Motion - Motion Http API

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API for HTTP Interface for Motion

Output Modes
The URL
URL with no path
URL with only thread number
Config Parameters
Action Commands
Detection Commands
Track Commands
- Track Set
  - Track Set Absolute
  - Track Set relative
- Track Auto
Authentication
- Basic Auth

Output Modes

The HTTP Interface have two output modes :

HTML : To use it from a web browser.
RAW : To easily be parsed from any fronted ( php , python , perl , GTK , etc ... ).

The URL

URL consists of the following parts

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/thread/command/subcommand?parameter=value

URL with no path

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port

makes Motion returns a webpage that gives a short status and lists the threads as links.

Example with 3 thread config files ( HTML Mode ).

<body>
Motion version 3.1.20 running 3 threads.
[[/0][All]]
[[/1][Thread 1]]
[[/2][Thread 2]]
[[/3][Thread 3]]
</body>

RAW Mode

Motion version 3.1.20 running 3 threads.\n
0\n
1\n
2\n
3\n

And clicking thread 1 will give you the next section.

URL with only thread number

Thread 0 represents the default values. If there is only one camera and no thread files it is the one and only camera you control.

The URL

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/thread

Example

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/2

Returns this HTML, here shown as example with thread 1.

<body>
[[/2/config][Configuration]]<br />
[[/2/action][Action]]<br />
[[/2/detection][Detection]]<br />
[[/2/track][Tracking]]<br />
[[/2][
</body>]]

* RAW Mode

config\n
action\n
detection\n
track\n

Config Parameters

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/2/config

<body>
[[/2/config/list][list]]<br />
[[/2/config/write][write]]<br />
[[/2/config/set][set]]<br />
[[/2/config/get][get]]<br />
[[/2/][
</body>]]

* RAW Mode

list\n
write\n
set\n
get\n

Config List

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/2/config/list

Simply lists all parameters - maybe with their current values.

Write config

That option will write the current settings to config file. Only for HTML mode write command will ask for confirmation.

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/2/config/write

<body>
Are you sure? [[/%d/config/writeyes][Yes]]<br />
[[/%d/config][No]]
</body>

RAW mode

Thread %d write\n
Done\n

Write directly without confirmation

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/2/config/writeyes

<body>
<b>Thread %d</b> write done !<br />
[[/%d/config][
</body>]]

RAW mode

Thread %d write\n
Done\n

Set config option value

Set a value for a parameter.

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/2/config/set?user_text=value

returns something like this


<head></head>
<body>

   * [[/2/config/set?user_text][user_text]] = value

<b>Done</b><br />
[[/2/config/list][
</body>]]

RAW Mode

user_text = value\n
Done\n

You can also clear/disable config options.

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/2/config/set?despeckle=

Parameters will do this conversion:

   string will become (null)
   int will become 0
   boolean will become false

the value will be urlencoded .

Get config option value

Get the value of the requested parameter.

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/2/config/get?query=user_text

returns something like this

<body>
Motion thread 2<br />

   * user_text = "value"

[[/2/config/list][
</body>]]

RAW Mode

Motion thread 2\n
user_text = value\n
Done\n

Action Commands

makemovie , force to make a movie.
snapshot , force to take a snapshot.
restart , restart motion , reading again the config files for all threads.
quit , exit motion.

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/2/action

makes Motion return a webpage that looks like this

<body>
[[/2/action/makemovie][Make Movie]]<br />
[[/2/action/snapshot][Snapshot]]<br />
[[/2/action/restart][Restart]]<br />
[[/2/action/quit][Quit]]<br />
[[/2][
</body>]]

RAW Mode

makemovie\n
snapshot\n
restart\n
quit\n

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/2/action/makemovie

Makes a movie. This is the response

<body>
Movie Made for Thread 2<br />
[[/2/action][
</body>]]

RAW Mode

Movie Made for Thread 2\n
Done\n

Detection Commands

status , returns the detection status.
start , enable detection.
pause , pauses detection.
connection, show the status device connection. ( from 3.2.8 )

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/2/detection

makes Motion return a webpage that looks like this

<body>
[[/2/detection/status][status]]<br />
[[/2/detection/start][start]]<br />
[[/2/detection/pause][pause]]<br />
[[/2/detection/connection][connection]]<br />
[[/2][
</body>]]

RAW Mode

status\n
start\n
pause\n
connection\n

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/2/detection/start

Start detection. This is the response

<body>
Detection start for Thread 2<br />
[[/2/detection][
</body>]]

RAW Mode

Detection start for Thread 2\n
Done\n

Track Commands

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/2/track

makes Motion return a webpage that looks like this

<body>
[[/2/track/set][Track Set Pan/Tilt]]<br />
[[/2/track/auto][Track Auto]]<br />
[[/2][
</body>]]

RAW Mode

set\n
auto\n

Track Set

Sets absoute or relative position for tracking devices.

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/2/track/set?pan=10&tilt=5

makes Motion return a webpage that looks like this

<body>
Track Set relative 10 5 for Thread 2<br />
[[/2/track][
</body>]]

RAW Mode

Track Set relative 10 5 for Thread 2\n
Done\n

Track Set Absolute

Set an absolute position.

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/2/track/set?x=5&y=10

makes Motion return a webpage that looks like this

<body>
Track Set Absolute Pan 5 Tilt 10 for Thread 2<br />
[[/2/track][
</body>]]

RAW Mode

Track Set Absolute Pan 5 Tilt 10 for Thread 2\n
Done\n

Track Set relative

Set a relative position to current one .

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/2/track/set?pan=10&tilt=-5

makes Motion return a webpage that looks like this

<body>
Track Relative Pan 10 Tilt -5 for Thread 2<br />
[[/2/track][
</body>]]

RAW Mode

Track Relative Pan 10 Tilt -5 for Thread 2\n
Done\n

Track Auto

0 Disable, Auto tracking feature.
1 Enable, Auto tracking feature.
status Check the status of Auto tracking feature.

http://motionhost.mydomain.tld:port/2/track/auto?value=1

makes Motion return a webpage that looks like this

<body>
Track Auto Enable for Thread 2<br />
[[/2/track][
</body>]]

RAW Mode

Track Auto Enable for Thread 2\n
Done\n

Authentication

The deal of authentication is to provide a level of security to grant/deny access to motion configuration using HttpAPI.

Basic Auth

This method is the same that supports apache, so login/pass will be added as a new parameter to motion.conf only :

http_authentication login:pass

The client should send that as HTTP RFC specifies, http browsers will work without any problem.

-- AngelCarpintero - 11 Nov 2007

Topic revision: r34 - 28 Feb 2015, AlAl

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