Beginning Javascript

Class 6

Welcome!

Warning

What is an API?

• Application Programming Interface
• Data structure and rules for accessing a web-based application
• How we can access information from sites that are not our own (Twitter, Meetup, Facebook, Foursquare)

What is an API?

• Primary role: a channel for applications to work together
  • Your website and the Twitter API
  • Twitter's mobile app and the Twitter API
  • Hootsuite's mobile app and the Twitter API

What is AJAX?

• Asynchronous JavaScript and XML
• Method to communicate to a server or API
• Asynchronous means:
  • I ask Twitter for all the tweets ever!
  • That will take a while
  • My whole website could be locked up while I wait!
  • Or, my call can be 'asynchronous' and my website will just listen for Twitter's response with one ear, but go about normal business until the response arrives.
• Requests and results can be in JavaScript or XML

What is REST?

• Representational State Transfer
• REST is a way to ask an API for information by using a URL.
• REST Urls are created with the following syntax:
  • http://ApiSite.com/method?parameter=value&parameter=value
  • Method -- what you want from the API. Defined by API documentations
  • Parameter -- a type of filter or restraint. Defined by API documentations
  • Value -- value for parameter. Defined by you!

Where do I learn about an API?

All (good) APIs have documentation

• Facebook (https://developers.facebook.com/)
• Twitter (https://dev.twitter.com/)
• Meetup (http://www.meetup.com/meetup_api/)
• FourSquare (https://developer.foursquare.com/)

What is JSON?

• JavaScript Object Notation
• Format for data returned from APIs
• You've seen it before!
• JavaScript objects

Getting started!

Get an API Key

A what?

• Api Key or Developer Key is a way for an API to identify you
• More secure for an API (Know who is using their API)
• More secure for you -- people can't pretend to be your website

Meetup API

We will be using the Meetup API

Documentation

Meetup API

We will be finding interesting Meetups near us

Open Events

Meetup API

Try it in the meetup console

Open Events Console

Meetup API

Try it in the meetup console

jQuery Ajax

jQuery method to perform an AJAX call

    $.ajax({
  		url: 'http://site.com',
  		data: {
  		  parameter: 'value',
  		  parameter: 'value'
  		},
  		crossDomain: true,
  		dataType: 'jsonp',
  		type: "GET",
  		success: function (data) {
  		    // code with data returned
  		},
  		error: function(data) {
  			 // code with error returned
  		}				
  	});
          	

jQuery Ajax

    $.ajax({
  		url: 'http://site.com',
  		...			
  	});
          	

• $.ajax() -- jQuery method for sending AJAX requests
• Takes one parameter -- a JavaScript object
• Note the {}
• url -- first property, the url where you will send the AJAX request

jQuery Ajax

	...
	data: {
	  parameter: 'value',
	  parameter: 'value'
	},
	...	
          	

• data -- a JavaScript object with all the parameters for the AJAX request
• Some parameters in the Meetup open events
  • key (refers to api key)
  • city
  • country
  • topic

jQuery Ajax

	...
  crossDomain: true,
	dataType: 'jsonp',
	type: "GET",
	...	
          	

• crossDomain -- are you sending the request to a domain that is not your own?
• dataType -- how will you evaluate the data returned
• type -- what type of request is it?
  • GET -- retrieve data
  • POST -- post new data

jQuery Ajax

	...
  success: function (data) {
	    // code with data returned
	},
	error: function(data) {
		 // code with error returned
	}
	...	
          	

• success -- code that will execute if results are sent back successfully
• error -- code that will execute if results return an error

Let's Develop It!

• Create a new div with the id "events"
• Create a new function in your javascript that calls Meetup open events method
• Add parameters such as city, state or lat, lon to find meetups near you
• Add a parameter such as category or topic to find meetups that you would be interested in
• For now, just look at the results in the console.log()
• Call this new function in document ready

Let's Develop It!

Let's Develop It!

• Create a new function that can parse results.
• Remember that the results will be an array of objects
• Loop through your results
• For each result, create a new div
• Get the name, description, group name, and url of each event
• Append them to your new div
• Append the new div to the div "events"

Let's Develop It!

• Create a form for users to enter in their location and a topic of their choosing
• On submit, call the same Meetup open events method, but with the user's values

Bonus

Still have time? Can't stop learning?

Questions?