: Space characters must be
represented in "URL encoded" form where the spaces are replaced
with the three character sequence "%20".
Here is a sample URL:
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?PowerSearch=author:Stephen%20King%20and%20pubdate:2003&mode=books&dev-t=[developer’s ID goes here]&t=webservices-20&type=lite&f=xml
Queries can include parentheses for grouping, and the and, or, and not operators.
6.14.2 Examples
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?PowerSearch=author:Knuth&mode=books&dev-t=[developer’s ID goes here]&t=webservices-20&type=lite&f=xml
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?PowerSearch=author:Hughes%20and%20subject:Art&mode=books&dev-t=[developer’s ID goes here]&t=webservices-20&type=lite&f=xml
6.15 Listmania! Searches via XML
Another interesting feature that you can generate in XML
is Amazon.com Listmania! lists.
Listmania! lists are
created by Amazon.com customers, and usually appear in the right-hand
margin of a search results page. They comprise a group of products centered
on a theme, such as "The scariest horror novels of all time" or
"DVDs with the best car chases".
To call up a specific list in XML, you must first find
that list's ID number. Simply travel to the page that contains the list
that you are interested in, and look for the list's ID in web page's URL.
(It appears after the "/list-browse/-/" string). For example, in
the following URL the list ID would be "34TRCFE5HC23M".
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/listmania/list-browse/-/19J6Y001ZYYD3/
Once you find the list’s ID, you simply plug it into the
request format below.
6.15.1 Call and Response
Request Format
|
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s
ID goes here]&ListManiaSearch=[listmania ID goes here]&type=[lite or heavy]&f=xml
|
Response
|
The ListManiaSearch
request returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
6.15.2 Example
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token
goes here]&ListManiaSearch=34TRCFE5HC23M&type=lite&f=xml
6.16 Wish
List Searches via XML
As with Listmania! lists, to call up a specific wishlist
in XML, you must first find the appropriate ID number. Simply travel to the
page that contains the list that you are interested in, and look for the
list's ID in web page's URL. (It appears after the
"/member-glance/-/" string). For example, in the following URL
the list ID would be "19J6Y001ZYYD3".
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/wishlist/list-browse/-/19J6Y001ZYYD3/
Once you find the ID, you simply plug it into the
request format below.
6.16.1 Call and Response
Request Format
|
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s ID goes here]&WishlistSearch=[wishlist ID goes here]&type=[lite or
heavy]&f=xml
|
Response
|
The WishlistSearch request
returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
6.16.2 Example
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token goes here]&WishlistSearch=19J6Y001ZYYD3&type=lite&f=xml
6.17 Similarities Searches via
XML
If you shop at Amazon.com regularly, you have probably
noticed that many product detail pages contain the text "Customers who
bought this item also bought" or "Customers who shopped for this
item also shopped for these items". This text is followed by a list of
products that are "similar" to the product that is currently
featured. With Web services, you can find the similarities for any product
in the Amazon.com catalog. To do so, just find the product's ASIN number and
use the request format below. (Note: Similarities searches do not return
the TotalResults element).
6.17.1 Call and Response
Request Format
|
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer's token goes here]&SimilaritySearch=[ASIN goes here]&type=[lite or heavy]&f=xml
|
Response
|
The SimilaritySearch
request returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
6.17.2 Example
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token
goes here]&SimilaritySearch=B00005B6TL&type=lite&f=xml
6.18 Seller
Profile Search via XML
Every third-party seller at Amazon.com has a “member
profile” with information such as seller nickname and cumulative feedback
rating. To generate a particular seller’s profile in XML, please use the
following format:
6.18.1 Call and Response
Request Format
|
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s
token goes here]&SellerProfile=[Seller ID goes here]&type=[lite or heavy]&page=[page # goes here]&f=xml
|
Response
|
The SellerProfile request
returns a SellerProfile node. The SellerProfile node contains an array of SellerProfileDetail nodes.
|
6.18.2 Example
To generate the seller profile for seller ID
A2X9B5IEW90TAF, you would use the following format:
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token
goes here]&SellerProfile=A2X9B5IEW90TAF&type=lite&page=1&f=xml
7
Using the Amazon.com XSLT Service
This section provides information on developing
applications and Web sites that use Amazon XSLT data.
7.1 XSLT Service
Overview
One of the unique features of Amazon.com Web Services is
our XSLT service, which enables you to transform the contents of our
standard XML output into documents that utilize the markup language of your
choice.
To use the service, simply pass us an XSL style sheet,
and we will return a document that follows the guidelines of that style
sheet. The resulting document can be anything from slightly revised XML to
a completely transformed HTML widget. Amazon.com has embraced XSLT to
ensure that even the most novice developer has the means to interact with
our Web services and produce rich content, without parsing and manipulating
programming languages. Currently we only offer the XSLT service through XML
over HTTP; SOAP is not supported at this time.

7.2 Implementing XSLT
This section explains how to implement XSLT in your
application or Web page.
7.2.1 Process
The XSL style sheet can be applied to the XML data
returned by Amazon from any of the queries described in section 6,
above. The following examples use
the Keyword Search (though you could use any search in practice).
For a Keyword search using XML/HTTP, the format for the
request was given as:
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token
goes here]&KeywordSearch=[subject keyword goes here]&mode=[product line goes here]&type=[lite or heavy]&page=[page # goes here]&f=xml
If you would like to use Amazon.com's
XSLT Service, then you would use the following format instead:
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?t=webservices-20&dev-t=[developer’s token
goes here]&KeywordSearch=[subject keyword goes here]&mode=[product line goes here]&type=[lite or heavy]&page=[page # goes here]&f=[URL pointer to XSL document]
The parameter [URL pointer to XSL document]
is the location on the web where the XSL document is stored. The location
is a standard URL that must be encoded so that we can process the request
properly. Our XSLT service will run the query, and will then transform the XML
returned by the query using the style sheet.
For example, if an XSL document is stored at
http://www.foo.com/bar.xsl, then the request would be:
http://xml.amazon.com/onca/xml2?dev-t=[developer’s token
goes here]&t=webservices-20&KeywordSearch=[subject keyword goes here]&mode=[product line goes here]&type=[lite or heavy]&page=[page # goes here]&f=http://www.foo.com/bar.xsl
XSL documents should not exceed 20K. Thus, the XSLT service should not be used to render
complete HTML pages but rather "HTML widgets", such as lists,
search results, and/or detailed product information.
We have included some examples of XSL style sheets that
are designed to work with Amazon.com Web Services in this kit.
7.2.2 Implementation
Notes
Please take the following caveats into account when
developing your Web page or application:
- The
Amazon platform will cache your XSL style sheet for up to 5 minutes.
If you don't changes as expected when testing your style sheet, you
may need to wait up to 5 minutes to allow the data to expire from the
cache. Please also note that
the XSL file needs to be located at a URL that is not protected with
passwords or IP access controls.
- The
XSL file needs to be at a URL that is publicly queryable,
i.e. not protected with passwords or IP access controls.
- In
cases where f= is not XML,
the standard XSL processing described above applies.
7.3 XSL Style Sheets
The Amazon XSL processor takes the output of an XML
request and formats the XML using a user-supplied style sheet. The style
sheet contains two types of information: patterns and templates. Each
pattern is associated with a template. The patterns are used to match
particular nodes or hierarchies of nodes in the XML data; the template
associated with the pattern is copied to the output each time a match for
the pattern is found.
XSL is very flexible. Using a set of style sheets, the
same data could be formatted as an HTML table, an HTML list, a plain-text
document, or even another XML document.
7.3.1 Sample
XSL Style Sheet
The following XSL style sheet shows example XML code and
what each line of code represents.
Please note that line numbers are included for reference purposes
and are not part of the document.
Line
|
XSL Code
|
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
|
<?xml
version="1.0" ?>
<xsl:stylesheet
version="1.0"
xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/strict">
<xsl:template
match="/">
<html>
<body>
<table
border="2">
<tr>
<td>ASIN</td>
<td>URL</td>
<td>Name</td>
</tr>
<xsl:for-each
select="ProductInfo/Details">
<tr>
<td><xsl:value-of select="Asin"/></td>
<td><xsl:value-of select="@url"/></td>
<td><xsl:value-of select="ProductName"/></td>
</tr>
</xsl:for-each>
</table>
</body>
</html>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>
|
Key:
- Line 1 indicates that the
style sheet is an XML document.
- Line 2 shows the beginning of
the style sheet itself. The xmlns declarations on lines 3 and 4 identify the
namespaces used in the document.
- Lines 5 through 24 are the
top-level XSL template. The phrase match=”/” signals that the template matches the top (root)
of the XML.
- Lines 6 through 12 are emitted
each time the enclosing template matches the data in the document.
Since the template (line 5) matches the root of the data, the text on
these lines is copied to the output exactly once. An HTML document
containing a table with three columns (ASIN, URL, and Title) is
created.
- Lines 14 through 20 are an
interior template. The for-each
indicates that the template is to be applied each time a two-level
hierarchy of XML data is encountered, where the first level of the
hierarchy is a <ProductInfo> node and
the second level is a <Details> node. This template effectively
“loops” around the XML data, copying everything inside the template
(lines 15 through 19) to the output for each match.
- Lines 15 through 19 are copied
to the output for each match. The value-of
indicates that data from the XML document is to be copied to the
output. Each data match will result in the creation of a single table
row.
- Lines 16 and 18 copy values
from the <ASIN> and <ProductName>
nodes in the XML, each into a single table cell.
- Line 17 copies the value of
the URL attribute from the matched node (<ProductDetails>
in this case) into a table cell.
- Lines 21 and 23 are emitted
each time the enclosing template matches the data in the document.
Since the template (line 4) matches the root of the data, the text on
these lines is copied to the output exactly once. An HTML document
containing a table with three columns (ASIN, URL, and Title) is
created.
8
Accessing Amazon.com Data via SOAP
This section explains how to access Amazon.com data
using SOAP.
8.1 Amazon.com SOAP
Usage Overview
SOAP lets third-party developers retrieve Amazon catalog
information using remote procedure calls. This information is encoded using
XML, although this is transparent to you in the course of normal usage.
8.2 Guidelines for
Accessing Amazon.com Data via SOAP
This section shows general guidelines for accessing
Amazon.com data via SOAP.
- Your
Web site or application should make no more than one (1) request per
second to our servers.
- Your
Web site or application should have some kind of caching mechanism to
temporarily store Amazon catalog data.
- Your
Web site or application should not cache Amazon data for more than
twenty four (24) hours.
- Your
Web site or application should contain some measure of error handling.
- Your
Web site or application should not be configured to immediately retry
failed server requests—doing so only exacerbates problems.
8.3 SOAP Tools
This section provides information on SOAP toolkits and
SOAP-aware development tools.
8.3.1 Toolkits
This section provides information on toolkits commonly
used to form SOAP requests.
8.3.2 SOAP-aware
Development Tools
This section provides information on SOAP-aware
development tools.
Please note: This information is included for
reference only. Amazon does not
endorse any specific toolkit, and the presence of
a toolkit on this list does not mean that Amazon guarantees compatibility
with that toolkit.
8.4 Keyword Searches
via SOAP
This section shows how to create a request for a keyword
search. This request will return a
SOAP object containing the Lite or the Heavy form
of the data.
8.4.1 Call
and Response
Request Name
|
KeywordSearchRequest
|
Request Format
|
keyword
string
page string
mode string
tag string
type string
sort
string (optional)
devtag string
|
Response
|
The KeywordSearch request
returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
8.5 Browse Node
Searches via SOAP
This section shows how to create a request for a browse
node search. This request will
return a SOAP object containing the Lite or the
Heavy form of the data.
8.5.1 Call
and Response
Request Name
|
BrowseNodeSearchRequest
|
Request Format
|
browse_node string
page string
mode string
tag string
type string
sort
string (optional)
devtag string
|
Response
|
The BrowseNodeSearch
request returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
8.6 Third-party Seller
Searches via SOAP
This section shows how to create a request for products sold
by a third-party seller. This
request will return a SOAP object containing the Lite
or the Heavy form of the data.
8.6.1 Call
and Response
Request Name
|
SellerSearchRequest
|
Request Format
|
seller_id string
mode string
tag string
type string
devtag string
offerstatus string
page string
seller_browse_id string (optional)
keyword
string (optional)
|
Response
|
The SellerSearch request
returns a SellerSearchDetails node.
|
8.7 ASIN and ISBN
Searches via SOAP
This section shows how to create a request for an ASIN
or ISBN search. This request will
return a SOAP object containing the Lite or the
Heavy form of the data.
8.7.1 Call
and Response
Request Name
|
AsinSearchRequest
|
Request Format
|
asin string
tag string
type string
devtag string
|
Response
|
The AsinSearch request
returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
You can also use the AsinSearch
to retrieve information about products sold by third party sellers Amazon.com
allows third-party sellers to sell their own products in our catalog. This
request will return a SOAP object containing the Lite
or the Heavy form of the data.
8.7.2 Call
and Response
Request Name
|
AsinSearchRequest
|
Request Format
|
asin string
offer string
offerpage string
tag string
type string
devtag string
|
Response
|
The AsinSearch request
returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
8.8 UPC Searches via
SOAP
This section shows how to create a request for a UPC
search. This request will return a
SOAP object containing the Lite or the Heavy form
of the data.
8.8.1 Call
and Response
Request Name
|
UpcSearchRequest
|
Request Format
|
upc string
mode string
tag string
type string
devtag string
|
Response
|
The UPCSearch request
returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
8.9 Exchange Searches
via SOAP
This section shows how to create a request for exchange
searches. This request will return a
SOAP object containing the Lite or the Heavy form
of the data.
8.9.1 Call
and Response
Request Name
|
ExchangeSearchRequest
|
Request Format
|
exchange_id string
mode string
tag string
type string
devtag string
|
Response
|
The ExchangeSearch
request returns a ListingProductInfo node. The ListingProductInfo node contains an array of ListingProductDetails nodes.
|
8.10 Author
Search via SOAP
This section shows how to create a request for an author
search. This request will return a SOAP
object containing the Lite or the Heavy form of
the data.
8.10.1 Call and Response
Request Name
|
AuthorSearchRequest
|
Request Format
|
author
string
page string
mode string
tag string
type string
sort
string (optional)
devtag string
|
Response
|
The AuthorSearch request
returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
8.11 Artist/Musician
Search via SOAP
This section shows how to create a request for an
Artist/Musician search. This request
will return a SOAP object containing the Lite or
the Heavy form of the data.
8.11.1 Call and Response
Request Name
|
ArtistSearchRequest
|
Request Format
|
artist
string
page string
mode string
tag string
type string
sort
string (optional)
devtag string
|
Response
|
The ArtistSearch request
returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
8.12 Actor/Actress
Search via SOAP
This section shows how to create a request for an
Actor/Actress search. This request
will return a SOAP object containing the Lite or
the Heavy form of the data.
8.12.1 Call and Response
Request Name
|
ActorSearchRequest
|
Request Format
|
actor string
page string
mode string
tag string
type string
sort
string (optional)
devtag string
|
Response
|
The ActorSearch request
returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
8.13 Director
Search via SOAP
This section shows how to create a request for a director
search. This request will return a SOAP object containing the Lite or the Heavy form of the data.
8.13.1 Call and Response
Request Name
|
DirectorSearchRequest
|
Request Format
|
director string
page string
mode string
tag string
type string
sort
string (optional)
devtag string
|
Response
|
The DirectorSearch
request returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
8.14 Manufacturer
Search via SOAP
This section shows how to create a request for a
manufacturer search. This request
will return a SOAP object containing the Lite or
the Heavy form of the data.
8.14.1 Call and Response
Request Name
|
ManufacturerSearchRequest
|
Request Format
|
manufacturer string
page string
mode string
tag string
type string
sort
string (optional)
devtag string
|
Response
|
The ManufacturerSearch
request returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
8.15 Power Searches via SOAP
This section shows how to create a request for power
searches via SOAP. This request will
return a SOAP object containing the Lite or the
Heavy form of the data.
8.15.1 Call and Response
Request Name
|
PowerSearchRequest
|
Request Format
|
power string
page string
mode string
tag string
type string
sort
string (optional)
devtag string
|
Response
|
The PowerSearch request
returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
8.16 Listmania! Searches
via SOAP
This section shows how to create a request for a Listmania! Search.
This request will return a SOAP object containing the Lite or the Heavy form of the data.
8.16.1 Call and Response
Request Name
|
ListManiaSearchRequest
|
Request Format
|
lm_id string
page string
mode string
tag string
type string
devtag string
|
Response
|
The ListManiaSearch
request returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
8.17 Wish List Searches via SOAP
This section shows how to create a request for wish list
searches via SOAP. This request will
return a SOAP object containing the Lite or the
Heavy form of the data.
8.17.1 Call and Response
Request Name
|
WishlistSearchRequest
|
Request Format
|
wishlist_id
string
page string
mode string
tag string
type string
devtag
string
|
Response
|
The WishlistSearch
request returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
8.18 Similarity Searches via SOAP
This section shows how to create a request for a
similarity search via SOAP. This
request will return a SOAP object containing the Lite
or the Heavy form of the data.
8.18.1 Call and Response
Request Name
|
SimilaritySearchRequest
|
Request Format
|
asin string
mode string
tag string
type string
devtag string
|
Response
|
The SimilaritySearch
request returns a ProductInfo node. The ProductInfo node contains an array of Detail nodes.
|
8.19 Seller Profile Searches via SOAP
This section shows how to create a request for seller
profile searches via SOAP. This
request will return a SOAP object containing the Lite
or the Heavy form of the data.
8.19.1 Call and Response
Request Name
|
SellerProfileSearchRequest
|
Request Format
|
seller_id string
page string
mode string
tag string
type string
devtag string
|
Response
|
The SellerProfile request
returns a SellerProfile node. The SellerProfile node contains an array of SellerProfileDetail nodes.
|
This section contains pointers to current Amazon Web
Services DTDs, XSDs and
WSDL file.
Please note: The DTDs
shown below are not viewable in Internet Explorer.
9.1 Lite Request Results
This section shows the results returned on a lite request.
Type
|
Returned Data
|
All lite requests
|
·
URL
·
ASIN
·
ProductName
·
Catalog
|
Other data sent if available
|
·
Artists
·
Authors
·
ReleaseDate
·
Manufacturer
·
ImageUrlSmall
·
ImageUrlMedium
·
ImageUrlLarge
·
ListPrice
·
OurPrice
· UsedPrice
|
9.2 Heavy Request
Results
This section shows the results returned on a lite request.
Type
|
Returned Data
|
All heavy requests
|
·
URL
·
ASIN
·
ProductName
·
Catalog
|
Other data sent if available
|
·
Artists
·
Authors
·
ReleaseDate
·
Manufacturer
·
ImageUrlSmall
·
ImageUrlMedium
·
ImageUrlLarge
·
ListPrice
·
OurPrice
·
UsedPrice
·
KeyPhrases
·
MPN
·
Starring
·
Directors
·
TheatricalReleaseDate
·
Distributor
·
RefurbishedPrice
·
CollectiblePrice
·
ThirdPartyNewPrice
·
NumberOfOfferings
·
ThirdPartyProductInfo
·
SalesRank
·
BrowseList
·
Media
·
ReadingLevel
·
Publisher
·
NumMedia
·
ISBN
·
Features
·
MpaaRating
·
EsrbRating
·
AgeGroup
·
Availability
·
UPC
·
Tracks
·
Accessories
·
Platforms
·
Encoding
·
Reviews
·
SimilarProducts
·
Lists
|
10 Enabling
Transactions with Amazon.com
Using Web services, you can now enable your Web site
visitors to add products to Amazon.com shopping carts, wedding registries,
baby registries and wish lists directly from your site. HTML or JavaScript
code is provided in all of the following examples. If you are an Associate
and want to receive credit for purchases through your buttons, you should
insert your Associates ID in the appropriate places in the code. Otherwise,
you can simply use the generic “webservices-20” ID.
10.1 Using Amazon.com Quick-Click Buying
Amazon.com Quick-Click Buying allows your Web site
visitors to purchase products sold at Amazon.com quickly and easily. Quick-Click
Buying gives your visitors the option of either adding an item to their
Amazon.com shopping cart or, if they are recognized customers of our store,
buying the item using Amazon.com's 1-Click®
technology.
When you paste the code below into your Web site, a “Buy
from Amazon.com” link will be served onto your Web site. When a user clicks
this link, a small Quick-Click Buying window will launch on your site, with
information such as the product name and price, as well as
add-to-shopping-cart and 1-Click® buttons.
<script
language="JavaScript">
function popUp(URL)
{
window.open(URL,'','location=yes,scrollbars=yes,status=yes,toolbar=yes,
resizable=yes,width=380,height=450,screenX=10,screenY=10,top=10,left=10');
}
document.open();
document.write("<a href=javascript:popUp('http://buybox.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?
tag=[Associates ID goes here]&link_code=xsc&creative=23424&camp=2025&path=/dt/assoc/tg/aa/xml/
assoc/-/[ASIN number goes here]/[Associates ID goes
here]/ref=ac_bb1_')><img
src=http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/associates/remote-buy-box/buy1.gif
border=0 alt='Buy from Amazon.com' ></a>");
document.close();
</script>
<noscript>
<form method="POST"
action="http://buybox.amazon.com/o/dt/assoc/handle-buy-box=[ASIN number goes
here]">
<input type="hidden"
name="asin.[ASIN number goes here]"
value="1">
<input type="hidden"
name="tag-value" value="[Associates ID goes here]">
<input type="hidden"
name="tag_value" value="[Associates ID goes
here]">
<input type="image"
name="submit.add-to-cart"
value="Buy from Amazon.com" border="0" alt="Buy
from Amazon.com"
src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/associates/add-to-cart.gif">
</form>
</noscript>
10.2 Adding Items to Shopping Carts
Please use the following HTML to add a shopping cart
button to your Web site. (This button is for use with products sold by
Amazon.com, and not those sold by third party sellers).
<form method="POST"
action="http://www.amazon.com/o/dt/assoc/handle-buy-box=[ASIN number goes
here]">
<input type="hidden" name="asin.[ASIN number goes here]" value="1">
<input type="hidden"
name="tag-value" value="[Associates ID goes here]">
<input type="hidden" name="tag_value" value="[Associates ID goes here]">
<input type="submit" name="submit.add-to-cart" value="Buy From Amazon.com">
</form>
Please note:
There is a slight difference in the "name" values of the
second and third input elements (name="tag-value" and name="tag_value"). This is not a typo—one value uses a
dash and one uses an underscore. You will need to use
both tag_ and tag- in your HTML to ensure sales
are recorded to your associate ID correctly. Failure to do so will
prevent you from earning referral fees on qualifying sales from shopping
cart adds.
10.3 Adding Marketplace Items to Shopping Carts
To enable your Web site visitors to add marketplace
items directly to their shopping carts, you would use this HTML:
<form method="POST"
action="http://www.amazon.com/o/dt/assoc/handle-buy-box=[ASIN number goes
here]">
<input type=hidden name="exchange.[exchange ID goes here].[ASIN # goes here].[seller ID goes here]" value="1">
<input type="hidden"
name="tag-value" value="[Associates ID goes here]">
<input type="hidden" name="tag_value" value="[Associates ID goes here]">
<input type="submit" name="submit.add-to-cart" value="Buy From
Amazon.com">
</form>
10.4 Adding Items to Wish Lists
To enable your Web site visitors to add items directly
to their wish lists, you would use this HTML:
<form method="POST"
action="http://www.amazon.com/o/dt/assoc/handle-buy-box=[ASIN number goes
here]">
<input type="hidden" name="asin.[ASIN number goes here]" value="1">
<input type="hidden"
name="tag-value" value="[Associates ID goes here]">
<input type="hidden" name="tag_value" value="[Associates ID goes here]">
<input type="submit" name="submit.add-to-registry.wishlist" value="Add
to Amazon.com Wish List">
</form>
10.5 Adding Items to Wedding Registries
To enable your Web site visitors to add items directly
to their wedding registries, you would use this HTML:
<form method="POST"
action="http://www.amazon.com/o/dt/assoc/handle-buy-box=[ASIN number goes
here]">
<input type="hidden" name="asin.[ASIN number goes here]" value="1">
<input type="hidden"
name="tag-value" value="[Associates ID goes here]">
<input type="hidden" name="tag_value" value="[Associates ID goes here]">
<input type="submit" name="submit.add-to-registry.wedding" value="Add to
Amazon.com Wedding Registry">
</form>
10.6 Adding Items to Baby Registries
To enable your Web site visitors to add items directly
to their baby registries, you would use this HTML:
<form method="POST"
action="http://www.amazon.com/o/dt/assoc/handle-buy-box=[ASIN number goes
here]">
<input type="hidden" name="asin.[ASIN number goes here]" value="1">
<input type="hidden"
name="tag-value" value="[Associates ID goes here]">
<input type="hidden" name="tag_value" value="[Associates ID goes here]">
<input type="submit" name="submit.add-to-registry.babyreg" value="Add to
Amazon.com Baby Registry">
</form>
11 Using
the Developer’s Message Board and Reporting Bugs
This section shows the process for using the developer’s
message board to post messages and report bugs and the appropriate format.
11.1 Amazon Web Services Message Boards
This section describes the Amazon Web Services Developer
and Announcement message boards.
11.1.1 Developer Message Board
We have provided a forum to discuss Amazon.com Web
Services with other developers at http://forums.prospero.com/am-assocdevxml.
And if you have feedback you'd like to send us, please feel free to do
so. You can contact us at webservices@amazon.com.
11.1.2 Announcement Board
The Amazon Web Services team will post announcements
about new features and new services releases to the announcement
board. Please check this
announcement board regularly to make sure you have the most up-to-date
information available.
11.2 Sample Bug Report
If you encounter a bug and would like to report it to
Amazon for resolution, enter the bug on the developer’s message board
instead of sending the bug directly to Amazon Web Services. When you post to the developer’s board,
you’re creating a public record of the problem and the solution. The entire development community can help
to solve the problem, and the entire community can benefit.
To file a bug on the developer’s board, include the
following information in a bug report:
- Type
of request that you tried:
- XML/HTTP
- include the entire URL
- SOAP
- include the name, version, and URL of any tools or toolkit that you
used
- XSLT
- include the entire URL, including the URL of the XSLT file
- Parameters
that you supplied to the request
- Expected
results
- Observed
results and/or error messages
Amazon.com takes all Web Services problem reports
seriously, and takes reasonable measures to reproduce them in an effort to
determine their potential impact. If
a problem can be reproduced, we generally post a note to the Announcement
Board when it is fixed.
Please be aware that it is not possible for Amazon.com
to provide technical support to specific individuals. However, you will from time to time see
us respond to questions that we believe are of general interest to the
broad community of developers.
This section contains information on commonly used
product modes and browse identification numbers.
Product Modes
The table below identifies the proper nomenclature for
filling in the "mode" for each of our product lines. These should
be used exactly as shown. (For example, use mode=books rather than mode=book.)
Please also note that modes are case sensitive.
Mode
|
Nomenclature
|
Apparel
|
mode=apparel
|
Baby
|
mode=baby
|
Books
|
mode=books
|
Classical Music
|
mode=classical
|
DVD
|
mode=dvd
|
Electronics
|
mode=electronics
|
Outdoor Living
|
mode=garden
|
Kitchen & Housewares
|
mode=kitchen
|
Magazines
|
mode=magazines
|
Popular Music
|
mode=music
|
Computers
|
mode=pc-hardware
|
Camera & Photo
|
mode=photo
|
Software
|
mode=software
|
Toys & Games
|
mode=toys
|
Tools & Hardware
|
mode=universal
|
Video
|
mode=vhs
|
Computer & Video Games
|
mode=videogames
|
Commonly Used Browse
Identification Numbers
To find browse IDs at Amazon.com, the best way is to
visit the "browse" area of the various product lines at our Web
site. When you find a subject area that you would like to generate XML for,
look at the web page URL. The browse ID should appear after the string
"/tg/browse/-/". Here are some examples
of URLs that contain browse IDs:
Please be aware that some nodes cannot be used with a BrowseNodeSearch. (The vast majority of them can, but
you may run across a few that simply will not work). It is also important
to point out that from time to time, some browse nodes are deprecated or
are changed without notice.
Although we do not provide an authoritative list of all "known
good" browse nodes, the following is a list of some of our more
popular browse nodes.
Category
|
Category
|
Category
|
Books, Top Selling 1000
Books, Bargain 45
Books, Audiocassettes 44
Books, Audio CDs 69724
Books, Business 3
Books, Cooking 6
Books, Home/Garden 48
Books, Literature/Fiction 17
Books, Nonfiction 53
Books, Technical 173507
Books, Romance 23
Books, Sports 26
Books, Childrens 4
Books, Engineering 13643
Books, Health 10
Books, Reference 21
Books, Science 75
Books, Biographies 2
Books, Computers/Internet 5
Books, Entertainment 86
Books, History 9
Books, Law 10777
Books, Mystery 18
Books, Religion 22
Books, SciFi/Fantasy 25
Books, Travel 27
Books, Arts & Photography 1
Books, e-books 551440
Books, Women's Fiction 542654
|
Magazines, Top Selling 599872
Magazines, Computer/Internet 602324
Magazines, Family 602330
Magazines, Games 602336
Magazines, History 602342
Magazines, Lifestyle 602348
Magazines, Music 602354
Magazines, Pets 602360
Magazines, Espanol 1040158
Magazines, Travel 602370
Magazines, Arts 602314
Magazines, Business 602320
Magazines, Electronics 602326
Magazines, Fashion 602332
Magazines, Home/Garden 602344
Magazines, Literary 602350
Magazines, Newspapers 1040160
Magazines, Religion 602362
Magazines, Sport 602366
Magazines, Womens 602372
Magazines, Automotive 602316
Magazines, Childrens 602322
Magazines, Entertainment 602328
Magazines, Food 602334
Magazines, Health 602340
Magazines, International 602346
Magazines, Mens 602352
Magazines, News/Politics 602358
Magazines, Science/Nature 602364
Magazines, Teen 602368
|
DVDs, Top Selling 130
DVDs, New & Future Releases 404332
DVDs, Animation 712256
DVDs, Classic 163345
DVDs, Documentary 508532
DVDs, Horror 163396
DVDs, SciFi/Fantasy 163431
DVDs, Television 163450
DVDs, Action/Adventure 163296
DVDs, Anime/Manga 517956
DVDs, Comedy 163357
DVDs, Drama 163379
DVDs, Kids/Family 163414
DVDs, Music Video 163420
DVDs, Special Interest 163448
DVDs, Military/War 586156
DVDs, Mystery/Suspense 512030
DVDs, Sports 467970
DVDs, African-American Cinema 538708
DVDs, International 163313
DVDs, Boxed Sets 501230
DVDs, Cult 466674
DVDs, Gay & Lesbian 301667
DVDs, Hong Kong Action 464426
DVDs, Independents 901596
DVDs, Musicals 508528
DVDs, Westerns 163312
|
Music, Top Selling 301668
Music, New & Future Releases 465672
Music, Classical 85
Music, Dance/DJ 7
Music, Pop 37
Music, Rock 40
Music, Alternative 30
Music, Classic Rock 67204
Music, Jazz 34
Music, Rap 38
Music, Soundtracks 42
Music, Blues 31
Music, Christian 173429
Music, Country 16
Music, Latin 289122
Music, R/B 39
|
Software, Top Selling 491286
Software, Communication 229636
Software, Graphics 229614
Software, Linux 290562
Software, Operating Sys 229653
Software, Downloadable 531448
Software, Utilities 229672
Software, Business 229535
Software, Education 229563
Software, Home/Hobby 229624
Software, Mac 229643
Software, Finance 229540
Software, Handhelds 229663
Software, Video 497022
Software, Childrens 229548
Software, Games 229575
Software, Language/Travel 497026
Software, Networking 229637
Software, Programming 229667
Software, Web Dev 497024
|
VHS, Top Selling 404272
VHS, New & Future Releases 286747
VHS, Animation 712260
VHS, Classic 127
VHS, Documentary 508530
VHS, Horror 131
VHS, SciFi/Fantasy 144
VHS, Television 136
VHS, Action/Adventure 141
VHS, Anime/Manga 281300
VHS, Comedy 128
VHS, Drama 129
VHS, Kids/Family 132
VHS, Music Video 133
VHS, Special Interest 135
VHS, Military/War 586154
VHS, Mystery/Suspense 512026
VHS, Sports 169798
|
Video Games, Top Selling 471280
Video Games, Game Cube 541022
Video Games, Play Station 2 301712
Video games, Game Boy 229783
Video Games, Mac 229647
Video Games, PC 229575
Video Games, Game Boy Advance 541020
Video Games, Xbox 537504
|
Kitchen, Top Selling 491864
Kitchen, Outlet 526844
Kitchen, Coffee/Tea 289742
Kitchen, Cookware 289814
Kitchen, Appliances 289913
Kitchen, Baking 289668
Kitchen, Housewares 510080
Kitchen, Tableware 289891
Kitchen, Bar Tools 289728
Kitchen, Gadgets 289754
Kitchen, Knives 289851
|
Toys, Top Selling 491290
Toys, Crafts 171859
Toys, Dolls 171569
Toys, Games 171689
Toys, Outdoor 171960
Toys, Action Figures 171662
Toys, Bikes 569472
Toys, Electronics 720366
Toys, Stuffed Animals 171992
Toys, Learning 171911
Toys, Building 171814
Toys, Furniture 172790
Toys, Puzzles 171744
Toys, Vehicles 171600
|
Outdoor, Top Selling 468250
Outdoor, Outlet 526814
Outdoor, Gifts 553648
Outdoor, Lawn/Garden Tools 915484
Outdoor, Pest Control 553844
Outdoor, Birding 553632
Outdoor, Grills 553760
Outdoor, Camping 892986
Outdoor, Décor 553788
Outdoor, Heating & Lighting 553778
Outdoor, Furniture 553824
|
Camera, Top Selling 502394
Camera, Accessories 172435
Camera, Binoculars 297842
Camera, Camcorders 172421
Camera, Digital Cameras 281052
Camera, Film Cameras 499106
Camera, Frames & Albums 499176
Camera, Printers & Scanners 499328
Camera, Projectors 525462
Camera, Telescopes & Microscopes 660408
|
Computers, Top Selling 565118
Computers, AMD 602286
Computers, Apple 565124
Computers, HP 565120
Computers, IBM 603128
Computers, Intel 565122
Computers, Sony 565126
Computers, Toshiba 598398
|
Tools, Top Selling 468240
Tools, Outlet 527694
Tools, Electrical 495266
Tools, Heating & Cooling 495346
Tools, Lighting 495224
Tools, Automotive 553294
Tools, Hand Tools 551238
Tools, Equipment 551240
Tools, Power Tools 551236
Tools, Models 923468
Tools, Hardware 511228
Tools, Lawn/Garden 551242
Tools, Accessories 552262
Tools, Air Tools 552684
Tools, Cordless Tools 552738
Tools, Sanders 552876
Tools, Saws 552894
Tools, Painting 228899
|
Electronics, Top Selling 172282
Electronics, Outlet 301793
Electronics, Accessories & Supplies 281407
Electronics, Car Accessories 226184
Electronics, Clocks & Clock Radios 509280
Electronics, Computer Add-Ons 172455
Electronics, DVD Players 172514
Electronics, Gadgets 172517
Electronics, GPS & Navigation 172526
Electronics, Handhelds & PDAs 172594
Electronics, Home Audio 172531
Electronics, Home Office 172574
Electronics, Home Video 172592
Electronics, Phones 172606
Electronics, Portable Audio & Video 172623
Electronics, Printers 172635
Electronics, TVs 172659
Electronics, VCRs & DVRs 172669
|
Baby, Backpacks & Carriers 542456
Baby, Car Seats 541560
Baby, Strollers 541562
Baby, Travel Systems 542442
Baby, Playards 542468
Baby, Bedding 541574
Baby, Furniture 541576
Baby, Breast-feeding 541568
Baby, Bottle Feeding 541566
Baby, Solid Feeding 541570
Baby, Highchairs 542302
Baby, Play Centers 548050
Baby, Swings & Bouncers 542470
Baby, Toys: Birth - 12 months 731816
Baby, Toys: 12 - 24 months 731876
Baby, Toys: 2 years 731924
|
This section contains additional resources for
information on Web services, XML, and SOAP.
Web Services
Resources
This table shows additional Web Services resources you
can use to develop your application or Web site.
XML Resources
This table shows additional XML resources you can use to
develop your application or Web site.
SOAP Resources
This table shows additional SOAP resources you can use
to develop your application or Web site.
This
section shows the version, date, author, and change description for this
document.
Version
|
Date
|
Description of Changes
|
1.0
|
6/16/2002
|
First published version of this
document.
|
1.1
|
7/22/2002
|
Document updated. This version removed DTDs, XSDs and WSDL from
kit. (These files can still be retrieved online.)
|
2.0
|
9/30/02
|
Second published version of this
document. Contains significant
changes, including expanded descriptions of SOAP calls; search, parameter,
and sort type listings; expanded XSL descriptions; and more.
|
If you have any comments about this documentation, or
discover any mistakes contained in it, please send a message to webservices@amazon.com. Thanks for reading!
|