Trello API cover color... is Trello's API color blind?

Question

I'm struggling to properly form an API call to change the cover color for a card.  I posted the approach I'm taking in StackOverflow as well here.

I suspect I have a problem of proper formation of the PUT request.  I've tried it in my Python code, using Postman, and using a simple cURL command, all with similar results.  Here's the basic form that I have tried:

* curl -X PUT http://api.trello.com/cards/24CHARCARDNUM/?key=32CHARKEY&token=64CHARTOKEN&cover={"color","pink"}
* curl -X PUT http://api.trello.com/cards/24CHARCARDNUM/?key=32CHARKEY&token=64CHARTOKEN -d "cover:{\"color\",\"pink\")"
* lots of variants of the above with double and single quotes in different places to try get syntax right.

Except when I make a gross syntax error, the API returns a JSON that simply returns the current color of the card's cover (and a lot of other attributes of the card).  The color of the cover does not actually change.   I asked for pink and I got confirmation of green:

Is there a chance the Trello API is color blind?  ;-)

For those looking for it, the capability is documented in the API and discussed here.

Any hints about how to properly form this request?

Paul

Paul Mullen_m8icdz · Answer

OK.  You were right.  Here is the syntax for those who need it:

curl -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -X PUT -d '{"cover" : {"color":"pink"}}' https://api.trello.com/1/cards/24CHARCARDNUMBER?token=64CHARTOKEN&key=32CHARKEY

If you're doing it in python with the urllib3 library, it owuld be this:

params = {"cover" : {"color":"pink"}}
            #got the id, now send the message to color it pink            result = http.request(                "PUT",                 "https://api.trello.com/1/cards/" + new_card_id + "?key=" + trello_api_key + "&token=" + trello_token,                 body=json.dumps(params),                headers={'Content-Type': 'application/json'}                )

Michael Pryor · Answer

I think it’s because you actually need to PUT the JSON in the body of your request. You are appending it to the query string like it’s a GET but you need to specify the content-type text/JSON and actually  send the JSON payload in the body of the request (I think).