This is so basic, yet still ignored so often.
When you buy a SW tool or thinking of developing one, one of the first questions to ask is: is there some kind of API exposed? CLI (Command Line Interface)? Web Services Interface?
A product without a clear good API means that you cannot customize it to your own needs, it's a "take it or leave it". Of course, you can ask for features and then wait in line.
A good API must allow to preseve states when needed. Suppose I want to perform a series of operations, like for example a chain of queries, I need to be able to send the 2nd query for filtering the result set without reminding the tool what was the first query. And the results should probably be cached for a specific amount of time. So I'd probably need some session ticket, request Id or alike.
With a good API I can use the tool in things that were not originally planned, and still do well. And when a question arises: does the tool know how to do this and that, the answer would much more easily be: yes, it does have the ability to programatically allow it on the client side.
Now if the product doesn't have an external good API, it probably says that it is not well designed with a clear separation of a Model View Controller (MVC) architecture.
Bottom line
When you buy a SW tool or thinking of developing one, one of the first questions to ask is: is there some kind of API exposed? CLI (Command Line Interface)? Web Services Interface?
A product without a clear good API means that you cannot customize it to your own needs, it's a "take it or leave it". Of course, you can ask for features and then wait in line.
A good API must allow to preseve states when needed. Suppose I want to perform a series of operations, like for example a chain of queries, I need to be able to send the 2nd query for filtering the result set without reminding the tool what was the first query. And the results should probably be cached for a specific amount of time. So I'd probably need some session ticket, request Id or alike.
With a good API I can use the tool in things that were not originally planned, and still do well. And when a question arises: does the tool know how to do this and that, the answer would much more easily be: yes, it does have the ability to programatically allow it on the client side.
Now if the product doesn't have an external good API, it probably says that it is not well designed with a clear separation of a Model View Controller (MVC) architecture.
Bottom line
Even the most graphical product MUST have a model and an external API.
Start always by thinking on the API or CLI version and ignore the presentation layer.
And think twice before taking a product that can be opearated only via its specific UI environment.
Start always by thinking on the API or CLI version and ignore the presentation layer.
And think twice before taking a product that can be opearated only via its specific UI environment.
Think - MVC, MVC, MVC, MVC, MVC, MVC, MVC, MVC, MVC ...
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