UpdateExternalData

Invoicing service 1.1: Stores the number and status an external finance system gave an invoice; external status Checked also checks the invoice.


Service	Invoicing 1.1
Endpoint	`POST https://app{server-number}.timelog.com/{account}/WebServices/Invoicing/V1_1/InvoicingServiceSecure.svc`
SOAPAction	`http://www.timelog.com/api/tlp/v1/InvoicingService/UpdateExternalData`
Content-Type	`text/xml; charset=utf-8`
Authentication	A token from GetToken
Changes data	Yes
Safe to retry	Yes

How it works

No status rule applies: drafts, booked, overdue and checked invoices are all accepted, and any InvoiceState name is stored. When externalInvoiceStatus is Checked and the invoice is not yet Checked, the invoice itself is CHECKED as by MarkInvoiceAsChecked. An external status of Booked / Draft never un-checks an invoice. The status is parsed from externalInvoiceStatus.Name only. The stored external status cannot be read back - it is not on the Invoice contract - and the returned invoice still shows the PREVIOUS InvoiceNoExternal; re-read with GetInvoiceByGUID to confirm. Nothing records the external-data write itself: no event, so the feed does not report it.

Parameters

Each parameter has one label: Required, Conditional (required depending on other values) or Optional. Send them in the order shown.

guidguid

Required

GUID of the invoice.

externalInvoiceNumberstring

Optional. The finance system's invoice number.

externalInvoiceStatusInvoiceState

Required

External status; only Name is read. Checked also checks the invoice.

tokenSecurityToken

Required

The token from GetToken: Initials, Expires and Hash, sent back unchanged.

Request

POST /{account}/WebServices/Invoicing/V1_1/InvoicingServiceSecure.svc HTTP/1.1
Host: app{server-number}.timelog.com
Content-Type: text/xml; charset=utf-8
SOAPAction: "http://www.timelog.com/api/tlp/v1/InvoicingService/UpdateExternalData"

<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"
                  xmlns:invoicing="http://www.timelog.com/api/tlp/v1"
                  xmlns:tok="http://www.timelog.com/api/tlp/v1_3">
  <soapenv:Body>
    <invoicing:UpdateExternalData>
      <invoicing:guid>{guid}</invoicing:guid>
      <invoicing:externalInvoiceNumber>{externalInvoiceNumber}</invoicing:externalInvoiceNumber>
      <invoicing:externalInvoiceStatus>
        <invoicing:ID>{ID}</invoicing:ID>
        <invoicing:Name>{Name}</invoicing:Name>
        <!-- more fields: see Parameters -->
      </invoicing:externalInvoiceStatus>
      <invoicing:token>
        <tok:Initials>{Initials from GetToken}</tok:Initials>
        <tok:Expires>{Expires from GetToken, unchanged}</tok:Expires>
        <tok:Hash>{Hash from GetToken}</tok:Hash>
      </invoicing:token>
    </invoicing:UpdateExternalData>
  </soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>

curl -X POST "https://app{server-number}.timelog.com/{account}/WebServices/Invoicing/V1_1/InvoicingServiceSecure.svc" \
  -H "Content-Type: text/xml; charset=utf-8" \
  -H 'SOAPAction: "http://www.timelog.com/api/tlp/v1/InvoicingService/UpdateExternalData"' \
  --data-binary @request.xml

import requests

URL = "https://app{server-number}.timelog.com/{account}/WebServices/Invoicing/V1_1/InvoicingServiceSecure.svc"
SOAP_ACTION = '"http://www.timelog.com/api/tlp/v1/InvoicingService/UpdateExternalData"'

envelope = """<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"
                  xmlns:invoicing="http://www.timelog.com/api/tlp/v1"
                  xmlns:tok="http://www.timelog.com/api/tlp/v1_3">
  <soapenv:Body>
    <invoicing:UpdateExternalData>
      <invoicing:guid>{guid}</invoicing:guid>
      <invoicing:externalInvoiceNumber>{externalInvoiceNumber}</invoicing:externalInvoiceNumber>
      <invoicing:externalInvoiceStatus>
        <invoicing:ID>{ID}</invoicing:ID>
        <invoicing:Name>{Name}</invoicing:Name>
        <!-- more fields: see Parameters -->
      </invoicing:externalInvoiceStatus>
      <invoicing:token>
        <tok:Initials>{Initials from GetToken}</tok:Initials>
        <tok:Expires>{Expires from GetToken, unchanged}</tok:Expires>
        <tok:Hash>{Hash from GetToken}</tok:Hash>
      </invoicing:token>
    </invoicing:UpdateExternalData>
  </soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>"""

response = requests.post(
    URL,
    data=envelope.encode("utf-8"),
    headers={"Content-Type": "text/xml; charset=utf-8", "SOAPAction": SOAP_ACTION},
    timeout=60,
)
result = parse_result(response)  # see "Responses and errors"

Replace every {…} placeholder with your own value.

Response

The call returns the standard response envelope. Check ResponseState first: a failed call still returns HTTP 200.

ResponseStatestring

Required

Success, Invalid or Error.

ErrorCodeinteger

0 on success, otherwise the error code. See Errors.

ReturnInvoice[]

Response<Invoice>: Return[0] = the invoice as read BEFORE the write, except Status. InvoiceNoExternal still shows the previous value. No 'Successfully called' message.

Example response

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: text/xml; charset=utf-8

<s:Envelope xmlns:s="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/">
  <s:Body>
    <UpdateExternalDataResponse xmlns="http://www.timelog.com/api/tlp/v1">
      <UpdateExternalDataResult xmlns:a="http://api.timelog.com"
                                xmlns:b="http://www.timelog.com/api/tlp/v1"
                                xmlns:c="http://www.timelog.com/api/tlp/v1_1"
                                xmlns:i="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
        <a:Return>
          <b:Invoice>
            <a:Action>Original</a:Action>
            <a:IsCustomFieldsLoaded>false</a:IsCustomFieldsLoaded>
            <a:CustomFields i:nil="true"/>
            <a:IsExternalKeysLoaded>false</a:IsExternalKeysLoaded>
            <a:ExternalKeys i:nil="true"/>
            <b:ID>1001</b:ID>
            <b:InvoiceNo>1001</b:InvoiceNo>
            <b:Header>Example</b:Header>
            <b:Message>Example</b:Message>
            <b:InvoiceDate>2026-10-01T00:00:00</b:InvoiceDate>
            <b:DueDate>2026-10-01T00:00:00</b:DueDate>
            <b:Status>Example</b:Status>
            <b:Type>Example</b:Type>
            <b:RequisitionNo>1001</b:RequisitionNo>
            <b:InvoicingAddress>
              <c:Address1>Example</c:Address1>
              <c:Address2>Example</c:Address2>
              <c:Address3>Example</c:Address3>
              <c:ZipCode>1000</c:ZipCode>
              <c:City>Copenhagen</c:City>
              <c:State>Example</c:State>
              <c:Country>DK</c:Country>
            </b:InvoicingAddress>
            <b:CustomerID>1001</b:CustomerID>
            <b:ContactID>1001</b:ContactID>
            <b:CustomerReference>Example</b:CustomerReference>
            <b:InternalReference>Example</b:InternalReference>
            <b:CalculateVAT>false</b:CalculateVAT>
            <b:NetAmount>0</b:NetAmount>
            <b:VATIncluded>0</b:VATIncluded>
            <b:Rounding>0</b:Rounding>
            <b:AmountDue>0</b:AmountDue>
            <b:InvoiceLines>
              <b:InvoiceLine>
                <a:Action>Original</a:Action>
                <a:IsCustomFieldsLoaded>false</a:IsCustomFieldsLoaded>
                <a:CustomFields i:nil="true"/>
                <a:IsExternalKeysLoaded>false</a:IsExternalKeysLoaded>
                <a:ExternalKeys i:nil="true"/>
                <b:ID>1001</b:ID>
                <b:InvoiceID>1001</b:InvoiceID>
                <b:Date>2026-10-01T00:00:00</b:Date>
                <b:ProductNo>1001</b:ProductNo>
                <b:Text>Example</b:Text>
                <b:Quantity>0</b:Quantity>
                <b:Rate>0</b:Rate>
                <b:Amount>0</b:Amount>
                <b:Discount>0</b:Discount>
                <b:InvoiceLineType>0</b:InvoiceLineType>
                <b:VAT>0</b:VAT>
                <b:Details>
                  <b:ProjectHeader i:nil="true"/>
                  <b:Comment>Example</b:Comment>
                </b:Details>
              </b:InvoiceLine>
            </b:InvoiceLines>
            <b:Currency>DKK</b:Currency>
            <b:EAN>Example</b:EAN>
            <b:InvoiceCurrencyRate>0</b:InvoiceCurrencyRate>
            <b:GUID>3f2504e0-4f89-41d3-9a0c-305000000001</b:GUID>
            <b:InvoicingAttention>Example</b:InvoicingAttention>
            <b:InvoicingCustomerName>Example invoicing customer</b:InvoicingCustomerName>
            <b:CustomerReferenceID>1001</b:CustomerReferenceID>
            <b:InvoiceNoExternal>Example</b:InvoiceNoExternal>
            <b:Details>
              <b:Status>
                <a:Action>Original</a:Action>
                <a:IsCustomFieldsLoaded>false</a:IsCustomFieldsLoaded>
                <a:CustomFields i:nil="true"/>
                <a:IsExternalKeysLoaded>false</a:IsExternalKeysLoaded>
                <a:ExternalKeys i:nil="true"/>
                <b:ID>1001</b:ID>
                <b:Name>Example </b:Name>
              </b:Status>
              <b:Type>
                <a:Action>Original</a:Action>
                <a:IsCustomFieldsLoaded>false</a:IsCustomFieldsLoaded>
                <a:CustomFields i:nil="true"/>
                <a:IsExternalKeysLoaded>false</a:IsExternalKeysLoaded>
                <a:ExternalKeys i:nil="true"/>
                <b:ID>1001</b:ID>
                <b:Name>Example </b:Name>
              </b:Type>
              <b:InternalReference>
                <c:ID>1001</c:ID>
                <c:Initials>ABC</c:Initials>
                <c:FullName>Example full</c:FullName>
              </b:InternalReference>
              <b:Currency>
                <c:ID>1001</c:ID>
                <c:Abbreviation>DKK</c:Abbreviation>
                <c:Rate>0</c:Rate>
                <c:RateDate>2026-10-01T00:00:00</c:RateDate>
                <c:DescriptiveName>Example descriptive</c:DescriptiveName>
              </b:Currency>
              <b:CustomerHeader>
                <c:ID>1001</c:ID>
                <c:Name>Example </c:Name>
                <c:No>1001</c:No>
                <c:GUID>3f2504e0-4f89-41d3-9a0c-305000000002</c:GUID>
              </b:CustomerHeader>
              <b:ContactHeader>
                <c:GUID>3f2504e0-4f89-41d3-9a0c-305000000003</c:GUID>
                <c:FirstName>Example first</c:FirstName>
                <c:LastName>Example last</c:LastName>
              </b:ContactHeader>
              <b:ProjectHeader>
                <c:ID>1001</c:ID>
                <c:Name>Example </c:Name>
                <c:No>1001</c:No>
                <c:IsActive>true</c:IsActive>
                <c:IsGeneralProject>false</c:IsGeneralProject>
                <c:StartDate>2026-10-01T00:00:00</c:StartDate>
                <c:EndDate>2026-10-01T00:00:00</c:EndDate>
              </b:ProjectHeader>
            </b:Details>
          </b:Invoice>
        </a:Return>
        <a:ReturnTypeDescription>Invoice</a:ReturnTypeDescription>
        <a:Request>…</a:Request>
        <a:ResponseState>Success</a:ResponseState>
        <a:Messages>
          <a:APIMessage>
            <a:Message>Duration of call was 0,0421337 sec.</a:Message>
            <a:Severity>Message</a:Severity>
            <a:ErrorCode>0</a:ErrorCode>
          </a:APIMessage>
        </a:Messages>
        <a:ErrorCode>0</a:ErrorCode>
        <a:IsReturnPaged>false</a:IsReturnPaged>
        <a:TotalPageCount>0</a:TotalPageCount>
      </UpdateExternalDataResult>
    </UpdateExternalDataResponse>
  </s:Body>
</s:Envelope>

Illustrative example: built from the service description (WSDL) in the same format as a real response, with made-up values. The Request block is shortened.

Errors

All errors come back with HTTP 200: check ResponseState, ErrorCode and Messages. The errors every operation can return (expired or invalid token, API not enabled, HTTPS required, general errors) are listed once in Responses and errors.

Errors specific to this operation:

ResponseState	ErrorCode	Message	What it means	What to do
Error	40001	Error during call on TimeLog.API, Message 'Requested value '{Name}' was not found.'	Nothing is written.	Send Name exactly as Draft, Booked, Overdue or Checked.
Error	40001	Error during call on TimeLog.API, Message 'You can't check an invoice in draft state'	Status Checked on a DRAFT invoice - the external number and status ARE already stored.	—
Error	40001	Error during call on TimeLog.API, Message 'Unable to retrieve invoiceDTO with GUID:{guid}
In Stored Procedure: …'	No invoicing document has this GUID (the 'Invoice not found.	Check the GUID.
Error	40001	Error during call on TimeLog.API, Message 'Invoice was requested has the wrong type (Expected: Invoice, Was: {CreditNote\|Reminder\|Voucher})'	The GUID belongs to a credit note, reminder or voucher. Nothing is written.	Use the credit-note operations for credit notes; reminders and vouchers have no operation in this service.

Was this page helpful?