How do I create a authentication key ?

[citywide440]

Im trying to work with a Companies API Program - I have never done any coding or used PHP before - Im currently stuck at how do I create the authentication code 

What program should I use ? How do i do it ? - I have all the info it requests Secret key, account id and image id but I have no ideal what to do with it. 

Im currently stuck and really need help with this. 

Below is exactly what is listed on there site - Thanks in Advance 

  Purchase

Once you have funded your API account you will be able to download full resolution un-watermarked images. Purchasing images requires an authentication key to be passed with each request. The authentication key is generated using the secret key provided and is a combination of the secret key, your account ID and the image ID the user is purchasing. The authentication key is the SHA-1 hash (40 character hexadecimal) of those three data elements.

// Example PHP code to generate auth_key for purchase request

$auth_key = sha1($secret_key . $account_id . $image_id);

The auth_key that is generated needs to be passed with the purchase request. To purchase an image, include the image ID, Size Code and the authentication key.

api.bigstockphoto.com/2/[account id]/purchase?image_id=[image id]&size_code=&auth_key=[auth_key]

If the purchase is approved, a download ID will be returned which can then be used to download the image file.

{"response_code":200,

"message":"success",

"data":{

"currency_amount":2.99,

"currency_code":"USD",

"download_id":724111049}

}

 

[MDCode]

So are you coding it, or trying to forge one? The company should have sent you or displayed to you your "secret key" at one point or another.

[citywide440]

They sent me my Secret Key but I need to generate a authentication key - Not sure how to create one 

 

// Example PHP code to generate auth_key for purchase request
$auth_key = sha1($secret_key . $account_id . $image_id);

[MDCode]

Ignore

Edited November 20, 2013 by SocialCloud

[citywide440]

I have no ideal what to do with it - I dont know what program to type it into or run it with 

[MDCode]

There are a few ways to connect to an api. The most popular in API documentation being file_get_contents();

 

<?php
$response = file_get_contents("URL here");
echo "Response from the server was: ".$response;
?>

You could also use cURL if you would want to add more advanced options. But this should work as you only need json it seems.