siddharthvp/mwn

Meet MW API client code gold standard

siddharthvp opened this issue · 0 comments

siddharthvp commented

Copying off from the list at https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Client_code/Gold_standard

Easy to install

  • Installation instructions are correct and easy to find
  • Library is packaged for installation through appropriate package library (PyPI, CPAN, npm, Maven, rubygems, etc.)
  • Platinum standard: library is packaged for and made available through Linux distributions

Easy to understand

  • Well designed: makes all intended API calls available with the intended level of abstraction with no redundancies
  • Platinum standard: makes the Wikidata API available

Well documented

  • Code is commented and readable
  • Documentation is comprehensive, accurate, and easy to find
  • Deprecated functions are clearly marked as such
  • Platinum standard: Documentation is understandable by a novice programmer
  • Code uses idioms appropriate to the language the library is written in

Easy to use

  • Has functioning, simple, and well-written code samples for common tasks
  • Demonstrates queries
  • Demonstrates edits

Handles API complications or idiosyncrasies so the user doesn't have to:

  • Login/logout
  • Cookies
  • Tokens
  • Query continuations using the new "continue" and not "query-continue"
  • (?) Requests via https, including certificate validation
  • Courteous API usage is promoted through code samples and smart defaults
  • gzip compression is used by default
  • Examples show how to create and use a meaningful user-agent header (as in meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User-agent_policy)
  • Platinum standard: generates a unique user-agent string given name/email address/repository location
  • Efficient usage of API calls
  • Can be used with the most recent stable version of the language it is written in (e.g. Python 3 compatible)

Easy to debug

  • Contains unit tests for the longest and most frequently modified functions in the library
  • Platinum standard: Unit tests for many code paths exist and are maintained
  • Terrible hacks/instances of extreme cleverness are clearly marked as such in comments
  • Documentation links to the relevant section/subpage of the API documentation

Easy to improve

Many of these aren't really applicable -- I have marked such items as checked because there is nothing to be done about them

  • Library maintainers are responsive and courteous, and foster a thoughtful and inclusive community of developers and users
  • Platinum standard: Project sets clear expectations for conduct[1][2] for spaces where project-related interactions occur (mailing list, IRC, repository, issue tracker). It should:
  • State desired attitudes and behaviors
  • Provide examples of unwelcome and harassing behavior
  • Specify how these expectations will be enforced
  • Pull requests are either accepted or rejected with reason within 3 weeks (Platinum standard: 3 business days)
  • Issues/bugs are responded to in some manner within 3 weeks (Platinum standard: 3 business days) (but not necessarily fixed)
  • The library is updated and a new version is released within 3 weeks (Platinum standard: 3 business days) when breaking changes are made to the API
  • Platinum standard: library maintainers contact MediaWiki API maintainers with feedback on the API's design and function
  • Library specifies the license it is released under