Advanced Features


I have developed a couple of tools that I hope you might find handy. They are designed to make WhatToGive as useful and flexible as possible so you can easily add items to your list and integrate your WhatToGive list into your own site. Please let me know if you have any problems using them - or, even better if you can come up with improved versions!




Include your list on your own page

This doesn't just mean include a link to your list - but actually have your list displayed within your own pages. To acheive this all you need to do is simply cut and paste 1 line of HTML code into your page. In order to generate the precise line of code neccessary to display just your list, we need you to be logged in. Once you are logged in the neccessary code will be shown here.




Link directly to your list

You can link directly to your list so that viewers don't have to know and remember your email address. You can include this link in your blog, on your own web pages, anywhere where you can put a line of HTML. Once again, we need you to be logged in in order to be able to generate exactly the right link for you. Once you are logged in the neccessary code will be shown here.




Javascript "Bookmarklet"

A bookmarklet is a special link that you can keep with your bookmarks or on your links toolbar. In this case it is special because it adds an item to your WhatToGive list which links to whatever page you are viewing at the time (i.e. a book that you want that you are viewing on the Amazon.com website).

To prevent others adding items to your WhatToGive list the link includes a "magic" number which identifies your list and is unique to you. This can only be created when you are logged in. Please login and then come back to this page - you should then see more instructions on how to install the bookmarklet. If don't have your own WhatToGive list then you can sign up for one now - it is a quick and simple process. Just put your email address in the box in the blue section at the bottom of this page and click the "start" button.




Greasemonkey plugin

Greasemonkey is an extention for the Firefox browser that allows you to install "user scripts" which can add to or modify other web pages as you view them. If you want to know more about Firefox click here. For more information about Greasemonkey click here.

To actually download the plugin you need to view this page with Firefox. We have detected that you are not currently using Firefox to view this page. If you want to use the plugin please install Firefox first and then come back to this page.




RSS feeds

Many web browsers and other programs, and even some web sites, now allow you to "subscribe" to an RSS feed provided by a web site . This will normally be something like a list of news headlines. You can now use the same technique to subscribe to your own or a friend's WhatToGive list. This means you will be able to look at the list(s) concerned without actually having to visit the WhatToGive website - a quick overview of the items on the list will be much more readily and automatically accessible within your browser or RSS feed reader. To subscribe to the feed simply login to your list and look at either the "My List" page or the list page for your friends and you should see the RSS icon displayed in the header at the top of the page. Your browser may also display a special icon (in Firefox this appears in the bottom right corner of the window

The BBC have a very good page on RSS with more help on how to use it see news.bbc.co.uk.




Interfacing with WhatToGive

I want to make WhatToGive as useful and as open as possible! With that in mind I am working on various ways of making the data from WhatToGive availiable in new formats. So far I have added the interfaces listed below.

Once again these all require a special signed user ID in the link to protect your list. This means that the exact link is only shown here when you are logged in.

Item list download

This is available in three formats - serialized PHP, XML or RSS. The data is hardly elaborate so I'm hoping you'll be able to work it out for yourselves. BUT if there is anything you can't work out use the feedback form to ask and I will reply!

When you are logged in the URL's for the different exports will appear here

Item upload

You can upload new items onto your list by making a HTTP POST or GET request to
   http://whattogive.com/api/item_add.php
with the following fields

  • user_id * When you are logged in you will see the value you must use for user_id displayed here
  • title *
  • details
  • quantity
  • cost
  • currency
* These fields must be provided