def action(self, item, action_type, body={}):
        """
        Several API calls are lumped under the 'action' API. This
        is the generic handler for such calls.
        """
        uri = "/%s/%s/action" % (self.uri_base, utils.get_id(item))
        action_body = {action_type: body}
        return self.api.method_post(uri, body=action_body)