GetMessagePreferences

Use this call to return a seller's Ask Seller a Question (ASQ) subjects, each in its own Subject node. If the seller has not customized the ASQ subjects with SetMessagePreferences, the call returns the current default values.

GetMessagePreferences returns a maximum of ten Subject nodes.

You can test this call in the Sandbox. Calling GetMessagePreferences in the Sandbox returns the currently set ASQ subjects. To set custom ASQ subject topics, call SetMessagePreferences with your custom question topics, then check the subjects with a call to GetMessagePreferences.

See also the reference documentation for this call:

SetMessagePreferences - Enables a seller to add custom Ask Seller a Question (ASQ) subjects to their Ask a Question page, or to reset any custom subjects to their default values.

GetMessagePreferences Input

The box below lists all fields that could be included in the call request. To learn more about an individual field or its type, click its name in the box (or scroll down to find it in the table below the box).

See also Samples.

See also the Deprecated Objects link above. Fields presented in this color are deprecated, and fields presented in this color are (or soon will be) non-operational.

The XML prototype does not include requester credentials. This is a documentation limitation only (see Standard Requester Credentials for Making Calls).

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<GetMessagePreferencesRequest xmlns="urn:ebay:apis:eBLBaseComponents">
  <!-- Call-specific Input Fields -->
  <IncludeASQPreferences> boolean </IncludeASQPreferences>
  <SellerID> UserIDType (string) </SellerID>
  <!-- Standard Input Fields -->
  <ErrorLanguage> string </ErrorLanguage>
  <MessageID> string </MessageID>
  <Version> string </Version>
  <WarningLevel> WarningLevelCodeType </WarningLevel>
</GetMessagePreferencesRequest>

Argument	Type	Occurrence	Meaning

Call-specific Input Fields [Jump to standard fields]

IncludeASQPreferences	boolean	Optional	If true, indicates that the ASQ subjects for the specified user should be returned.
SellerID	UserIDType (string)	Required	The ID of the user to retrieve ASQ subjects for. This value must be specified in the request, but does not need to be the same user as the user making the request.

Standard Input Fields

ErrorLanguage	string	Optional	Use ErrorLanguage to return error strings for the call in a different language from the language commonly associated with the site that the requesting user is registered with. Specify the standard RFC 3066 language identification tag (e.g., en_US). ID--- country ----- ----- de_AT Austria de_CH Switzerland de_DE Germany en_AU Australia en_CA Canada en_GB United Kingdom en_SG Singapore en_US United States es_ES Spain fr_BE Belgium (French) fr_CA Canada (French) fr_FR France it_IT Italy nl_BE Belgium (Dutch) nl_NL Netherlands zh_CN China en_IN India en_IE Ireland zh_HK Hong Kong See Tags for the Identification of Languages.
MessageID	string	Optional	Most Trading API calls support a MessageID element in the request and a CorrelationID element in the response. If you pass in a MessageID in a request, the same value will be returned in the CorrelationID field in the response. Pairing these values can help you track and confirm that a response is returned for every request and to match specific responses to specific requests. If you do not pass a MessageID value in the request, CorrelationID is not returned. Note: GetCategories is designed to retrieve very large sets of metadata that change once a day or less often. To improve performance, these calls return cached responses when you request all available data (with no filters). When this occurs, the MessageID and CorrelationID fields aren't applicable. However, if you specify an input filter to reduce the amount of data returned, the calls retrieve the latest data (not cached). When this occurs, MessageID and CorrelationID are applicable.
Version	string	Conditional	The version number of the API code that you are programming against (e.g., 549). The version you specify for a call has these basic effects: - It indicates the version of the code lists and other data that eBay should use to process your request. - It indicates the schema version you are using. You need to use a version that is greater than or equal to the lowest supported version. For the SOAP API: If you are using the SOAP API, this field is required. Specify the version of the WSDL your application is using. For the XML API: If you are using the XML API, this field has no effect. Instead, specify the version in the X-EBAY-API-COMPATIBILITY-LEVEL HTTP header. (If you specify Version in the body of an XML API request and it is different from the value in the HTTP header, eBay returns an informational warning that the value in the HTTP header was used instead.) See: Routing the Request (Gateway URLs) eBay Schema Versioning Strategy Lowest Supported Version
WarningLevel	WarningLevelCodeType	Optional	Controls whether or not to return warnings when the application passes unrecognized or deprecated elements in a request. An unrecognized element is one that is not defined in any supported version of the schema. Schema element names are case-sensitive, so using WarningLevel can also help you remove any potential hidden bugs within your application due to incorrect case or spelling in field names before you put your application into the Production environment. WarningLevel only validates elements; it doesn't validate XML attributes. It also doesn't control warnings related to user-entered strings or numbers, or warnings for logical errors. We recommend that you only use this during development and debugging. Do not use this in requests in your production code. Applicable values: • High (in) Return warnings when the application passes unrecognized or deprecated elements in a request. • Low (in) Do not return warnings when the application passes unrecognized or deprecated elements in a request. This is the default value if WarningLevel is not specified. See Warning Level.

GetMessagePreferences Output

The box below lists all fields that might be returned in the response. To learn more about an individual field or its type, click its name in the box (or scroll down to find it in the table below the box).

See also Samples.

See also the Deprecated Objects link above. Fields presented in this color are deprecated, and fields presented in this color are not returned (or soon will not be returned) or are not operational (or soon will be non-operational).

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<GetMessagePreferencesResponse xmlns="urn:ebay:apis:eBLBaseComponents">
  <!-- Call-specific Output Fields -->
  <ASQPreferences> ASQPreferencesType
    <Subject> string </Subject>
    <!-- ... more Subject values allowed here ... -->
  </ASQPreferences>
  <!-- Standard Output Fields -->
  <Ack> AckCodeType </Ack>
  <Build> string </Build>
  <CorrelationID> string </CorrelationID>
  <Errors> ErrorType
    <ErrorClassification> ErrorClassificationCodeType </ErrorClassification>
    <ErrorCode> token </ErrorCode>
    <ErrorParameters ParamID="string"> ErrorParameterType
      <Value> string </Value>
    </ErrorParameters>
    <!-- ... more ErrorParameters nodes allowed here ... -->
    <LongMessage> string </LongMessage>
    <SeverityCode> SeverityCodeType </SeverityCode>
    <ShortMessage> string </ShortMessage>
  </Errors>
  <!-- ... more Errors nodes allowed here ... -->
  <HardExpirationWarning> string </HardExpirationWarning>
  <Timestamp> dateTime </Timestamp>
  <Version> string </Version>
</GetMessagePreferencesResponse>

Return Value	Type	Occurrence	Meaning

Call-specific Output Fields [Jump to standard fields]

ASQPreferences	ASQPreferencesType	Conditionally	Returns a seller's ASQ subjects, each in its own Subject node. If the seller has not customized the ASQ subjects using SetMessagePreferences, the call will return the current default values. Returned if IncludeASQPreferences = true was specified in the request.
ASQPreferences.Subject	string	Conditionally, repeatable: [0..*]	Contains the ASQ subjects to display on the seller's Ask a Question page, with one subject per Subject node up to a maximum of nine. The tenth subject, "General question about this item," cannot be edited. An error wil be returned if subjects are duplicated. For SetMessagePreferences, either ResetDefaultSubjects or Subject is required in the request, but not both. Subjects are displayed on the ASQ drop-down list in same order as the request. Note that the default ASQ subjects will display in the site's language if retrieved from a site other than the seller's own. For example, if if a US seller sells on the DE and the FR sites, the default subjects will display in German and French respectively. However, if the seller adds custom questions, all questions will display only in the seller's language. In the example case, FR and DE buyers would see custom subjects in English only. Use ResetDefaultSubjects to restore the default subjects and the default language display behavior. Max length: 60.

Standard Output Fields

Ack	AckCodeType	Always	A token representing the application-level acknowledgement code that indicates the response status (e.g., success). The AckCodeType list specifies the possible values for Ack. Applicable values: • CustomCode (out) Reserved for internal or future use. • Failure (out) Request processing failed • Success (out) Request processing succeeded • Warning (out) Request processing completed with warning information being included in the response message (Not all values in AckCodeType apply to this field.)
Build	string	Always	This refers to the specific software build that eBay used when processing the request and generating the response. This includes the version number plus additional information. eBay Developer Support may request the build information when helping you resolve technical issues.
CorrelationID	string	Conditionally	Most Trading API calls support a MessageID element in the request and a CorrelationID element in the response. If you pass in a MessageID in a request, the same value will be returned in the CorrelationID field in the response. Pairing these values can help you track and confirm that a response is returned for every request and to match specific responses to specific requests. If you do not pass a MessageID value in the request, CorrelationID is not returned. Note: GetCategories is designed to retrieve very large sets of metadata that change once a day or less often. To improve performance, these calls return cached responses when you request all available data (with no filters). When this occurs, the MessageID and CorrelationID fields aren't applicable. However, if you specify an input filter to reduce the amount of data returned, the calls retrieve the latest data (not cached). When this occurs, MessageID and CorrelationID are applicable.
Errors	ErrorType	Conditionally, repeatable: [0..*]	A list of application-level errors (if any) that occurred when eBay processed the request. See Error Handling.
Errors.ErrorClassification	ErrorClassificationCodeType	Conditionally	API errors are divided between two classes: system errors and request errors. Applicable values: • CustomCode (out) Reserved for internal or future use. • RequestError (out) An error has occurred either as a result of a problem in the sending application or because the application's end-user has attempted to submit invalid data (or missing data). In these cases, do not retry the request. The problem must be corrected before the request can be made again. If the problem is due to something in the application (such as a missing required field), the application must be changed. If the problem is a result of end-user data, the application must alert the end-user to the problem and provide the means for the end-user to correct the data. Once the problem in the application or data is resolved, resend the request to eBay with the corrected data. • SystemError (out) Indicates that an error has occurred on the eBay system side, such as a database or server down. An application can retry the request as-is a reasonable number of times (eBay recommends twice). If the error persists, contact Developer Technical Support. Once the problem has been resolved, the request may be resent in its original form.
Errors.ErrorCode	token	Conditionally	A unique code that identifies the particular error condition that occurred. Your application can use error codes as identifiers in your customized error-handling algorithms. See the "Errors by Number" document.
Errors.ErrorParameters	ErrorParameterType	Conditionally, repeatable: [0..*]	This optional element carries a list of context-specific error variables that indicate details about the error condition. These are useful when multiple instances of ErrorType are returned.
Errors.ErrorParameters [ attribute ParamID ]	string	Conditionally	The index of the parameter in the list of parameter types returned within the error type.
Errors.ErrorParameters.Value	string	Conditionally	The value of the variable (e.g., the attribute set ID)
Errors.LongMessage	string	Conditionally	A more detailed description of the condition that raised the error.
Errors.SeverityCode	SeverityCodeType	Conditionally	Indicates whether the error is a severe error (causing the request to fail) or an informational error (a warning) that should be communicated to the user. Applicable values: • CustomCode (out) Reserved for internal or future use • Error (out) Application-level error • Warning (out) Warning or informational error
Errors.ShortMessage	string	Conditionally	A brief description of the condition that raised the error.
HardExpirationWarning	string	Conditionally	Expiration date of the user's authentication token. Only returned within the 7-day period prior to a token's expiration. To ensure that user authentication tokens are secure and to help avoid a user's token being compromised, tokens have a limited life span. A token is only valid for a period of time (set by eBay). After this amount of time has passed, the token expires and must be replaced with a new token.
Timestamp	dateTime	Always	This value represents the date and time when eBay processed the request. The time zone of this value is GMT and the format is the ISO 8601 date and time format (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.SSSZ). See Time Values in the eBay Web Services guide for information about this time format and converting to and from the GMT time zone. Note: GetCategories and other Trading API calls are designed to retrieve very large sets of metadata that change once a day or less often. To improve performance, these calls return cached responses when you request all available data (with no filters). When this occurs, this time value reflects the time the cached response was created. Thus, this value is not necessarily when the request was processed. However, if you specify an input filter to reduce the amount of data returned, the calls retrieve the latest data (not cached). When this occurs, this time value does reflect when the request was processed.
Version	string	Always	The version of the response payload schema. Indicates the version of the schema that eBay used to process the request. See "Standard Data for All Calls" in the eBay Web Services Guide for information on using the response version when troubleshooting "CustomCode" values that appear in the response.

GetMessagePreferences Detail Controls

Detail Control: DetailLevel

This call does not support varying Detail Levels. You do not need to pass DetailLevel in the request.

GetMessagePreferences Samples

New to making API calls? Please see Routing the Request.

Note: Some item IDs, user IDs, or other data in these samples might no longer be active on eBay. If necessary, you can substitute current eBay data in your requests.

Available samples:

Basic Call ↓ - Retrieves the specified user's Ask Seller a Question topic headings.
Custom ASQ Topic Headings ↓ - Retrieves the custom Ask Seller a Question topic headings.

Sample: Basic Call

Retrieves the specified user's Ask Seller a Question topic headings.

Description

Magical Bookseller wants to review the question topics that sellers can use when they ask questions about her listed items.

Input

For input, Magical Bookseller uses her own UserID, and she sets IncludeASQPreferences to true.

XML format (HTTP POST). Also available is the .txt version of this XML.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<GetMessagePreferencesRequest xmlns="urn:ebay:apis:eBLBaseComponents">
  <RequesterCredentials>
    <eBayAuthToken>ABC...123</eBayAuthToken>
  </RequesterCredentials>
  <SellerID>magicalbookseller</SellerID>
  <IncludeASQPreferences>true</IncludeASQPreferences>
</GetMessagePreferencesRequest>

Output

The call returns the currently set message topics, each an its own Subject field. This response shows the current default set of topics, Magical Bookseller has not modified her ASQ settings.

XML format. Also available is the .txt version of this XML.

<GetMessagePreferencesResponse xmlns="urn:ebay:apis:eBLBaseComponents">
  <Timestamp>2010-01-04T17:56:00.771Z</Timestamp>
  <Ack>Success</Ack>
  <Version>643</Version>
  <Build>E643_CORE_BUNDLED_10284414_R1</Build>
  <ASQPreferences>
    <Subject>Question about how to pay for this item</Subject>
    <Subject>Question about combined shipping for multiple items</Subject>
    <Subject>Question about shipping for this item</Subject>
    <Subject>General question about this item</Subject>
  </ASQPreferences>
</GetMessagePreferencesResponse>

Back to list of samples

Sample: Custom ASQ Topic Headings

Retrieves the custom Ask Seller a Question topic headings.