NOTE: Article in Progress
API
command line interface
searchable
tips, examples
complex commands (in conjunction with other softwares?)
three examples: library API, Web Service API, Command Line
command line:
- terminal commands, infopages, manpages, unix, linux
- command option -h or --help
- evolving commands, newer versions, command option -v or --version
- command options: short and long arguments, positional arguments,
- command input: usually command line arguments or some files, output from other command through piping
- command output: any format, usually xml, json, pretty printed format, plaintext, formatted tables
- command error/exception: return codes accessed using $? (linux) or output message
(standard) library API:
- functions, classes
- method signature
- data types
- sideeffect
- input preconditions, arguments
- return value (distinguishing mechanism for output/error)
- errors/exceptions
- errors: input preconditions not followed, exception during computation
web service API:
- operations
- method signature
- JSON, XML
- data types, SOAP, REST
- sideeffect
- input: data types, (xml, json) schema, input preconditions
- output: data types, (xml, json) schema, output postconditions
- errors/exceptions (like HTTP status codes for distinguishing)
- errors: input preconditions not followed, exception during computation
multilingual
automation: commonly used outputs like manpages, infopages, HTML
other possible outputs: docbook, OS-specific and application-specific styles and templates
automated generators examples: doxygen
miscellaneous information: authors, developers, maintainers, website, source code, testing, installation (different OS/distributions), deployment, dependencies
References
- Documentation
- ...