What kind of CMS will Maintainable API Docs and Other Rainbow Colored Unicorns

MaintainableAPI Docs andOther Rainbow Colored Unicorns Neil Mansilla Director, Developer Products

Disclaimer The views and statements contained herein are my own (Neil Mansilla) and do not express the views of Mashery, Inc. nor any of its employees, agents, customers, and associates. Also, I’m not a Power Point guru, nor am I Anthony Robbins.

Greetings! <ul><li>Name: Neil Mansilla

Job: Director, Developer Products

Company: Mashery

Email: neil@mashery.com

Web: http://developer.mashery.com

Twitter: @mansillaDEV @mashery</li></li></ul><li>Mashery API Network<br /><ul><li>Over 100 companies rely on Mashery to manage their API infrastructure

Over 115,000 key-holding developers

Over 30,000 active web and mobile applications

Billions of monthly API calls</li></li></ul><li>Mashery API Network

Mashery API Network 

What does bad documentation really say about your platform? Your company?

Bad docs say to your users,“I don’t care about you.” Do your docs elicit any of these responses? “Why are these docs so awful?” “Don’t they realize this looks like hell?” “How in the world am I supposed to understand how this thing works?” “Do they no longer support this platform?” “Dude, these guys are bozos.”

A Few Common Pitfalls That Make for Bad Docs http://www.atarimagazines.com/hi-res/v1n2/davidcrane.php

Technical Overload: Yadda Yadda Yadda Documentation is a general term for a multiplicity of documents in a chosen mix of media and with a certain collection. Purpose of documentation is the use to support a tool or a process. Classical documentation is a set of documents printed on paper. Documentation (to document) also refers to the process of providing evidence. Documentation composure Documentation may include <ul><li>written information for any read, projection or technical performing,

data media of any format and for any reproduction,

other content.</li></ul>Common types of documentation include user guides, white papers, on-line help, quick-reference guides. It is less common to see hard-copy (paper) documentation. Documentation is distributed via websites, software products, and other on-line applications. [edit] Principles for producing documentation The following is a list of guides dealing with each specific field and type: documentation in health care [5] thesis writing [6], [7], [8] Further information: Dissertation papers for academic journal publishing (i.e. Journal of Food Science [9] and Analytical Chemistry [10]) Producing documentation Technical writers and corporate communicators are professionals whose field and work is documentation. Ideally, technical writers have a background in both the subject matter and also in writing and managing content (information architecture). Technical writers more commonly collaborate with subject matter experts (SMEs), such as engineers, medical professionals, or other types of clients to define and then create content (documentation) that meets the user's needs. Corporate communications includes other types of written documentation that is required for most companies. [edit] Specializing documentation Marketing Communications (MarCom) MarCom writers endeavor to convey the company's value proposition through a variety of print, electronic, and social media. This area of corporate writing is often engaged in responding to proposals. Technical Communication (TechCom) Technical writers document a company's project or service. Technical publication include user guides, installation manuals, and troubleshooting/repair/replace

Technical Overload: Yadda Yadda Yadda Documentation is a general term for a multiplicity of documents in a chosen mix of media and with a certain collection. Purpose of documentation is the use to support a tool or a process. Classical documentation is a set of documents printed on paper. Documentation (to document) also refers to the process of providing evidence. Documentation composure Documentation may include <ul><li>written information for any read, projection or technical performing,

data media of any format and for any reproduction,

other content.</li></ul>Common types of documentation include user guides, white papers, on-line help, quick-reference guides. It is less common to see hard-copy (paper) documentation. Documentation is distributed via websites, software products, and other on-line applications. [edit] Principles for producing documentation The following is a list of guides dealing with each specific field and type: documentation in health care [5] thesis writing [6], [7], [8] Further information: Dissertation papers for academic journal publishing (i.e. Journal of Food Science [9] and Analytical Chemistry [10]) Producing documentation Technical writers and corporate communicators are professionals whose field and work is documentation. Ideally, technical writers have a background in both the subject matter and also in writing and managing content (information architecture). Technical writers more commonly collaborate with subject matter experts (SMEs), such as engineers, medical professionals, or other types of clients to define and then create content (documentation) that meets the user's needs. Corporate communications includes other types of written documentation that is required for most companies. [edit] Specializing documentation Marketing Communications (MarCom) MarCom writers endeavor to convey the company's value proposition through a variety of print, electronic, and social media. This area of corporate writing is often engaged in responding to proposals. Technical Communication (TechCom) Technical writers document a company's project or service. Technical publication include user guides, installation manuals, and troubleshooting/repair/replace

Too Little a/k/a “Just Enough to Tick You Off” Method: createSituation(s3, s4, s5) This method creates a situation and takes in three parameters. Method: selectUserByDate(date) This method selects a user by a date.

Undocumented changes,deprecations. <ul><li>Changes and deprecations that are not documented

Code samples that no longer work as described</li></li></ul><li>Bad Docs = Angry Developers http://www.flickr.com/photos/gcarvalho/142922427/

Bad Docs = Angry Developers<br />http://www.flickr.com/photos/gcarvalho/142922427/

Happy Sys Admin Day!http://www.sysadminday.com 

Good API Docs http://www.flickr.com/photos/scorpio58/4067099731/ 

Why are API docs so challenging? <ul><li>Never a top priority(until it’s too late, and even then…)

Initial copy can be very daunting

Audience diversity(can’t please ‘em all)

Dynamic platform = maintenance nightmare</li></li></ul><li>Rethinking APIDocs Design <ul><li>Rethinking traditional technical documentation design for APIs by asking:

Is there a better way for developers to learn how to use my platform?

What are the pain points developers are experiencing with my current docs?

How can I maintain my API docs more easily?

What kind of CMS will help us be more efficient?</li></li></ul><li>Using Definition Files to Publish Docs > Traditional API Definition Formats: <ul><li>WSDL – XML for SOAP

WADL – XML for HTTP/REST

Javadoc – comments in Java</li></li></ul><li>Using Definition Files to Publish Docs Traditional API Definition Formats: <ul><li>WSDL – XML for SOAP

WADL – XML for HTTP/REST

Javadoc – comments in Java</li></ul>> Traditional Doc Generating Tools: <ul><li>Oxygen XML

XML Spy

Javadoc Tool</li></li></ul><li>New Web Service Definition Formats & Tools

Google Discovery FormatJSON, RESTful APIs<br />http://code.google.com/apis/discovery/v1/reference.html#resource_discovery URL Shortener API: https://www.googleapis.com/discovery/v1/apis/urlshortener/v1/rest New Web Service Definition Formats & Tools

New Web Service Definition Formats & Tools

New Web Service Definition Formats & Tools Google API Explorer is now open source Java/GWT http://code.google.com/p/google-apis-explorer/

Wordnik swagr FormatJSON, RESTful APIs<br />http://api.wordnik.com/v4/wordList.json New Web Service Definition Formats & Tools

Tool Driven and Interactive Docs<br />A New Design Pattern: Interactive Documentation

Interactive Docs A New Design Pattern: Interactive Documentation <ul><li>Learning by exploration and example

API methods and parameters in plain view

Parameter values, types and limits provided

Ability to make live API calls within documentation

Inbound call, outbound header and payload displayed useful for learning, testing and debugging</li></li></ul><li>Mashery I/O Docs <ul><li>Inspired by Wordnik and Etsy JSON schemas

Inspired by Wordnik UI/UX for docs

Built prototype in Node.js</li></li></ul><li>Mashery I/O Docs http://oscon.mansilla.com:3000/usatoday - docs http://oscon.mansilla.com/os/usatoday.json - schema "usatoday": { "name": "USA TODAY", "baseURL": "api.usatoday.com", "publicPath": "/open", "auth": "key", "keyParam": "api_key” }

Mashery I/O Docsin Production http://developer.klout.com<br />http://developer.alibris.com http://developer.fanfeedr.com http://developer.mashery.com

In the spirit of OSCON…<br />Mashery is open sourcing I/O Docs in Node.js <ul><li>Will be posted on Github (finishing the docs )

Includes client interface form generator and back-end proxy API call handler (in same stack)

Deploy on your own server in just minutes

Released under MIT License

Plenty of JSON schemas configured with production APIs

Support for RESTful APIs

Support of OAuth (w/HMAC-SHA1), key passed as parameter, MD5/SHA256 signing</li></li></ul><li>Tomorrow, all day, API Hack Day @ Urban Airship HQ It’s FREE. It’s FUN. It’s FRUN!

I/O Docs Live Demo Time permitting, pick simple API to build I/O Docs Sacrifice tweet to @demogods Go!

Thank you. Questions (and possibly some answers) Contact me: Email - neil@mashery.com Twitter - @mansillaDEV http://developer.mashery.com

Browser URLsHere are a list of URLs that I loaded during my presentation: