API talk:Tutorial

Q: What is API used for?? Bots? Ajax? Gadgets? Other things?
 * Roan says generally any Ajax feature is going to use the api.php entry point. So these pages should say so!  They seems to be written as if the API is only for bots.

define REST, JSON, XML (via links?)

the list under Magic Recipes starts at second level

on API:Main_page, starts with a list of 4 things including API and extension interface: but what about interface for writing API extensions?

in 'usprop', what does it have to do with the USA?

If you are running a wiki and you have extensions that add to the web API, then that will show up in the api.php autogenerated documents.

Explanation re how to do automated edits, large scale use of the API for Wikipedia for example. Try telling the wiki's admins ahead of time  so they do not block you!

need example code that people can run through and do a POST with a sample token. Actual client code to push the edit up.

A lot of people use the API by writing bots. Writing AJAX calls! etc.

Roan's stuff

 * Q: What is API used for?? Bots?  Ajax?  Gadgets?  Other things?
 * Roan says generally any Ajax feature is going to use the api.php entry point. So these pages should say so!  They seems to be written as if the API is only for bots.
 * define REST, JSON, XML (via links?)
 * the list under Magic Recipes starts at second level
 * on API:Main_page, starts with a list of 4 things including API and extension interface: but what about interface for writing API extensions?
 * in 'usprop', what does it have to do with the USA?
 * example sentence on top is not prominent enough, form captures attention so people miss it
 * clear button does not work
 * link to MW API: doc page might not be useful (out-of-date-ness)
 * why is the example link hidden?!?
 * what happens what you click on the example link is unintuitive (fills out form rather than going to API URL)
 * link URL is bad (/wiki/api.php as opposed to /w/api.php)

Example queries
We need good example queries and pages! Not protected ones, not ones with a lot of ambiguity that will require disambiguation.

Ideas:


 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanichar
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolar_Gold_Fields
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperative_principle
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Riverdance (has photo)

Questions from 2nd tutorial
JSON is JSONP


 * So we provide HTML or wiki markup or plaintext? HTML, wikimarkup, but there is no such thing as plaintext


 * YQL support -- unknown
 * Sumana to chase this info later

Related notes from hackathon

 * See also my notes on API extension programming from the SF hackathon - Wonder (talk) 03:28, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Cleanup
Is this is a tutorial? I don't think so.

Who or what is roan and why is it/he/she saying things randomly on the API:Tutorial page and on this talk page. This talk page is also a mess (How to use a talk page)

-- Harry Wood (talk) 16:57, 23 April 2013 (UTC)
 * Roan is User:Catrope, Roan Kattouw. I agree this isn't really what I'd call a tutorial. Leucosticte (talk) 07:09, 30 March 2014 (UTC)


 * I agree; we could also use an actual tutorial for the MediaWiki API. I'm planning to replace this with detailed notes on the talk that stand alone better and are more useful for new users. I will probably link the original notes (current page contents) as a subpage, linked at the beginning. Fhocutt (talk) 07:55, 2 April 2014 (UTC)
 * 18 months later, this has not happened. - Jmabel (talk) 06:07, 10 November 2015 (UTC)