Output/Input API - Proposal - Categories

[David Carpenter]

We are looking to make the following change:

For each individual category submitted, we want to add optional
attributes. One for the taxonomy, and one for the index within that
taxonomy. e.g.
<Categories>
<category tax="ISPV" id="1234">Football</category>
<Categories>

Equally we would accept:
<category tax="ISPV">Football</category>
and
<category tax="" id="">Football</category>
and
<category>Football</category>

Output API
We would expect to return the data in the same way

<category tax="ISPV" id="1234">Football</category>
or
<category tax="ISPV" id="">Football</category>
or
<category tax="" id="">Football</category>


We believe that using attributes:
Allows for flexibility - use your own taxonomies if you like.
Doesn't mess too badly with people's XML parsers, or current
applications. i.e. you do not need to send attributes to us, or parse
them when using the data.
For those with and interest in that data, it should be easily passed,
returned and parsed.

Some issues we anticipate...
On the input side we think existing HTTP POST methods should cope
easily - you can adapt (or not) at anytime. (Let us know if you think
differently)
SOAP methods however could be effected. We could perhaps alter the
existing 'addActivityCategory' function,
but think this will mean people will need to address this change to
prevent applications from breaking, OR we could create a new function
that would allow applications to be adapted at a later time. (i.e.
we'd still use the old function, and those needing the new facility
could use that...) Equally, this may not effect too many people if we
do it soon...

Any opinions on this?

If agreeable we think we could have this change in place for the end
of June.

[David]

As of today, we are now publicising the option to send us the
following strings as options for categories:
* Adventure
* Art
* Clubs and Games
* Entertainment
* Learning and Life Skills
* Music and Dance
* Sport
* Volunteering

You can continue to send us the old category information, but we would
prefer the above.

This should not greatly impact people sending data to us, but may
effect any applications that you use to display Plings data. Depending
on how your application is configured to handle categories, you should
be aware that you may find new terms in the category data and that old
terms may not be used.

There is some consistency here with the proposed changes, where we
would like to move to a system whereby you can tag your category data
with the recognised data set that it comes from (e.g. IPSV, Parent
Know How)

Apologies for dropping this on people - please let us know if this
effects you adversely.

We have not had much feed back on the proposed changes to category
data as published 22/05/09. Our plans are to implement this by the end
of June, so any feedback would be appreciated.

The changes above are documented at the wiki:
http://www.plings.info/wiki/index.php/Plings_Input_API_-_XML_via_HTTP_POST#Categories
(This page is the one referenced from the SOAP pages)

Cheers
David

[David - APB]

A quick update on this.

We realised yesterday that as a result of recent changes, anyone
sending category data in line with the API documentation can now only
send us the eight categories listed below and in the documentation,
and NOT the old categories as stated below. The old categories are now
being rejected by the system (and may have been for a few weeks).

We've had no reports from people that they are effected, but if this
does effect you, then we'd like to know about it.

Cheers
David

> The changes above are documented at the wiki:http://www.plings.info/wiki/index.php/Plings_Input_API_-_XML_via_HTTP...

[David - APB]

New method available via SOAP to submit Categories against your own or
a recognised local/national taxonomy.

We realise that with some systems that people are using, activity
information is already categorised against recognised taxonomies such
as IPSV , and in others people have created their own preferred
taxonomies.

We have now made a new method in the Input API (SOAP only just now) to
allow you to supply the category (as a string) and supply the taxonomy
details that you are using. Hopefully this just makes it easier to
send category information.

We are hoping to alter the Output data in line with the previous
announcements in this thread, so that the taxonomy used is also
exposed along with the category term (but this does not happen right
now)

The documentation can be found at:
http://www.plings.info/wiki/index.php/Plings_Input_API_-_SOAP

Comments, feedback, suggestions all welcome.

Cheers
David