INFO 2302 Web Technologies
Client-side Web API
Dr. Marini Othman
Department of Information Systems
Kulliyyah of Information and Communication Technology
International Islamic University Malaysia
Introduction to Web API
Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are constructs made
available in programming languages to allow developers to create
complex functionality more easily.
API abstracts more complex code away from you, providing some
easier syntax to use in its place.
Introduction to Web API
If you want to program some 3D graphics, it is a lot easier to do it using
an API written in a higher-level language such as JavaScript or Python,
rather than try to directly write low-level code (say C or C++) that directly
controls the computer's GPU or other graphics functions.
Categories of client-side web API
Browser API
Built into your web browser and are able to expose data from the browser and
surrounding computer environment and do useful complex things with it.
Third party API
Not built into the browser by default, and you generally have to retrieve their code
and information from somewhere on the Web.
Other JavaScript tools
JavaScript libraries
Usually one or more JavaScript files containing custom functions that you can attach to
your web page to speed up or enable writing common functionality. Examples: jQuery
and React.
JavaScript framework
Packages of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other technologies you install and then use
to write an entire web application from scratch. Eg: Angular and Ember.
The key difference between a library and a framework is "Inversion of Control".
When calling a method from a library, the developer is in control. With a
framework, the control is inverted: the framework calls the developer's code.
How do APIs work?
1. They are based on objects
Your code interacts with APIs using one or more JavaScript objects, which serve
as containers for the data the API uses (contained in object properties), and the
functionality the API makes available (contained in object methods).
2. They have recognizable entry points
When using an API, you should make sure you know where the entry point is for
the API.
//entry point – a reference to canvas element
const canvas = document.querySelector("canvas");
const ctx = canvas.getContext("2d");
How do APIs work?
3. They often use events to handle changes in states
Some web APIs contain no events, but most contain at least a few. The
handler properties that allow us to run functions when events fire
//Example: event handler in Web Audio API
// if track ends
audioElement.addEventListener("ended", () => {
playBtn.setAttribute("class", "paused"); //set attribute for play Button as “Paused”
playBtn.textContent = "Play"; //set text for play button as “Play”
});
How do APIs work?
4. They have additional security mechanisms where appropriate
Eg: The Notification API requests permission to be enabled from the
user once calls to them are made in your code.
Commonly used browser API
API Purpose Remarks
Document Object Model Document manipulation Covered in Introduction to JS and
(DOM) this chapter
Fetch API Retrieve data from Covered in JSON
server Older technique: XMLHttp Request
object
Canvas Drawing and Covered in MDN JS Loops and
manipulating graphics Events
Geolocation Interaction with device This chapter
hardware
Commonly used third-party API
API Purpose
Twitter API To retrieve the latest tweets
Mapquest To do all sort of things with maps on your website
and Google Maps API
Pinterest API Provide tools to manage Pinterest boards and pins to
include them in your website
Facebook suite of API Enables various parts of the Facebook ecosystem to
benefit your app, such as login using Facebook login,
accepting in-app payments and rolling out targeted
ad-campaign
Document Object Model API
Document Object Model (DOM) API
Allows manipulation of HTML and CSS such as creating,
removing and changing HTML, dynamically applying
new styles to your page.
There are several main parts involved when you are
viewing web pages: Navigator object, Windows object
and Document object.
Navigator object – represents the browser’s state and identity.
Usage: to retrieve language preference, media stream from the user’s webcam, etc.
Window object – represents the tab that the browser loads into.
Usage: to manipulate the document in the browser, store data
specific to the client-side browser data-specific
Document object – represents the actual document that loads
into the browser.
Usage: to manipulate information on the HTML and CSSthe
document in the browser, store data specific to the client-side
browser data-specific
The document object model
•The document loaded on your browser is represented
by a “tree” structure that enables the HTML to be
easily accessible by programming languages.
•Refer live example: Simple DOM example
(mdn.github.io)
• The HTML document is represented by a “tree” structure.
• Each entry is known as a node.
• Nodes are referred based on their positions on the tree
such as root, child, descendent, parent and sibling.
Root node – or top node is always HTML
Parent node - A node that has another node inside it
Eg: BODY is a parent of SECTION
Descendent node – a node anywhere under another
node.
Child node – a node directly under
Eg: IMG is NOT a child of BODY (it is 2 levels under
another node.
BODY), but IMG is a descendent of BODY.
Eg: IMG is a child of SECTION
Sibling node – nodes that sit at the same level in
the DOM tree.
Eg: IMG and P are siblings.
Basic DOM manipulation
Method Usage Remarks
Document.querySelector() Select the first matched element that Recommended modern
appears in the document. approach
Document.querySelectorAll() Select every elements that matches Recommended modern
the selector. approach
Document.getElementById() Selects an element with a Older methods
given id attribute value
Document.getElementsByTagName() Selects all the elements on the page of Older methods
a given type.
Basic style manipulation
1) Adding inline styles 2) Adding a style in the CSS rule
//Use HTMLElement.style property //Use Element.setAttribute() method
para.style.color = “white”; para.setAttribute("class", "highlight");
para.style.textalign = “center”;
Geolocation API
Geolocation API
Allows the user to provide their location to web applications if they
so desire. For privacy reasons, the user is asked for permission to
report location information.
Usage example: To retrieve a user's location information in your web app,
for example to plot their location on a map, or display personalized
information relevant to their location.
is accessed via a call to navigator.geolocation; this will cause the user's browser to ask
Geolocation API – usage
Interfaces Purpose Remarks
navigator.geolocation Entry point to A call to navigator.geolocation returns a
Geolocation API Geolocation object instance, from where all
functionalities can be accessed.
Geolocation Main object of this Contains methods to retrieve the user’s current
API position watch for change of position, and clear a
set if previously set watch.
GeolocationPosition Represents the A GeolocationPosition instance is returned by a
position of the successful call to one of the methods inside of
user – mandatory Geolocation.
successful callback
GeolocationPositionError Optional error If location retrieval is unsuccessful, the callback
callback executes GeolocationPositionError object as its
only parameter, contains error code and message
<!--html-->
<button id="find-me">Show my location</button><br />
<p id="status"></p>
<a id="map-link" target="_blank"></a>
//css
body {
padding: 20px;
background-color: #ffffc9;
}
button {
margin: 0.5rem 0;
}
function geoFindMe() {
const status = document.querySelector("#status");
const mapLink = document.querySelector("#map-link");
mapLink.href = "";
mapLink.textContent = "";
function success(position) {
const latitude = position.coords.latitude;
const longitude = position.coords.longitude;
status.textContent = "";
mapLink.href = `https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=18/${latitude}/${longitude}`;
mapLink.textContent = `Latitude: ${latitude} °, Longitude: ${longitude} °`;
}
function error() {
status.textContent = "Unable to retrieve your location";
} if (!navigator.geolocation) {
status.textContent = "Geolocation is not supported by your browser";
} else { status.textContent = "Locating…";
navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition(success, error); }
}
document.querySelector("#find-me").addEventListener("click", geoFindMe);
MapQuest API
MapQuest API
1. Get API Key
Go to https://developer.mapquest.com/documentation/ and register for
an account to get the API key.
2. Use Mapquest API to get Geo data
Eg: Use Mapquest’s Geocoding API to take an address an associate it with
latitude and longitude.
References
MDN Web Docs. Client-side Web APIs. Client-side web APIs - Learn
web development | MDN (mozilla.org)
MapQuest Developer Documentation
https://developer.mapquest.com/documentation
