API Query

Cotta

Morning All,

I've a quick query in relation to APIs, these relate to how some software components should interact with each other.

Can this relate to two spreadsheets feeding information from each other or is it more complex than this?

Thanks you.

jaydeeuk1

I suppose an API could be used in that fashion, but each spreadsheet would need its own API, unless they're both sharing a common source like a database (which would make an API redundant as the DB could just update the spreadsheets on the fly). An API is typically used for applications where its data could be opened up to the public, or you want to deploy the data on different platforms, eg via a website, an excel doc, xml feed.

What context are they being used in? Are both spreadsheets created by the same person, and the data types and columns known?


I'm not an excel expert (I can sort data, and thats about it ), but if I wanted 2 spreadsheets to interact with each other, rather than directly updating the other (can't see how that would work, unless excel supports concurrency, plus I'd prefer a server/client setup - what would happen if one spreadsheet crashed? Would data be copied adhoc (dangerous) or a complete refresh, how would it cope with conflicts?) I'd just have it update a DB and then the spreadsheets can either request an update from the DB, or the DB can create a spreadsheet on request.

InsideInsurance

Cotta wrote: »

Can this relate to two spreadsheets feeding information from each other or is it more complex than this?

API = Application Programming Interface

It will typically be a gateway that allows other applications to be written and access information from itself/ interact with the programme.

On that basis I wouldn't class two excel spreadsheets cross referencing each other as using an API, it is simply directly reading data from a flat file. Could you programme something in VBA that counts as an API? Possibly but it isnt really designed for this.

There are millions of websites which have free webservices that you can hook into using SOAP or REST in whatever your preferred programming language is if you want to create a simple example of consuming an API

paddyrg

API's are for developers - if you aren't writing code, you're not going to use API's directly. They tend to be quite low-level things, and where they return results they won't be in human-friendly form.

Cotta

So API is an interface that allows several differnt types of applications to be accessed to retrieve various types of information?

InsideInsurance

Really, read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_programming_interface

If you create an API you create an interface that allows other applications to interact in some way with your application and/ or its data. As you are the creator you can evidently restrict access or have it open access to all. You can build it so some functionality is available through the API or that all functions can be.

For example with the Facebook API, once a user has authenticated access the API allows your app to then access a list of their friends, post information to their wall etc.

As people access the same services via more and more methods it is increasingly common for new developments to be done on an API type method so you develop the back end with all its logic etc once and then you can develop as many different front ends you want (websites, mobile phone apps, desktop applications) as well as giving third parties limited or full access so they can also integrate with your backend. Dropbox for example has an API so people creating Apps for tablets can save their data to the users dropbox account.