Helpjuice allows you to retrieve categories from your knowledge base using the API. This is useful for automation, reporting, or integrating your content with other systems.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• How to retrieve categories via the API
• Which query parameters are available
• How to retrieve categories in different formats (JSON, XLS, CSV)
• Troubleshooting tips for common API issues

Retrieving Categories

Use the following endpoint to retrieve all categories:

my_account.helpjuice.com/api/categories

You can further filter and order the categories returned via Query Parameters:

Retrieving Categories by Language

It's also possible to scope the categories within a specific language. To do so, just provide the desired language in the URL using the following syntax:

my_account.helpjuice.com/api/en_US/categories

Example Response:

[
  {
    "id":7730,
    "name":"Designing Your Knowledge Base",
    "codename":"designing-your-knowledge-base",
    "parent_id":null,
    "created_at":"2014-11-19T16:30:03.676Z",
    "updated_at":"2016-02-11T20:15:42.718Z"
  },{
    "id":7729,
    "name":"General Questions",
    "codename":"general-questions",
    "parent_id":null,
    "created_at":"2014-11-19T16:29:56.223Z",
    "updated_at":"2016-02-11T20:15:42.718Z"
  }
]

Retrieving Categories in Other Formats

By default, categories will be showed in JSON format. However, it's possible to retrieve them in other 2 formats: XLS and CSV. To do so, you just need to specify the format in the URL, as follows:

my_account.helpjuice.com/api/categories.xls => to retrieve XLS spreadsheet

my_account.helpjuice.com/api/categories.csv => to retrieve a CSV file

Troubleshooting

• Blank response: if you are not seeing any data, or you are receiving a corrupted file (in case of XLS), that's because your Knowledge Base is marked as internally only.
  • Solution: 
    • If you are using a browser to access the data, just sign in before making the request.
    • Otherwise, you'll need to use your Private Key in a request parameter called api_key. See How to Get Your API Key.
      Your query will be similar to this: your_account.helpjuice.com/api/en_US/questions?api_key=MY_KEY

Best Practices

• Use query parameters to filter and organize categories efficiently.
• Retrieve categories in JSON for programmatic use; use XLS/CSV for reporting.
• Ensure proper authentication when accessing internal-only categories.