Postcode Programming API  Get Full Address from JSON/JSONP Web Service

Full Address Search functionality:

  1. Enter postcode to search for
  2. Presents a list of addresses at postcode entered
  3. Address is selected by user
  4. Full address for selection is returned

To get a full address from our JSON/JSONP Web Service we do the following:

Step 1 Sign up for 30 day free trial

Simply use the "Sign Up for Trial" link at top right of this page to open a trial account.   We will then send you a data key, which is used to identify your account, when using the following service.

Step 2 Call for list of address at Postcode

Step 2 Call JSONService/JSONSearchForAddress.aspx for list of address at Postcode

Returns a series of lines, from which the user can select full royal mail address information (Royal mail PAF Database). JSONGetAddressRecord.aspx (Step 2) is then called with the selected address id, to get full address information.

Parameters

Parameter name Description
dataKey Datakey, which is available when account has been created, under the “DataKey” tab of the online account administrator page.
username Only needed if for internal postcode address use
version Set 1, this allows to change JSON structure without effecting you software
ip IP Address of client. This is optional. We monitor address queries and have had cases where client’s web sites have been used repeatly by one person. Specifying the IP address of each client allows to monitor and block such queries.
postcode Postcode to find
To retrieve residential property only. To do this simply append “[” to the end of the Postcode.
To retrieve commercial property only. To do this simply append “]” to the end of the Postcode.
jsoncallback JSONP callback function name
cross cross=true will allow cross orgin calls to overcome a CORS Error

Returns

Name Description
errormessage Contains a message if error occurred when searching for Address by Postcode
accountadminpage URL for page to buy more Postcode Address licenses
credits_display_text Status of Postcode Address licenses. This shows the number of users/credit lookups available
found Equals “1” if data has been returned, thus process records below
recordcount Count of records returned
records A series of records, for selection by user.
Each has a unique Identifier

Element : “records”:

Name Description
id ID of address line to later call for compete address (step 3)
l Address line to display for selection, used in next part of search

Example

Call JSON web service with your data key, which is e-mailed to you when you open an account.  The data key identifies your account and licenses within our system.

              Web Service   
                
                www.simplylookupadmin.co.uk/JSONservice/JSONSearchForAddress.aspx?datakey=Your 
                  Data Key

                  &postcode=pe132ql
            
          

              Returns json   
                
                {

                     "found":"1",

                     "credits_display_text":"Evaluation till 3 Apr 2011",

                     "accountadminpage":"https://www.simplylookupadmin.co.uk/WebAccountLogin.aspx?

                                                
                                doid=1&coid=3333305462&Pay=yes",

                     "errormessage":"",

                     "maxresults":"0",

                     "recordcount":"7",

                     "records":[

                         {"l":"Victoria Lodge 18 Victoria Road Wisbech", 
                                "id":"31597197_2535693S_F"},

                         {"l":"1 Victoria Road Wisbech", "id":"11570811_0S_F"},

                         {"l":"2 Victoria Road Wisbech", "id":"34692202_0S_F"},

                         {"l":"3 Victoria Road Wisbech", "id":"11570828_0S_F"},

                         {"l":"5 Victoria Road Wisbech", "id":"11570842_0S_F"},

                         {"l":"46 Victoria Road Wisbech", "id":"34692229_0S_F"},

                         {"l":"48 Victoria Road Wisbech", 
                                "id":"11570841_0S_F"}

                     ]

                                }

If address returned then found = 1, else found = 0,error in errormessage

errormessage should be displayed if populated

  Please note: Section 3.5 of the terms and conditions state: "The Customer, when using the Postcode Lookup service via Web Service, must make sure each user is identified by a unique Computer name, in each call to the Web Service if used internally”. In simple language this means that each user must be identified by a unique computer name, in username, if used by a company employee

Step 3 Get Address Record

Call JSONService/JSONGetAddressRecordV2.aspx Get Address Record

Gets the full address information given the Address ID listed in previous step.  Now call to get the full address record information for the address line selected by user.

A second version of this call, JSONGetAddressRecordV2.aspx, is provided which returns the ‘unique’ and ‘spare’ field in addition to the normal address fields. See Data Returned below.

Parameters

Parameter name Description
dataKey Datakey, which is available when account has been created, under the “DataKey” tab of the online account administrator page.
version Set 2, this allows us to change XML structure without effecting you software
username Only needed if for internal postcode address use
ip IP Address of client. This is optional. We monitor address queries and have had cases where client’s web sites have been used repeatly by one person. Specifying the IP address of each client allows to monitor and block such queries.
id Record ID, to identify the Royal mail address record. Royal mail PAF File
jsoncallback JSONP callback function name
cross cross=true will allow cross orgin calls to overcome a CORS Error

Returns

Parameter name Description
data Data regarding the status of the account.  Documented in Step 2 above.
record Full Address information, see "Data returned" section below

Example

Call JSON web service with your data key.


              Web Service   
                
                www.simplylookupadmin.co.uk/JSONservice/JSONGetAddressRecordV2.aspx?datakey=Your 
                  Data Key&id=11570838_0S_F
            
          

              Returns json   
                
                {

                     "found":"1",

                     "credits_display_text":"Evaluation expires 3 Apr 2011",

                     "accountadminpage":"https://www.simplylookupadmin.co.uk/WebAccountLogin.aspx?

                                                
                                doid=1&coid=3333305462&Pay=yes",

                     "errormessage":"",

                     "id":"31567757_2957290S_F",

                     "organisation":"Tesco",

                     "line1":"23 Barford Road",

                     "line2":"",

                     "line3":"",

                     "town":"St. Neots",

                     "county":"Cambridgeshire",

                     "postcode":"PE19 2SA",

                     "country":"England",

                     "rawpostcode":"PE192SA",

                     "deliverypointsuffix":"1N",

                     "nohouseholds":"1",

                     "smallorg":"Y",

                     "pobox":"",

                     "mailsortcode":"66140",
     "spare":"23||Barford Road||||||||||",
    "unique":"23",

                                     "udprn":"50394326"

                                  }

If address returned then found = 1, else found = 0,error in errormessage

errormessage should be displayed if populated

If used by employee of company (classed as "Internal use")

It is a requirement of the royal mail that if postcode lookup software is used by an employee of a company, then the user must be uniquely identified so we can apply a user count.

Therefore the URL must contain a User ID:


              Web Service   
                
                www.simplylookupadmin.co.uk/JSONservice/JSONSearchForAddress.aspx?datakey=Your 
                  Data Key

                  &postcode=pe132ql&username=UserID


                  or

                  


                  www.simplylookupadmin.co.uk/JSONservice/JSONGetAddressRecordV2.aspx?datakey=Your 
                    Data Key&id=11570838_0S_F&username=UserID

This will be the datakey beginning with "I"

Section 3.5 of the Terms and Conditions state: "The Customer, when using the Postcode Lookup service via Web Service, must make sure each user is identified by a unique Computer name, in each call to the Web Service if used internally”. In simple language this means that each user must be identified by a unique computer name, in username parameter, if used by a company employee.

Step 4 Testing

Final step is to test, to enable easy testing please use our special test postcodes.

Data Returned

This type of license returns: (see example below)

  • id   ●
  • organisation (Company Name)
  • line1
  • line2
  • line3
  • town
  • county
  • postcode
  • country "England","Wales","Northern Ireland","Isle of Man","Channel Islands","Scotland"
  • mailsortcode
  • rawpostcode  ●
  • unique   ● (JSONGetAddressRecordV2.aspx)
  • spare   ● (JSONGetAddressRecordV2.aspx)
  • deliverypointsuffix   ●
  • nohouseholds  ●
  • udprn  ●  (Royal mail unique id for each address)

   ● see Additional Data Returned by Postcode Finder API for more information