Re: It's 2011, please make a REST API.
Thanks Joshua for sharing your thoughts. Others reading this forum are welcome to join too. Cheers, Anash P. Oommen, AdWords API Advisor. -- =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ Also find us on our blog and discussion group: http://adwordsapi.blogspot.com http://groups.google.com/group/adwords-api =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups AdWords API Forum group. To post to this group, send email to adwords-api@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to adwords-api+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/adwords-api?hl=en
Re: It's 2011, please make a REST API.
The reason that the adWords SOAP interface, and the usefulness of the various client libraries in trying to abstract out some of the intricacies of the interface, is because AdWords itself is in fact a complex beast. Some parts are very simple, especially those operations that are GETs, and so I can see your point about SOAP seeming to be overkill. But many operations are not so simple, and I cannot imagine easily implementing them as REST services. What if I want to create 1000 ads - that's one heck of a REST call! The stated need to be able to more easily build a JavaScript interface using REST rather than SOAP helps put this request in focus, because it distinguishes the desired use of the api from that of the backend production systems that many of us have been building to service large numbers of accounts with large numbers of keywords, ads, etc. If you are building something in JavaScript, then you are probably building more of a query tool. It could end up being an expensive query tool, btw, if it is going to be using the api to get its data all the time (rather than loading data into a database and then querying against it for free as often as you want). The recent announcement of a JavaScript client library might meet your needs in a better fashion - even if there were a REST api that you could call from JS, you'd still have to spend a lot of time programming to it, instead of using the JS client library and leaving the actual interfacing up to the AdWords team. my 2 cents -- =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ Also find us on our blog and discussion group: http://adwordsapi.blogspot.com http://groups.google.com/group/adwords-api =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups AdWords API Forum group. To post to this group, send email to adwords-api@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to adwords-api+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/adwords-api?hl=en
Re: It's 2011, please make a REST API.
On Friday 10 June 2011, Reed elucidated thus: The reason that the adWords SOAP interface, and the usefulness of the various client libraries in trying to abstract out some of the intricacies of the interface, is because AdWords itself is in fact a complex beast. Some parts are very simple, especially those operations that are GETs, and so I can see your point about SOAP seeming to be overkill. But many operations are not so simple, and I cannot imagine easily implementing them as REST services. What if I want to create 1000 ads - that's one heck of a REST call! I'm not sure I see it being any bigger of a REST call than then creation of 1,000 ads via a SOAP call. A SOAP bulk call with 1,000 ads, with all their name space declarations, open/close tags, etc. would actually be a must larger post operation than a JSON list of 1,000 objects (ads) and their members. REST doesn't necessarily means small payloads, it's just a different way of representing services available. For example: Microsoft AdCenter has a REST API...that uses XML payloads! :) But, by appending format=json to your query string, you can use JSON payloads that have a somewhat similar structure (lists and dicts/hashes) to the XML payloads. It's actually a fairly elegant system. The stated need to be able to more easily build a JavaScript interface using REST rather than SOAP helps put this request in focus, because it distinguishes the desired use of the api from that of the backend production systems that many of us have been building to service large numbers of accounts with large numbers of keywords, ads, etc. Even for back-end work, a REST/JSON API would be simpler...for me, anyway. :) No intention to build a JS client at the moment. I still want to program in Python...I just don't want to deal with SOAP. :) Consuming the MS AdCenter REST services has been much easier than dealing with AdCenter's or AdWord's SOAP API. Just my thoughts. j -- Joshua Kugler Part-Time System Admin/Programmer http://www.eeinternet.com - Fairbanks, AK PGP Key: http://pgp.mit.edu/ ID 0x73B13B6A -- =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ Also find us on our blog and discussion group: http://adwordsapi.blogspot.com http://groups.google.com/group/adwords-api =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups AdWords API Forum group. To post to this group, send email to adwords-api@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to adwords-api+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/adwords-api?hl=en
Re: It's 2011, please make a REST API.
On Tuesday 07 June 2011, Anash P. Oommen elucidated thus: Hi Ryan, Joshua, Could you share your thoughts on why you prefer a REST API over SOAP API ? I could share them with the AdWords team. I would say the greatest advantages would be simplicity and breath of application. 1. Simplicity Even with a good SOAP library, I have found assembling objects for SOAP calls to be tedious and at times trial-and-error. REST/JSON calls would be easy (for me anyway) to set up: Python object hierarchies translate very easily to/from JSON. Right now, there is a HUGE amount of code dedicate to creating interface libraries for the AdWords API. With a REST/JSON interface, this code could be minimized. SOAP, while powerful, is *incredibly* complex, causing confusion for even those that say they are experts in the field. REST keeps just about all that power while reducing the complexity to URIs and verbs, with a JSON (in my idea) payload. 2. Breadth of application Right now, a client application written in PHP, Python, Perl, Java, etc. must be used to query AdWords. Then, this client application can push the data to a web page. A REST/JSON interface would allow a purely JavaScript web page to be built that interacts with AdWords API. Those are my initial thoughts. I'll post more if I think of them. Thanks for asking for feedback! j -- Joshua Kugler Part-Time System Admin/Programmer http://www.eeinternet.com - Fairbanks, AK PGP Key: http://pgp.mit.edu/ ID 0x73B13B6A -- =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ Also find us on our blog and discussion group: http://adwordsapi.blogspot.com http://groups.google.com/group/adwords-api =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups AdWords API Forum group. To post to this group, send email to adwords-api@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to adwords-api+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/adwords-api?hl=en
Re: It's 2011, please make a REST API.
Hi Ryan, Joshua, Could you share your thoughts on why you prefer a REST API over SOAP API ? I could share them with the AdWords team. Cheers, Anash P. Oommen, AdWords API Advisor. -- =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ Also find us on our blog and discussion group: http://adwordsapi.blogspot.com http://groups.google.com/group/adwords-api =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups AdWords API Forum group. To post to this group, send email to adwords-api@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to adwords-api+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/adwords-api?hl=en
It's 2011, please make a REST API.
Why are you doing this to developers? :( -- =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ Also find us on our blog and discussion group: http://adwordsapi.blogspot.com http://groups.google.com/group/adwords-api =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups AdWords API Forum group. To post to this group, send email to adwords-api@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to adwords-api+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/adwords-api?hl=en
Re: It's 2011, please make a REST API.
On Friday 27 May 2011, Ryan Romanchuk elucidated thus: Why are you doing this to developers? :( While I would argue that with the right libraries, SOAP isn't that painful (Suds on Python in my case), I would still add my voice to those that would desire to see a REST/JSON interface. That would be just spiffy! :) To those of you hand-constructing XML to send as your request: Stop it. Just stop it. :) j -- Joshua Kugler Part-Time System Admin/Programmer http://www.eeinternet.com - Fairbanks, AK PGP Key: http://pgp.mit.edu/ ID 0x73B13B6A -- =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ Also find us on our blog and discussion group: http://adwordsapi.blogspot.com http://groups.google.com/group/adwords-api =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups AdWords API Forum group. To post to this group, send email to adwords-api@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to adwords-api+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/adwords-api?hl=en
