Learning new APIs/classes (beginner question)

[Martin Jones]

In a nutshell: My question is: how do experienced coders learn about
external/third-party classes/APIs?

I'm teaching myself Python through a combination of Hetland's
'Beginning
Python', various online tutorials and some past experience coding
ASP/VBScript. To start to learn Python I've set myself the task of
coding a
viewer/editor for Google Contacts and Google Calendar, mainly because
I've
been experiencing some synchronisation anomalies lately. This has so
far
entailed getting into Google's Contacts API.

Although they give some examples, my searches haven't been able to
pull up
anything approaching comprehensive documentation on each class/method.

Can anyone experienced advise on how they would usually go about
learning to
use third party APIs/classes like these?

With thanks,

Martin

 

[Steven D'Aprano]

In a nutshell: My question is: how do experienced coders learn about
external/third-party classes/APIs?

Does it have a tutorial? Do it.

Does it have a manual, a wiki, FAQs, or other documentation? Read them.

If all else fails, what does help(external_library) say?

Are there examples you can follow? Do so.

Does it have a mailing list to ask for help? Subscribe to it.

Google for examples and sample code.

If all else fails, read the source code if it is available.

Otherwise find another library.

If you can't do that, then you're stuck with learning by trial and error.
Which is to say, mostly by error, which is a trial.

I'm teaching myself Python through a combination of Hetland's 'Beginning
Python', various online tutorials and some past experience coding
ASP/VBScript. To start to learn Python I've set myself the task of
coding a viewer/editor for Google Contacts and Google Calendar, mainly
because I've been experiencing some synchronisation anomalies lately.
This has so far entailed getting into Google's Contacts API.

Although they give some examples, my searches haven't been able to
pull up anything approaching comprehensive documentation on each
class/method.

Sounds like this library is documented the same way most third party
libraries are: as an afterthought, by somebody who is so familiar with
the software that he cannot imagine why anyone might actually need
documentation.

I feel your pain.

 

[Martin Jones]

Sounds like this library is documented the same way most third party
libraries are: as an afterthought, by somebody who is so familiar with
the software that he cannot imagine why anyone might actually need
documentation.

I feel your pain.

Thanks Steven, I suspected this might be the case, but wasn't sure if
I was missing something obvious. Maybe I'll start on a different
project using better-documented or just the build-in libraries.

Many thanks,

Martin.