[REQUEST] - Anime-Planet.com Web Service

[holms]

Hello =)

So I suggest to start own web service like anidb did.

You can get data with xml/json [second one is most preffered] and send post requests.

Why we need this?
Well I think there are lots of developers in here, who could write software for handling their anime/manga collection. Personally I plan to write a client for iPhone, because lot's of time I watching anime somewhere else then at home, and I can't remember anime titles very well, so it would be great to "mark as watched" directly from iPhone
AND browsing anime database is very usefull too... we can brainstorming a lot for a features which possible to implement laster =} I think most of this software would be freeware.

We can start from small things like:
* Every user can get API key [like on anidb or amazon]
* Anime search
* Anime description
* Collection management...

I really waiting comments from Sothis. I'm a web developer too working in companies for 6 years =) So xml/json implementation must be really easy for you. Especially JSON because php have json_encode() and all you need is a simple array which will be converted to json automatically. if you using MVC so you'll need to use same models... anyway it must be really easy task =) And people could have personal listing/rss on their web sites, write software for everybody ... and anything else that I can't think about now..

Cheers =)

[alexander]

The site already does POST JSON "internally", and offering lists as XML really is trivial, but why would AP offer a way to circumvent the ads?

[holms]

Originally Posted by alexander

The site already does POST JSON "internally", and offering lists as XML really is trivial, but why would AP offer a way to circumvent the ads?

read about web services please =) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_service because you don't understand what you saying.

AP doesn't use json unless somewhere in xhttprequests, but that doesn't helps in anyway. to get list in xml/json is not a trivial. amazon, imdb, anidb and ton's of other databases have web services. If sothis needs money so much even from people who will use software on their iphone, it possible to make it not free.. or to pay for api keys or something like that.. all in all it's possible to splice this html output with tidyhtml, and take everything you need with tidy, but to use tidyhtml with objective-c language is so hard that it's better leave this idea and use myanimelist api to fill your collection and then reimport list from myadnimelist to AP with post requests... but that would be true non-sense..

anidb and myanimelist has webservice, so anime database browsing/searching could be taken from anidb, and collectioning could be taken from myanimelist.. but I HATE BOTH of these... and I preffer stick to animeplanet.com which has images of anime, has recommendations and everything I need.. so if AP would create it's own web service - anidb and myanimelist would be killed completely =}

sothis might be interested in these: [edit by sothis: i dont need the link]

[sothis]

im very aware of mal and anidb's API.

currently anime planet has no business model except advertising revenue, which barely pays for the server + a fraction of the development costs we need to continue.

thus, alexander's point is solid - having people circumvent the ads, let alone the cost it would take to build a public api, would not make sense.

bear in mind that mal was purchased by Crave for anywhere from $500,000 to $2 million dollars - its creator has no need for consistent revenue, so them having a public api does make sense. most of the rest of the time, big companies (including twitter) are not able to sustain themselves by doing such a thing.

it's possible that eventually we could put out a public api that people could pay for a key, or we'd have a different business model and have positive revenue to be able to lose on having a public api, but that isn't the case right now.

please understand that amazon, imbd and other sites are MAJOR companies making a lot of money, with a huge staff. anime planet is run by one person (me) with one paid developer.

[alexander]

Originally Posted by holms

you don't understand what you saying.

At least I have done my homework ^^

AP doesn't use json unless somewhere in xhttprequests, but that doesn't helps in anyway.

The only difference is additional packaging as application/x-www-form-urlencoded instead of sending application/json directly.

to get list in xml/json is not a trivial.

AP need only copy and adjust the code that currently outputs the XHTML list.

to use tidyhtml with objective-c language is so hard that it's better leave this idea

See the built-in NSXMLDocumentTidyXML option.

use myanimelist api to fill your collection

Their search is not fuzzy and wastes bandwidth. AniDB encourage implementing search locally by offering the full list of synonyms for download.

But why create the list on the phone? Just use the site on your big screen at home, and only change episode counts on the go.

then reimport list from myadnimelist to AP with post requests... but that would be true non-sense...

...because AP can import directly from MAL. But entirely possible.

anidb and myanimelist has webservice,

AniDB offers almost no functionality this way. MAL has a horrible implementation that hasn't been touched since it came out.

Amazon has the generosity to offer an API that makes it easier for people to give them money. I'm sure you know that they forbid its use from mobile devices.

[holms]

omfg I couldn't even think about such a huge amount of money MAL is doing...

Anyway what the most trivial thing for you in this web service... a traffic?

if so... then maybe payed software would be an option? in fact I could even make it for you and you could sell it =) make some limited free version... and commercial full version on something like this...

[holms]

alexander =) no need to download database at all, all i want is to enter anime name and have few matches 10-20 max. maybe additional pages if so...

by clicking on anime - read anime description, see anime images and recommendation, maybe and to mark it as "watched.."

all you need it to make get/post request and you'll have an answer which you can parse [xml or json] what so hard about it?


btw:
when i talked about tidyhtml I meant that I can take parts of html and parse it, but ofcourse any major changes in html code by AP would kill my app.

amazon forbids to make mobile clients for their webservice... but you can use it to get image for albums and tracklists and so on..

[alexander]

Duplicate of [DENIED][REQUEST] Anime-Planet API?

You could asking again after worming your way into her heart for a few months ;)

Originally Posted by holms

alexander =)

If you exercise your English and follow the hints you'll find all answers in my previous post.

[sothis]

You could asking again after worming your way into her heart for a few months ;)

it doesnt work that way.

[Drahken]

Yeah, sothis doesn't have a heart, she replaced it with a cyborg fluid pump ages ago.