Intro to API Documentation -- recording of presentation to STC Silicon Valley chapter on 11/20/2017

Summary: Video Audio Listen to this post: You can download the MP3 file, subscribe in iTunes, or listen with Stitcher. Slides My slides are here: idratherbewriting.com/intro-to-api-documentation. Presentation details To view more details about the API doc presentation, see the STC Silicon Valley event details: November 20, 2017: Introduction to API Documentation. Here’s the presentation description: Introduction to API Documentation In Silicon Valley, there’s no greater demand for tech writers than with API documentation roles. This is primarily because, unlike traditional documentation around user interfaces, APIs are primarily marketed through their documentation. As such, the API documentation has a huge impact on the success and adoption of the API. At its core, REST API documentation focuses on requests and responses. You describe the various endpoints available, their methods, parameters, and other details, and you also document sample responses from the endpoints. To test the endpoints, you often make sample requests using tools such as cURL and Postman. In this presentation, you’ll learn what a REST API is, the 8 essential sections in endpoint reference documentation, and how to test and analyze API requests. You can find more details in my API documentation course here. Note that this presentation is geared towards beginners, not advanced gurus who have worked on API doc projects for a number of years. Also, I don’t cover any new material that isn’t already in my API documentation course. Specifically, I briefly cover these first 3 sections from my API doc course: Introduction to REST APIs Using a REST API as a developer Documenting endpoints To learn more about the Silicon Valley chapter of the STC, see http://www.stc-siliconvalley.org. var contents=new Array() contents[0]=' Sponsored message:Over 40,000 API developers use SwaggerHub to design and document APIs with Swagger (OpenAPI). Learn how SwaggerHub can help improve your team’s API documentation workflow. Get started for free.' contents[1]=' Sponsored message:SwaggerHub was built by the team behind Swagger to help organizations collaborate on their API design and documentation from one centralized platform. Find out why SwaggerHub is the platform for design and documenting APIs with Swagger. Get started for free.' contents[2]=' Sponsored message:SwaggerHub brings together all the power of the open source Swagger tooling into one integrated platform for designing and documenting APIs with Swagger (OpenAPI). Get started for free.' contents[3]=' Sponsored message:SwaggerHub is an integrated API design and documentation platform, built for teams to drive consistency and discipline across the API development workflow. Get started for free.' contents[4]=' Sponsored message:Documenting APIs with Swagger? SwaggerHub lets you generate API documentation that’s securely hosted and fully interactive. Import an existing Swagger definition, or start a new API project from right within your browser, no setup required. Get started for free.' var i=0 //variable used to contain controlled random number var random //while all of array elements haven't been cycled thru while (i