Access files using github api

Posted by Bruce Liu on March 26, 2020

🏷️ Tags: github , python , PyGithub , GitHub REST API v3

Create, update and delete a file

You can do all of them via Contents API.

get_contents in API v3, PyGithub

Python script as follows:
```
from github import Github
g = Github().get_user()
g.get_repo(repoName).get_contents(filePath)
```
Here the filePath can be a path for file or directory. For a file, it will has its encoded content with encoding and content keywords. For a directory, it will return a list-like object contents all infomations of the files or subdirectories except content.

Responce examples of GitHub API v3:

The root directory of cscbank: https://api.github.com/repos/longavailable/cscbank/contents.

README.md of cscbank: https://api.github.com/repos/longavailable/cscbank/contents/README.md.

Important❗
- It can be used for a directory and a file.
- This API has an upper limit of 1,000 files for a directory. If you need to retrieve more files, use the Git Trees API.
- This API supports files up to 1 megabyte in size.
- type for a directory is dir, and for a file is file.
Suggestion:

If you do NOT want to access content of a file, then donot get_contents for a file. That is, content is the special of this way. In addition, 1MB seems a little small. My idea is using get_contents for a directory to request sha and download_url keywords, then use requests.get(). Git Blobs API is another solution.

create_file in API v3, PyGithub

Python script as follows:

g.get_repo(repoName).create_file(path=file,message= 'update '+file,content= dataBase64)

update_file in API v3, PyGithub

Python script as follows:
```
g.get_repo(repoName).update_file(path=file,message= 'update '+file,content= dataBase64,sha=sha)
```
Notice: update_file need sha parameter, you have to request sha before use it.

Git Trees API and Git Blobs API

get a tree in API v3, PyGithub

If a directory has more than 1,000 files or you want to get the content of a over-1MB-while-below-100MB file directly using Git Blobs API.

Responce examples of GitHub API v3:

The root tree/directory of cscbank: https://api.github.com/repos/longavailable/cscbank/git/trees/master.

Subtree/subdirectory nl/delft of cscbank: https://api.github.com/repos/longavailable/cscbank/git/trees/master:nl/delft.

Notices:
- sha is needed to use get_git_tree using PyGithub. Actually, treePath/directory likes master:nl/delft works as well.
- type for a directory is tree, and for a file is blob.
get a blob in API v3, PyGithub

Notices:
- sha is needed to use get_git_blob using PyGithub.
- This API supports blobs/files up to 100 megabytes in size.

Reference

Python tools

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