Package Info Web Service

Getting Package Info

With a given Package ID (and optionally, package key), metadata about Pando packages can be retrieved from the Pando system. Request URLs take the following form:

http://cache.pando.com/soapservices/SendToWeb?action=info&format=Format&id=PackageId&key=PackageKey

Format can be either "xml" or "json," which determines how the data you request will be returned. The information returned includes:

  • "static" package info (also stored in the package file itself)
    • package id (passed in the URL)
    • encryption key (optional; included only if passed in the URL). If the key is not provided, users cannot download the file from the Package URL, below.
    • package name
    • description
    • creation date, in RFC 822 format
    • packager name
    • thumbnail URL
    • package URL
    • total file size, in bytes
    • list of files, with count
  • "dynamic" package info (changes over time)
    • number of downloads (number of completed downloads for the torrent right now).
    • expiration date, in RFC 822 format; omitted if the torrent has infinite expiration
    • expired; true if the package has expired from Pando's servers, omitted otherwise.

Example: XML

So, for example, the XML encoded package info for a package can be retrieved from the following URL:

http://cache.pando.com/soapservices/SendToWeb?action=info&format=xml
  &id=5AEDE982393976A10050F2EC7C20C3C5EFDE0BBB
  &key=C51E9F2767B6747A9C9841AF7EEB9CC0E967D5B37CEC05B8C9DF310A03958AD2

Which returns the following result (with the "files" list trimmed -- full result here).

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<packageInfo>
	<version>1.0</version>
	<packageId>5AEDE982393976A10050F2EC7C20C3C5EFDE0BBB</packageId>
	<key>C51E9F2767B6747A9C9841AF7EEB9CC0E967D5B37CEC05B8C9DF310A03958AD2</key>
	<title>Spring Street Art</title>
	<description>
		At 11 Spring St. some of NYC's best street artists have canvassed 
		(literally) the building with art that is sprayed/painted/glued on the 
		exterior and interior walls.
	</description>
	<creationDate>Sun, 17 Dec 2006 14:06:30 -0500</creationDate>
	<packager>Yaron Samid</packager>
	<thumbnailURL>http://services.pando.com/soapservices/SendToWeb?action=thumbnail
	&id=5AEDE982393976A10050F2EC7C20C3C5EFDE0BBB</thumbnailURL>
	<packageURL>http://cache.pando.com/soapservices/Package/package.pando?
		id=5AEDE982393976A10050F2EC7C20C3C5EFDE0BBB
		&key=C51E9F2767B6747A9C9841AF7EEB9CC0E967D5B37CEC05B8C9DF310A03958AD2
	</packageURL>
	<packageSize>187249946</packageSize>
	<files num="91">
		<file name="Spring Street Art/IMG_8277.jpg" size="2196499"/>
		[... trimmed ...]
		<file name="Spring Street Art/IMG_8367.jpg"size="2071726"/>
	</files>
	<downloads>55</downloads>
	<expirationDate>Sat, 12 Dec 2026 15:42:20 -0500</expirationDate>
</packageInfo>

Example: JSON

To retrieve a JSON encoded version of the same data, we simply ask for a different format in the URL:

http://cache.pando.com/soapservices/SendToWeb?action=info&format=json
  &id=5AEDE982393976A10050F2EC7C20C3C5EFDE0BBB
  &key=C51E9F2767B6747A9C9841AF7EEB9CC0E967D5B37CEC05B8C9DF310A03958AD2

Which returns the following result (with the "files" list trimmed -- full result here).

{"version":"1.0",
"packageId":"5AEDE982393976A10050F2EC7C20C3C5EFDE0BBB",
"key":"C51E9F2767B6747A9C9841AF7EEB9CC0E967D5B37CEC05B8C9DF310A03958AD2",
"title":"Spring Street Art",
"description":"At 11 Spring St. some of NYC's best street artists have canvassed
  (literally) the building with art that is sprayed/painted/glued on
  the exterior and interior walls.",
"creationDate":"Sun, 17 Dec 2006 14:06:30 -0500",
"packager":"Yaron Samid",
"thumbnailURL":"http://services.pando.com/soapservices/SendToWeb?action=thumbnail
  &id=5AEDE982393976A10050F2EC7C20C3C5EFDE0BBB",
"packageURL":"http://cache.pando.com/soapservices/Package/package.pando
  ?id=5AEDE982393976A10050F2EC7C20C3C5EFDE0BBB
  &key=C51E9F2767B6747A9C9841AF7EEB9CC0E967D5B37CEC05B8C9DF310A03958AD2",
"packageSize":187249946,
"fileCount":91,
"files":[
  {"name":"Spring Street Art/IMG_8277.jpg","size":2196499},
  [... trimmed ...],
  {"name":"Spring Street Art/IMG_8367.jpg","size":2071726}],
"downloads":55,
"expirationDate":"Sat, 12 Dec 2026 15:42:20 -0500"}