Authentication Setup for Nettskjema API

In nettskjemar: Connect to the 'nettskjema.no' API of the University of Oslo

This vignette explains how to set up authentication with the Nettskjema API using the ns_req and ns_auth_token functions provided in the package. Authentication is required to connect to the API endpoints and perform operations.

Setting Up Authentication

Setting up a client

Before using the functions, you need the following: 1. A registered API client in Nettskjema. 2. Your client credentials (client ID and client secret). These are provided when you register the client.

To register a client go to the nettskjema API page or use the ns_create_client() function to open the url. Here you will be asked to log in with your user account, so you can create the client.

Add Credentials to Your .Renviron File

To prevent hardcoding your credentials in your scripts, add the following entries to your .Renviron file. The .Renviron file is a hidden file in your home directory that R reads on startup.

1. Open your .Renviron file. You can create or edit it with:

file.edit(fs::path_home(".Renviron"))

1. Add your credentials:

NETTSKJEMA_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
NETTSKJEMA_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret

Replace your_client_id and your_client_secret with the actual values you received from Nettskjema.

1. Save and close the file.

2. Restart your R session to the load changes.

Retrieve the Access Token

Use the ns_auth_token function to retrieve your access token. This function exchanges your client credentials for a valid token. The token is cached by default for efficiency.

library(nettskjemar)

# Try getting your user information
ns_get_me()
#> $isPersonalDataResponsible
#> [1] FALSE
#> 
#> $displayName
#> [1] "[e-mail]"
#> 
#> $logoutLink
#> [1] "/signout"
#> 
#> $isSuperUser
#> [1] FALSE
#> 
#> $isAuthenticated
#> [1] TRUE
#> 
#> $userType
#> [1] "FEIDE_USER"
#> 
#> $hasAcceptedTos
#> [1] TRUE
#> 
#> $isSupportUser
#> [1] FALSE
#> 
#> $isAdministrativeUser
#> [1] TRUE
#> 
#> $isInLdapGroupUioTils
#> [1] TRUE

If this returns a list of objects, you have successfully retrieved a token from Nettskjema and can use the remaining functions in the package.

By default, the token is stored in your home directory as .nettskjema_token.rds with a 24-hour validity period (max validity of a token). The token is automatically refreshed after the 24--hour period is over, and you as a user should not even notice that this happens.

You can configure the caching path using the cache_path argument of the function, if you are comfortable doing that.

Troubleshooting

1. Invalid Credentials: Ensure your client ID and client secret are correct and have been properly registered in Nettskjema.
2. Token Expiry: Tokens are valid for 24 hours by default. Re-run ns_auth_token to refresh the token.
3. Environment Variables Not Loaded: Ensure you've added your credentials to .Renviron and restarted your R session.

More information

You can find more information about the Nettskjema v3 API on the official UiO documentation pages.

nettskjemar documentation built on April 4, 2025, 12:22 a.m.