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What features should be in the API of a Q&A forum?

Hello, could you share some ideas - what are the most valuable features in that you'd like to see in the API for a Q&A forum?

Thanks!

Evgeny's avatar
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Evgeny
updated 2010-04-15 20:33:15 -0600, asked 2010-04-15 20:32:12 -0600
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4 Answers

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For a read only API the Yahoo! Answers API

probably is a good start:

  • questionSearch
  • getByCategory (getByTag in askbot)
  • getQuestion
  • getByUser

A read/write API could encourage a android or iPhone app developer to write a mobile client on top of that. Sth. like

  1. questionSearch (to check if it was already asked),
  2. authenticate,
  3. postQuestion,
  4. getQuestion (for the answers) and
  5. vote/rate/choose best answer
jens's avatar
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jens
answered 2010-05-22 04:12:06 -0600
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Hey, thanks. This is a really good pointer.
Evgeny's avatar Evgeny (2010-05-22 12:43:15 -0600) edit

What is the status of API support for askbot ?

kirantpatil's avatar kirantpatil (2012-12-29 05:12:54 -0600) edit
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I would like to see something to fetch the n most recently-updated questions.

todofixthis's avatar
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todofixthis
answered 2012-11-03 13:11:52 -0600
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Me too.Just to be able to embed X-number of forum posts automatically in main website or blog.

finid's avatar finid (2012-11-03 21:30:27 -0600) edit

It's available in the repository version and the hosted sites. Log in under one of admin user accounts and click "widgets" link.

Evgeny's avatar Evgeny (2012-11-04 12:15:53 -0600) edit

@Evgeny, where's the hosted site and admin account?

finid's avatar finid (2012-11-04 16:41:54 -0600) edit
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Different Users, communities have different API requirements, in the way they want to expose their resources. So there can never be a 'one fit all' solution from askbot side. Also an askbot site that runs askbot will have lots of Rich Data overtime, which can be monetized by exposing a solid RESTful API. And only the Askbot site owners will best know - what to and what NOT to expose, to other developers and partners.

So in my view, the API for Askbot, should be very loosely coupled, like a managed API server. It is good, if the design pattern encourages such things. If you think as a network engineer, a managed API also serves as a load balancer to a larger extent, intelligently cache same requests (doing things like memcached for API requests). This will not slow down and affect the Site APP server anytime.

We need all such good design patterns for the API and this is a huge topic to debate. We might also need things like Webhooks.

Please see all the managed API companies - APIgee, emergentone.com and Heroku's managed api's to setup an externally managed API. They do API management for any DB. In short - they give and manage an API server for your APP. So its super easy to expose, control (authorize, manage resource access control) and also scale your API server on more requests. Do check in detail the services they all offer, you will appreciate my points of view.

pajju's avatar
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pajju
answered 2012-11-05 03:31:07 -0600, updated 2012-11-07 15:27:30 -0600
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the status of API support for askbot is getUsers and getQuestions.But I want questionSearch and getUserInbox from the api.@Evgeny Does any api can meet my needs?or How can I develop from my webcode?

Andy's avatar
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Andy
answered 2016-02-25 19:58:50 -0600, updated 2016-02-25 20:01:10 -0600
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