Ongoing WMS Automation SOAP API

Differences between the goods owner APIs and the automation API

Note that we also have two other APIs: the goods owner SOAP API and the goods owner REST API. These APIs are intended to be used when integrating systems such as web shops or ERPs (Enterprise Resource Planning systems) with Ongoing WMS.

• Out of necessity, the automation API exposes a lot of internal details about Ongoing WMS. For instance, in the goods owner API an article is generally referred to by its article number, but in the automation API we use Ongoing WMS' internal article definition id instead.
• When calling a function in the goods owner API, you generally must specify which goods owner you want to work with. In the automation API, this is usually not required. The automation API allows you to work with all goods owners.
• The goods owner SOAP API has its endpoint at Service.asmx, while the automation API's endpoint is Automation.asmx.

Areas of application

The automation API is an advanced API which allows an external system to perform certain internal warehouse operations, like moving goods from one location to another. It is intended to be used, for instance, by integrators who wish to integrate automation equipment like conveyor belts or automatic storage and retrieval systems with Ongoing WMS. Read more about other types of automation hardware used together with Ongoing WMS.

See the article with technical guides for example integrations. We try to gather and extend this page with example integrations for you to use as a base for your integration. Because of the custom nature of such equipment, you may have to consult with Ongoing Warehouse before beginning implementing your integration.

Changes to the API

The API is under constant development. Do not assume that the API is fully static. As a general rule, we do not remove functions or fields from the API. However, we might add more fields or functions. This should be taken into account when building the integration. Your code should not break if a field is added. Fields are always added to the end of each object.

Polling rules

Make sure to not poll the API excessively. If excessive polling occurs, Ongoing WMS will shut down the API access if the problem isn't fixed after a reasonable amount of time.

Example requests

We have created a Postman collection with examples of some requests for the automation API. Postman is a program which allows you to easily test APIs.

Automation REST API

We also have an automation API which is based on REST technology. The Automation REST API is much newer than the Automation SOAP API, and therefore does not have as many functions yet. However, if you are interested, click here to view the documentation for the Automation REST API.