REST API: Resolve view_href into message/thread ID

Hi everyone,

What I'm trying to do could be explained as doing the exact opposite of this:

http://lithosphere.lithium.com/t5/developers-knowledge-base/Obtaining-the-URL-of-a-thread-based-on-message-ID-using-REST-API/ta-p/6706

In other words, I need to resolve the view_href into a message or thread ID. The only way I've found to do this at all is to use the REST API search methods together with the subject part of the URL (e.g. ?q=Obtaining+the+URL+of+a+thread+based+on+message+ID+using+REST+API) and grabbing the first result. 

Is there a more elegant way to do this that I'm missing?

/Felix