An application programming interface (API) is the specification for which software is meant to be used by other software.
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Why were Java collections implemented with “optional methods” in the interface?
During my first implementation extending the Java collection framework, I was quite surprised to see that the collection interface contains methods declared as optional. The implementer is expected ...
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3answers
111 views
Priority value meaning
The library that I'm working on has a parameter which defines priority of a certain process. I want the interface to be as clear as possible, but it seems that different people have opposite ...
2
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2answers
170 views
Network application framework/API/etc
With all the web2.0 hype and webapps being all the rage, the only advantage from a corporate POV that I can think of webapps having is that it is easier to service your user base: upgrades become ...
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7answers
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Why do certain code elements (classes, methods etc.) in public APIs get deprecated over time?
Today our professor discussed with the class that what "class X or method X get deprecated" means? From what I understood, it means, for example, that we are not going to get that method or class in ...
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3answers
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What should I name these methods?
I have two interfaces, one with and one without generic type parameters. The non-generic interface is used internally so that I can store instances of the generic interface in a collection. All would ...
3
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1answer
226 views
Apache Wave API
I'd like to create an application based around Apache Wave. Where can I learn more about working with Apache Wave and/or the API for a locally running instance?
At the moment, the extent of what I ...
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2answers
274 views
Strategy for designing a plugin API
I am working on an application for which a rich plugin API is crucial. What is the best process for creating an API that is intuitive and easy to learn?
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6answers
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Is it smart to store application keys, ids, etc directly inside an application?
I have heard some say it isn't but they never suggest an alternative. Is this true?
UPDATE Is it possible to store this external from application and have it called?
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7answers
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What is the best way to remember Java APIs? [duplicate]
I have been doing Java for nearly a year now and I have difficulty remembering Java APIs and method names. What is the best way to remember them?
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1answer
299 views
API Design Question
I am currently designing a API and have come to a slight design issue and was hoping for a few other opinions. My url structure for accessing basic data from the API is: ...
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3answers
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What is the best way to implement different views of one resource in RESTful manner?
Imagine, there is a resource, for example event. User is able to get list of events in HTML format. He should be able to view that list in two ways: as a list and as a calendar. How the API should ...
3
votes
1answer
356 views
Application internal API
I am currently building a small python CLI (Command Line Interface) application with ambition. In the first development phase I would concentrate on making it work through the CLI interface only, but ...
4
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6answers
812 views
Reverse engineering airline reservations systems
I saw an interesting conversation on here about airline reservation systems and the services that connect them (like Sabre).
This is an almost identical analog to a problem I've been trying to figure ...
2
votes
1answer
170 views
Does Google Code source hosting have an API like Github [closed]
I looked and looked, and perhaps I am dense, but I could not find an API for open source projects on Google Code, similar to that offered by Github.
Does it exist?
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votes
10answers
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What is the term that means “keeping the arguments for different API calls as similar as possible”?
There is a word which I can never remember... it expresses a design goal that API calls (or functions or methods or whatever) should be as similar as reasonably possible in their argument patterns. ...
0
votes
1answer
92 views
User directory - framework
I'ld like to create a very basic directory where user can enter their social network profiles and pick a username. From that data a little website gets generated.
The sign in process should be managed ...
5
votes
2answers
385 views
Deprecate a web API: Best Practices?
Eventually you need to depreciate parts of your public web API. However I'm confused on what would be the best way to do it. If you have a large 3rd party app base just yanking old versions of the API ...
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vote
1answer
157 views
Translating error messages from an external API?
If I am localizing a piece of software that uses an external API, how should I handle error messages that originate in this API? I do not control the API, I only consume it. The error responses are ...
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3answers
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Can anyone recommend a freeware Android compatible Charting API? [closed]
Are there any freeware charting API's out for Android ? Have looked at JFree charts and it is not compatible as it requires Swing which is not part of the Android Java SDK.
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5answers
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Internal and external API architecture
The company I work for maintains a successful SaaS product that grew "organically" over the years. We are planning to expand the line with a suite of new products that will share data with the ...
4
votes
2answers
451 views
What are the best patterns/designs for stateful API development?
I am about to implement a API for my TCP/IP server written in Java. Right now I have a temporary method that takes a String, executes a command based on the String and returns a String basically like ...
9
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6answers
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Are Java's public fields just a tragic historical design flaw at this point?
It seems to be Java orthodoxy at this point that one should basically never use public fields for object state. (I don't necessarily agree, but that's not relevant to my question.) Given that, would ...
2
votes
6answers
5k views
How do I use an API?
Background
I have no idea how to use an API.
I know that all APIs are different, but I've been doing research and I don't fully understand the documentation that comes along with them. There's a ...
8
votes
4answers
573 views
How are undocumented functions discovered?
I've always wondered how do you find undocumented / private API ?
Example the Apple undocumented / private API, Play Station, Windows Phone 7, Win32 Kernel, Windows API, hidden callback, etc...
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4answers
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Evolution of the Win32 API
Has the Windows 32 API changed much over time? Does the Charles Petzold book "Programming Windows, 5th Edition" from 1998 still contain relevant information, or is most of it obsolete/outdated?
What ...
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4answers
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What do you think of Android API design?
When I got acquainted with Android platform my first impression was WOW, that's must be a super awesome thing. But when I started developing for it I felt that its learning curve could be simpler. ...
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votes
4answers
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Difference between Web API and Web Service?
I have heard about Web Services and Web API's a lot, is there any difference between them or are the same?
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1answer
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Why has the PowerCollections C# library recently declined in popularity?
I just looked at the statistics for the PowerCollections C# library and noticed a sharp decrease in quantity of downloads.
What may be the cause? Is there something better I should be using?
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votes
1answer
234 views
Question about API and Web application code sharing
This is a design question. I have a multi part application with several user types. There is a user client for the patient that interacts with a web service. There is an API evolving behind the web ...
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votes
7answers
2k views
How do I search the Java API? [closed]
Since the Java API pages have no search function, at least not one that I see, how do I find out what methods are in which packages?
3
votes
2answers
477 views
Guidance for Web XML Api's
I have to create an API for our application that is accessible over HTTP. I envision the API's responses to be simple XML documents. It won't be a REST API (not in the strict sense of REST).
I am ...
3
votes
2answers
792 views
Determining Cost of API Calls
[This is a cross-post originally posted by me in SO. I think the question is more appropriate here.]
I was going through the adwords API and came across their rate sheet - ...
15
votes
4answers
8k views
Web api authentication techniques
We have a asp.net MVC web service framework for serving out xml/json for peoples Get requests but are struggling to figure out the best way (fast, easy, trivial for users coding with javascript or OO ...
9
votes
2answers
6k views
How do web API's work?
I have heard of many web API's like that of Facebook, Twitter, etc., which helps third party access data and manipulate it. I would like to know how a web API works. What are the basics of a web API?
...
2
votes
1answer
211 views
How to define template directives (from an API perspective)?
Preface
I'm writing a template language (don't bother trying to talk me out of it), and in it, there are two kinds of user-extensible nodes. TemplateTags and TemplateDirectives.
A TemplateTag ...
6
votes
3answers
561 views
Balancing dependency injection with public API design
I've been contemplating how to balance testable design using dependency injection with providing simple fixed public API. My dilemma is: people would want to do something like var server = new ...
3
votes
1answer
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Legal aspects of Java specification implementations in other programming languages
I am planning to implement an official Java specification in a different programming language. Would this be a copyright violation?
Hypothetical examples:
a JMX "wrapper" library for C++ which can ...
5
votes
2answers
282 views
API/Technical Writers Guide [closed]
Is there any good book/tutorial/guide for programmers, which can help them to write good programming documentation/tutorials/guides?
3
votes
1answer
688 views
Concepts: API Level Testing
I'm college grad, soon to be graduating. SO i have started my job search. So my question is for New Grad who is interested in QA (API Level testing in particular). What is level of knowledge in JAVA ...
8
votes
8answers
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Examples of Java APIs that demand an action sequence
As part of a research I'm working on, I'm looking for public APIs that only work correctly when you apply a certain sequence of actions on them.
For example, the java.nio.channels.SocketChannel ...
7
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6answers
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What core principles would you want in a library?
Theres talk about what syntax and feature you like in a programming language; i'll now ask what core principles or feature would you like in a library in your favorite (or any) language?
An example ...
5
votes
3answers
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When you write wrappers for APIs how do you handle usage errors?
When you write wrappers for APIs how do you handle usage errors?
Do you assume that the user uses it right and write the wrapper such that it makes the call to the server and let the server return ...
