# How do you pass an array to the api
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-do-you-pass-an-array-to-the-api/121598
**Category:** Development
**Tags:** rest-api
**Created:** [28 juni 2019 om 16:57 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-do-you-pass-an-array-to-the-api/121598 "2019-06-28T16:57:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Nikki\_Locke](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Nikki_Locke)
#### Post date: [28 juni 2019 om 16:57 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-do-you-pass-an-array-to-the-api/121598/1 "2019-06-28T16:57:37Z")
On some of the api calls, you are expected to pass an array of values in the post data. How do you do this?
I have figured out by trial an error how to pass an array with one item in it - e.g. for change-owner, you want something like:
```
username: sean-finnegan
post_ids[]: 925
```
(or, in url-encoded)
```
post_ids%5B%5D=925&username=sean-finnegan
```
---
### Author:  [@blake](https://meta.discourse.org/u/blake)
#### Post date: [1 juli 2019 om 18:17 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-do-you-pass-an-array-to-the-api/121598/2 "2019-07-01T18:17:17Z")
Great question, I agree that can be a bit confusing. If you want to pass multiple post\_ids you would pass in multiple form data fields for `post_ids[]` like this curl example:
```plaintext
curl -i -sS -X POST "http://localhost:8080/t/15/change-owner.json"
-H "Api-Key: api-key" \
-H "Api-Username: system" \
-F "username=blake" \
-F "post_ids[]=29" \
-F "post_ids[]=30"
```
---
### Author:  [@Nacho\_Caballero](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Nacho_Caballero)
#### Post date: [6 september 2020 om 12:35 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-do-you-pass-an-array-to-the-api/121598/3 "2020-09-06T12:35:54Z")
Hey Blake,
Is this still the recommended way to send an array to the API? I’m trying to create a web hook and I’m not able to send the `web_hook_event_type_ids` array parameter.
I’ve tried it with CURL (as multipart/form-data)
```plaintext
curl -X POST "https://MYSITE.com/admin/api/web_hooks" \
-H "Api-Key: KEY" \
-H "Api-Username: USER" \
-F "payload_url=https://MYOTHERSITE.com" \
-F "content_type=1" \
-F "wildcard_web_hook=false" \
-F "verify_certificate=true" \
-F "active=true" \
-F "web_hook_event_type_ids[]=2"
# I get
{"errors":["param is missing or the value is empty: web_hook"]}%
```
And with [httpie](https://httpie.org/docs#usage) (as application/json):
```plaintext
http POST https://MYSITE.com/admin/api/web_hooks \
Api-Key:KEY \
Api-Username:USER \
payload_url=https://MYOTHERSITE.com \
content_type=1 \
wildcard_web_hook:=false \
verify_certificate:=true \
active:=true \
web_hook_event_type_ids:='[2]'
# I get
{
"errors": [
"Web hook event types can't be blank"
]
}
```
---
### Author:  [@blake](https://meta.discourse.org/u/blake)
#### Post date: [6 september 2020 om 12:48 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-do-you-pass-an-array-to-the-api/121598/4 "2020-09-06T12:48:46Z")
Looks like this whole endpoint wants the values in a nested `web_hook` param:
> [@Nacho\_Caballero](#):
>
> `param is missing or the value is empty: web_hook`
I’m not a huge fan of this nested format, and there are a few endpoints like this that are on my eventual list to fix. You can make an API call to it using form-data like so:
Notice how each parameter has the “array” syntax `web_hook[payload_url]`. If you are sending your request with json it will look like:
```plaintext
{
"web_hook": {
"payload_url": "https://example.com/hello",
"content_type": "1",
...
}
}
```
---
### Author:  [@Nacho\_Caballero](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Nacho_Caballero)
#### Post date: [6 september 2020 om 12:55 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-do-you-pass-an-array-to-the-api/121598/5 "2020-09-06T12:55:00Z")
Ah, thank you so much. That’s not what it said in the [Discourse API](https://docs.discourse.org/#tag/Web-Hooks/paths/~1admin~1api~1web_hooks/post), so I was going crazy. 😅
Also, I’ve noticed that setting `web_hook_event_type_ids` to at least one item is required even if I end up using `wildcard_web_hook=true`. That also had me scratching my head for a while.