serpapi.SerpApiSearchException: Missing query q parameter when trying to use Google Lens API

[Nikhiladiga]

I have the following piece of code written for a Spring Boot server

public void requestSerpApiServer() {
    Map<String, String> parameter = new HashMap<>();

    parameter.put("engine", "google_lens");
    parameter.put("url", "https://i.imgur.com/HBrB8p0.png");
    parameter.put("api_key", serpApiKey);

    GoogleSearch search = new GoogleSearch(parameter);

    try {
      JsonObject results = search.getJson();
      JsonElement searchResults = results.get("knowledge_graph");
      System.out.println(searchResults);
    } catch (SerpApiSearchException e) {
      e.printStackTrace();
    }
  }

This was copied from the example in the serp API playground. I'm facing this issue when I try to run this code

serpapi.SerpApiSearchException: Missing query `q` parameter.
	at serpapi.SerpApiHttpClient.triggerSerpApiClientException(SerpApiHttpClient.java:191)
	at serpapi.SerpApiHttpClient.getResults(SerpApiHttpClient.java:173)
	at serpapi.SerpApiSearch.getJson(SerpApiSearch.java:157)
	at com.sclera.assetOnboard.utils.Utils.requestSerpApiServer(Utils.java:145)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:77)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
	at java.base/java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:568)
	at org.springframework.aop.support.AopUtils.invokeJoinpointUsingReflection(AopUtils.java:343)
	at org.springframework.aop.framework.ReflectiveMethodInvocation.invokeJoinpoint(ReflectiveMethodInvocation.java:196)
	at org.springframework.aop.framework.ReflectiveMethodInvocation.proceed(ReflectiveMethodInvocation.java:163)
	at org.springframework.aop.framework.CglibAopProxy$CglibMethodInvocation.proceed(CglibAopProxy.java:751)
	at org.springframework.retry.annotation.AnnotationAwareRetryOperationsInterceptor.invoke(AnnotationAwareRetryOperationsInterceptor.java:163)
	at org.springframework.aop.framework.ReflectiveMethodInvocation.proceed(ReflectiveMethodInvocation.java:184)
	at org.springframework.aop.framework.CglibAopProxy$CglibMethodInvocation.proceed(CglibAopProxy.java:751)
	at org.springframework.aop.framework.CglibAopProxy$DynamicAdvisedInterceptor.intercept(CglibAopProxy.java:703)
	at com.sclera.assetOnboard.utils.Utils$$SpringCGLIB$$0.requestSerpApiServer(<generated>)
	at com.sclera.assetOnboard.services.AssetOnboardService.searchAsset(AssetOnboardService.java:100)
	at com.sclera.assetOnboard.controllers.AssetOnboardController.searchAsset(AssetOnboardController.java:42)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:77)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
	at java.base/java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:568)
	at org.springframework.web.method.support.InvocableHandlerMethod.doInvoke(InvocableHandlerMethod.java:205)
	at org.springframework.web.method.support.InvocableHandlerMethod.invokeForRequest(InvocableHandlerMethod.java:150)
	at org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.ServletInvocableHandlerMethod.invokeAndHandle(ServletInvocableHandlerMethod.java:118)
	at org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.RequestMappingHandlerAdapter.invokeHandlerMethod(RequestMappingHandlerAdapter.java:884)
	at org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.RequestMappingHandlerAdapter.handleInternal(RequestMappingHandlerAdapter.java:797)
	at org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.AbstractHandlerMethodAdapter.handle(AbstractHandlerMethodAdapter.java:87)
	at org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.doDispatch(DispatcherServlet.java:1081)
	at org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.doService(DispatcherServlet.java:974)
	at org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.processRequest(FrameworkServlet.java:1011)
	at org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.doPost(FrameworkServlet.java:914)
	at jakarta.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:590)
	at org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.service(FrameworkServlet.java:885)
	at jakarta.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:658)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:205)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:149)
	at org.apache.tomcat.websocket.server.WsFilter.doFilter(WsFilter.java:51)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:174)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:149)
	at org.springframework.web.filter.RequestContextFilter.doFilterInternal(RequestContextFilter.java:100)
	at org.springframework.web.filter.OncePerRequestFilter.doFilter(OncePerRequestFilter.java:116)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:174)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:149)
	at org.springframework.web.filter.FormContentFilter.doFilterInternal(FormContentFilter.java:93)
	at org.springframework.web.filter.OncePerRequestFilter.doFilter(OncePerRequestFilter.java:116)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:174)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:149)
	at org.springframework.web.filter.CharacterEncodingFilter.doFilterInternal(CharacterEncodingFilter.java:201)
	at org.springframework.web.filter.OncePerRequestFilter.doFilter(OncePerRequestFilter.java:116)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:174)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:149)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:167)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:90)
	at org.apache.catalina.authenticator.AuthenticatorBase.invoke(AuthenticatorBase.java:482)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:115)
	at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorReportValve.invoke(ErrorReportValve.java:93)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngineValve.java:74)
	at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:340)
	at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Processor.service(Http11Processor.java:391)
	at org.apache.coyote.AbstractProcessorLight.process(AbstractProcessorLight.java:63)
	at org.apache.coyote.AbstractProtocol$ConnectionHandler.process(AbstractProtocol.java:896)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.NioEndpoint$SocketProcessor.doRun(NioEndpoint.java:1744)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.SocketProcessorBase.run(SocketProcessorBase.java:52)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.threads.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1191)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.threads.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:659)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.threads.TaskThread$WrappingRunnable.run(TaskThread.java:61)
	at java.base/java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:833)

Am I missing something or is this is a bug?

[alexbarron]

@Nikhiladiga Apologies for the dreadfully slow response. This is indeed our issue where the GoogleSearch class is forcing engine=google and ignoring whatever engine you set instead. Although I think the main issue is our API documentation suggests using GoogleSearch when perhaps it shouldn't considering how the class is implemented.

I recommend using the generic SerpApiSearch class to set other engines such as Google Lens. Below is your code updated with the SerpApiSearch class. It should work as you expect.

public void requestSerpApiServer() {
    Map<String, String> parameter = new HashMap<>();

    parameter.put("engine", "google_lens");
    parameter.put("url", "https://i.imgur.com/HBrB8p0.png");
    parameter.put("api_key", serpApiKey);

    SerpApiSearch search = new SerpApiSearch(parameter);

    try {
      JsonObject results = search.getJson();
      JsonElement searchResults = results.get("knowledge_graph");
      System.out.println(searchResults);
    } catch (SerpApiSearchException e) {
      e.printStackTrace();
    }
  }