Re-design front page (was: API listing UX)

[kyyberi]

Suggestion for layout in API listing / catalogue

[kyyberi]

This is actualyl what the front page should look like and in that case change the topic to something like "APIKA - avoimien rajapintojen hallinta"

[brylie]

This UI seems to imply several features, which may not yet be in our backlog. Specifically, I notice the following features that need planning:

• API Search
  • Keyword based search (most popular keywords under the search box)
  • Keyword popularity would require storing search analytics
  • New tasks: Design keyword based search for frontpage #684 Design keyword based search for frontpage and Implement keyword based search for frontpage #685 Implement keyword based search for frontpage
• Latest APIs
  • New task: Implement database query and view for showing latest API backends #687 Implement database query and view for showing latest API
• API Categorization
  • Pre-defined categories? Free-tags? Both?
• API Metadata
  • Description field (possibly other fields) Add API Metadata form, schema, and template #472 and API metadata model #630
• API Sandbox
  • We agreed to use Swagger UI for sandboxing
  • We will need to continue work on the Swagger UI documentation display Use API Umbrella for REST calls made through Swagger UI #517
• Front page header customization in settings
  • Implies settings page(s) Create a settings page for Apinf configuration options #327
• Ratings based listing of APIs
  • Requires ratings feature (now in 0.2 alpha) Design API Rating field and widget #471 Feature/api backend ratings. Closes #519 #572
• Recent comments
  • Requires feedback feature Implement design outlook in boilerplate project #79 Design communication channel between developers and API admins #149 and possibly Design public API feedback voting #542
• Frontpage re-design Make a wishlist for Apinf frontpage content #129 (may need a new task)
  • Possibility to select frontpage layout, or at least general purpose.

@baijat, lets create this as a 'meta' feature, so that we can track the progress of all related components.

[bajiat]

@brylie I agree with you that is not a trivial task. It has quite a lot of items that are either captured in the backlog, but not yet implemented, or are not even planned.

[brylie]

Also, it looks like the Liityntakatalogi is powered by CKAN. Since CKAN is open-source, we can either borrow code or provide an integration via its API.

[ccsr]

@kyyberi @brylie @bajiat @preriasusi This is a significant change to UI. Can we split to different milestones like APIKA1, APIKA2...based on the realistic estimation?

[brylie]

@elnzv will you please also help us understand the design changes? E.g. how the new design elements could be added or factored in to the existing front-end design.

[kyyberi]

Btw, with sandbox at this point I refer to live swagger documentation.

[bajiat]

@kyyberi "This is actualyl what the front page" Can you clarify front page? Is the proposed view available when user is logged in or not logged in? If not logged in, then sandboxing has to happen without API key. Also, as far as I have understood testing in Swagger always makes a real request so it not sandboxing in the true sense.

@ccsr (@kyyberi @brylie @preriasusi) What are the milestones you had in mind? Splitting current APIKA project into milestones?

[brylie]

Relatedly, CKAN are testing packaging for Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. May we spin up a VM and help test the packaging?

[kyyberi]

Perhaps th term sandbox is not the right one. Anything with what you can fool around with the api, it can use dummy data or whatever.

[kyyberi]

For you to know I met swagger people at apistrat and I'm organizing webinar for the Finnish developer community about the latest tools around swagger. It might interest you too.

[55]

@brylie, need more details on this page. Let's plan this and discuss it and then I will provide my ideas and thoughts.

[bajiat]

Perhaps th term sandbox is not the right one. Anything with what you can fool around with the api, it can use dummy data or whatever.

@kyyberi Currently we are only using Swagger for testing APIs and the API calls Swagger makes are real calls direct to the API. And we are working on rerouting them to our proxy. (Refer to issue #517 or PR #590.) Other than that, we don't have any sandboxing functionality and have no such plans in APIKA timeframe.

[kyyberi]

Well, replace the word "sandbox" to "live docs" or something :) I would not use "swagger" as other options should occur in the future. The thought on docs should be "Treat documentation as the UI for your API"

[brylie]

Ah, nice. OK, we will use generic language. Swagger UI is a good API UI for the time being, but we are definitely open to new options. 👍

[kyyberi]

I was browsing the web and it lead to thought or requirement that when we have listing of APIs in the frontpage, we need to offer clear sing of APIs which do not require auth or API-key. Those so called free APIs can be utilized without registering to APIKA. That user registration to get API-key is a barrier for some open data enthusiasts. https://opendata.stackexchange.com/questions/774/should-data-apis-require-registration-and-api-keys

The same applies to search results, which is available without registration.

[brylie]

Great suggestion. Lets create a new enhancement request based on this idea. That way we can discuss and track its implementation.

On 29 November 2015 20:38:58 EET, Jarkko Moilanen notifications@github.com wrote:

I was browsing the web and it lead to thought or requirement that when
we have listing of APIs in the frontpage, we need to offer clear sing
of APIs which do not require auth or API-key. Those so called free APIs
can be utilized without registering to APIKA. That user registration to
get API-key is a barrier for some open data enthusiasts.
https://opendata.stackexchange.com/questions/774/should-data-apis-require-registration-and-api-keys

---

Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub:
https://github.com/apinf/api-umbrella-dashboard/issues/629#issuecomment-160446434

Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

[kyyberi]

Stumbled upon this pretty good idea of providing for ways to get started. This could be under the title of frontpage

perhaps like this

[kyyberi]

Added also featured apps, which refers to application profile containing information of used APIs, description, links to shared Swagger specs etc, creator name and contact. IT's s show window for developers.

[bajiat]

Closing, the most relevant front page modifications were implemented in #756 and have been deployed to Apika.