SPOIL your users with great helper libraries - API Strategy Chicago

Great helper libraries are few and far between. Many are buggy, incomplete messes that hinder your use of the API more than anything. Even worse, most are written by experts in other languages so you end up with a Python library that reads like Java. Since many users will only know your API through these libraries, this is a problem bordering on catastrophic.
While some of the solutions are obvious, others are more challenging and complex in the real world. In this presentation, we'll talk about the concept of SPOIL and how making your libraries Succinct, Purposeful, Open source, Idiomatic, and Logical will make your users' lives a little bit easier.

Transcript

1. SPOIL YOUR USERS WITH GREAT HELPER LIBRARIES D. KEITH CASEY, JR AUSTIN, TX KEITH@CLARIFY.IO @CASEYSOFTWARE
3. http://TheAPIDesignBook.com
5. LIBRARIES ARE A NECESSARY EVIL
6. S P O I L
7. SUCCINCT P O I L
8. SUCCINCT - BRIEFLY AND CLEARLY EXPRESSED
9. “Concise but precise.” – My 11th grade English teacher
13. SUCCINCT PURPOSEFUL O I L
14. PURPOSEFUL - HAVING OR SHOWING RESOLVE
15. Usually an Afterthought Few tests, if any Generally thought of last Basically just CRUD via HTTP
16. Design them! Write the documentation first Apply Information Architecture techniques Apply User Experience techniques
17. An Example
18. SUCCINCT PURPOSEFUL OPEN SOURCE I L
19. OPEN SOURCE - UNIVERSAL ACCESS, FREE LICENSE
20. Licensing Libraries should be free to use and modify Title/names still protected by copyright Consult your corporate counsel ! Probably not GPL - more likely MIT, BSD, Apache
21. SUCCINCT PURPOSEFUL OPEN SOURCE IDIOMATIC L
22. IDIOMATIC - NATURAL TO THE NATIVE SPEAKER
23. “You got your Java in my Python!”
24. An Example
25. SUCCINCT PURPOSEFUL OPEN SOURCE IDIOMATIC LOGICAL
26. LOGICAL - CLEAR, SOUND REASONING
27. Consistent & Predictable Response codes Interaction Patterns Media & Content types Plan an actual Developer Experience
28. SUCCINCT PURPOSEFUL OPEN SOURCE IDIOMATIC LOGICAL
29. SPOIL YOUR USERS WITH GREAT HELPER LIBRARIES D. KEITH CASEY, JR AUSTIN, TX KEITH@CLARIFY.IO @CASEYSOFTWARE