Hear Me Code Lesson 5

What you'll learn:

• Installing external libraries using pip
• Using other people's code using import
• Using APIs to get someone else's data
• Using APIs to get someone else's services
• Using APIs to improve the data you have
• The tradeoffs between datasets and APIs
• How information is returned from an API
• How to use an API to get information or perform an action

Just a few practical examples:

• Find the latitude / longitude for a list of addresses and map it
• Send a text message using the Twilio API
• Receive a text message using the Twilio API and do something with the information
• Combine related data sets (Shut That Down, Watch This Instead)

Examples in real projects:

• Find out whether a movie passed the Bechdel Test using the BechdelTest.com API Used in http://shannonvturner.com/bechdel
• Get a movie's IMDB rating and other info using the OMDB API Used in http://shannonvturner.com/bechdel
• Get one artwork from the Brooklyn Museum's API Used in http://shannonvturner.com/art
• Get a politician's campaign contributors using the Sunlight Foundation's Influence Explorer API Used in http://shutthatdown.com

Code Samples:

• https://github.com/shannonturner/python-lessons/tree/master/section_11_(api)

Exercises:

• Bechdel Test API: https://github.com/shannonturner/python-lessons/blob/master/playtime/lesson05_firstapi.py

Vocabulary

Concepts learned:

• APIs
• Datasets
• JSON
• REST
• Endpoints

Keywords learned:

• import

Libraries learned:

• requests