Desmos API v0.8 released

[Jason Merrill]

Desmos is very happy to announce the release of version 0.8 of the Desmos API.

• Change Log: https://www.desmos.com/api/changelog
• Documentation: https://www.desmos.com/api/v0.8/docs

This release is part of our scheduled release cycle, and all users should upgrade to this version. Benefits of upgrading include

• Remaining consistent with what students see on end-of-year tests in states where Desmos is on the test
• Offering a familiar experience for students in your product and at desmos.com
• Ensuring the best interaction with the latest browsers and platforms

We will help all of our partners upgrade to version 0.8 on a timely basis. Feel free to email your account lead–Zack, Katy, Chris, or Eli–if you have any questions.

New Features

In version 0.8, we are introducing three major new capabilities to the API, all designed to make the calculator more accessible to more users:

1. The calculator is now accessible to screen readers, and has been updated to comply with the WCAG 2.0 accessibility standard. When a screen reader is active, math expressions are read aloud as you navigate and edit them, and plotted curves can be played as audio or have the coordinates of a keyboard-controlled trace point read aloud by the screen reader. See our accessibility documentation for more information.
2. The calculator has been translated into over 30 languages, and these translations are now available as part of the API. See the languages documentation for details.
3. As part of this release, we can also make our new Four Function and Scientific Calculators available. They’re not included in the Graphing Calculator bundle, but reach out to partne...@desmos.com if you’re interested in adding these calculators.
   

Code update:

Note that there is an important method deprecation that may require a code update:

1. The calculator.updateGraphSettings method has been renamed to calculator.updateSettings, so that it will make sense across all 3 calculators. The old method will continue to work in this release, but will log a warning to the console, and may be removed in future versions.
2. Similarly, the calculator.graphSettings observable property has been renamed to calculator.settings. The old version will be retained indefinitely as an alias for backwards compatibility.
3. Finally, the graphing calculator constructor has been renamed from Desmos.Calculator to Desmos.GraphingCalculator. The old version will be retained indefinitely as an alias for backwards compatibility.