[freshports-coders] interface to query freshports' database

[Mario G. Pavlov]

Hi Dan,
no, it's totally different than the news feeds. News (or whatever) feed is 
data that your site/app decides to give its clients whereas the thing we want 
is the opposite - your clients request the data they want.

I, in particular, will use FreshPorts' data for my little app - 
http://www.freshports.org/ports-mgmt/portrac/

Regards
Mario

On Tuesday 23 February 2010 17:58:03 Dan Langille wrote:
> On Tue, February 23, 2010 1:15 am, Mario G. Pavlov wrote:
> > On Tuesday 23 February 2010 04:22:45 Dan Langille wrote:
> >> On 2/21/2010 5:17 PM, Mario G. Pavlov wrote:
> >> > Hi,
> >> > as I'm not the only person (anymore) wanting something like that I'm
> >> > starting this thread as Dan suggested. So why doesn't freshports
> >>
> >> provide
> >>
> >> > a way for external applications or in other words non-browser clients
> >>
> >> use
> >>
> >> > freshports' database? Maybe there was no demand until now?
> >>
> >> Correct.
> >>
> >> > Anyway I've spoken to Dan
> >> > sometime ago for such an interface. I would imagine it something like
> >> > that: sending an HTTP GET request to freshports with maybe SQL-like
> >>
> >> (or
> >>
> >> > whatever is better) parameters and freshports returning clear text (to
> >> > save bandwidth) or XML (to be more elegant) with the response
> >> > e.g.
> >> > HTTP GET:
> >> > www.freshports.org/publicAPI?ports=www\firefox,www\apache22&attributes
> >> >=ve rsion,description RESPONSE (in clear text):
> >> > www\firefox: version=3.5.7 description=web browser created by Mozilla
> >> > www\apache22: version=2.2.6 description=widely used HTTP web server
> >> >
> >> > RESPONSE (in XML):
> >> > <ports>
> >> > 	<port name="www\firefox" version="3.5.7">
> >> > 		<description>web browser created by Mozilla</description>
> >> > 	</port>
> >> > 	<port name="www\apache22" version="2.2.6">
> >> > 		<description>widely used HTTP web server</description>
> >> > 	</port>
> >> > </ports>
> >> >
> >> > ...or something...
> >> >
> >> > Of course this is just a stupid example...the real thing would need
> >>
> >> some
> >>
> >> > design work.
> >> > So Dan, what do you think? Are you into something like that?
> >>
> >> It's a matter of time.  In the immediate future, I have BSDCan and PGCOn
> >> until the end of May.  After that, I can consider such things.  But the
> >> design etc can start.
> >>
> >> A good place to start is the list of information you want from the
> >> system.
> >
> > Hi Dan,
> > I think the most important information would be the following:
> > port name
> > full port version
> > short description (COMMENT)
> > long description (pkg-descr)
> > link to freshports.org
> 
> That sounds similar to what's in the news feeds. Are they close to what
> you need?
> 
> > Another thing that we should consider is the limitations of URL when
> > using HTTP GET. If I request information for 50-100 or more ports I will
> > probably
> > hit the URL length limit. Perhaps we should go for HTTP POST...or even
> > another
> > protocol (not HTTP). What do you think?
> 
> What are you plans for this data retrieved from FreshPorts?
>