[Chicago] How do you get up to speed with an api?

[Matthew O'Keefe]

"It puts the tests in the basket. It makes the tests pass or else it gets
the hose again."

Reading the tests should be the best way.

On Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 2:59 PM, Brantley Harris <deadwisdom at gmail.com>wrote:

> I disagree.  I think the best way is to call the API developer and
> harass them repeatedly until they come over and teach you exactly how
> everything works.  Then, since they won't see it coming, bash them
> over the head, and chain up their unconscious body in the basement
> where you will keep them for months, feeding them bread and water in
> exchange for insight into their application.
>
> I'm just saying, that's the *best* way.
>
> On Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 2:35 PM, Kumar McMillan
> <kumar.mcmillan at gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 12:14 PM, Tathagata Dasgupta
> > <tathagatadg at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> Hi *,
> >> Besides RTFM, test cases, how do make yourself familiar with an api
> >> ... basically discovering what hides underneath and how get things
> >> done with it ...
> >
> > The best way is to study an application that *uses* the API, if one
> > exists.  For example, if there is a website that makes Ajax requests
> > to the API you could use Firebug or Chrome tools to watch the API
> > calls that are made while you interact with the app.
> >
> >> I found bpython from this list, and it has been fantastic compared to
> >> help(foo) and searching ... specifically the intellisence prompting me
> >> whats underneath (with the doc, and even F2-ing to the original code
> >> itself ) ...
> >>
> >> Any tricks, tips you want to share in this respect?
> >>
> >> --
> >> Cheers,
> >> Tathagata
> >> Graduate Student
> >> Department of Computer Science
> >> University of Illinois, Chicago
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> >>
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