Progressive Profiling via REST API endpoint

[Frank_Breen2]

We're redeveloping our website in Wordpress using Vue.JS framework, everything is working as expected and can get form pre-fill working, but we have an additional requirement to get Progressive Profiling enabled, but when we look up an Endpoint for that, it doesn't seem to be listed, does anyone know if this is possible or have solutions?

[SanfordWhiteman]

Please, no, do not use the REST API at all for user-initiated actions.

I assume you're using my Pre-Fill method and not one of the Denial-of-Service-inviting API-based ones.

Progressive Profiling works out-of-the-box with embedded Marketo forms. You don't need anything special for that.

[Frank_Breen2]

The developers are using this documentation: http://developers.marketo.com/blog/external-page-prefill/.

I did say to them about your method: https://blog.teknkl.com/pre-fill-any-site-any-form/, but they said they didn't want to go down the embedded form route and they thought REST API is best, but I know you know best, so any advice would be greatly appreciated? The aim here is to have a Progressive Profiling form in WP on many different pages.

[SanfordWhiteman · Accepted solution]

they thought REST API is best, but I know you know best, so any advice would be greatly appreciated

Well, they're the opposite of right.  The REST API is the absolute worst choice for this (DoS vulnerability being the main reason, performance being a strong second).

You should be using an embedded Marketo form, which supports Progressive Profiling straight away and with 5 minutes of work to implement my Pre-Fill code, also supports Pre-Fill.

[Frank_Breen2]

Thanks Sanford, I've passed this information on.

[Frank_Breen2]

The developers said the following about using the embed solution:

"The approach explained in this article also relies on the Javascript file provided by Marketo (forms2.min.js). When using vue.js framework, it’s not possible to compile the template files if we include external scripts within. For this purpose, we’re looking for an endpoint in the RESTful API that returns an object (JSON) containing the information we need, rather than loading an external JS file that writes directly to our app environment."

Any thoughts?

[SanfordWhiteman]

They're creating an artificial barrier. They should take a long look in the mirror and wonder if they're ready to be professional developers, frankly. (Also, "writes directly to our app environment" is just fearmongering.)

There's no API endpoint that can deliver this information reliably. So you can't do it if they refuse to rise to the occasion.

[Frank_Breen2]

Thanks, I'll pass these comments on.

[SanfordWhiteman]

I know none of this is your fault, Frank. It's just one of my peeviest peeves when people seek a more fragile (i.e. for a true professional, unacceptable) solution instead of adapting to the stable tools at hand.