Editing DS4UX (Spring 2016)/Wikipedia API

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[[File:Wikipedia.png|right|250px]]
[[File:Wikipedia.png|right|250px]]
 
__NOTOC__
== Getting data from Wikipedia using the MediaWiki API ==
== Getting data from the Wikipedia API ==


In this project, we will explore a few ways to gather data using the Wikipedia API. Once we've done that, we will extend this to code to create our own datasets of Wikipedia edits or other data that we might be able to use to ask and answer questions in future sessions.
In this project, we will explore a few ways to gather data using the Wikipedia API. Once we've done that, we will extend this to code to create our own datasets of Wikipedia edits or other data that we might be able to use to ask and answer questions in future sessions.
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=== Download and test the Wikipedia project ===
=== Download and test the Wikipedia project ===


<big>'''[http://jtmorgan.net/ds4ux/week5/wikipedia-data-examples.zip Click here to download the Wikipedia API project]'''</big>
# Right click the following file, click "Save Target as..." or "Save link as...", and save it to your Desktop directory: FIXME


# The ".zip" extension on the above file indicates that it is a compressed Zip archive. We need to "extract" its contents.  
# The ".zip" extension on the above file indicates that it is a compressed Zip archive. We need to "extract" its contents.  
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  python wikipedia1-1.py
  python wikipedia1-1.py


== What kind of data can you get from the MediaWiki API? ==
== What is Wikipedia? ==


* As you probably already know, Wikipedia is a website that anyone can edit.   
* As you probably already know, Wikipedia is a website that anyone can edit.   
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=== Editor metadata ===
=== Editor metadata ===


* usercontribs: Get the list of contributions made by a user: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Usercontribs
You can get metadata about a particular editor through the <code>usercontribs=</code> parameter. Here are some of the things you can get ([[Click here for the full list|mw:API:Revisions#Parameters]]):


* users: Returns information about a list of users: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Users
* https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Usercontribs
* https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Users


=== Page text and metadata ===
=== Page text and metadata ===
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* links: the links on a page: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Links
* links: the links on a page: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Links
* categorymembers: all of the pages that are in a particular category: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Categorymembers
* categorymembers: all of the pages that are in a particular category: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Categorymembers
* pageprops: basic information about the page: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Pageprops


=== Examples of API queries ===
== Example API queries ==


* looking at the images within a page (try this with another city by changing the value of <code>titles=</code>!): http://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php?action=query&titles=Seattle&prop=images&imlimit=20&format=jsonfm
* looking at the images within a page (try this with another city by changing the value of <code>titles=</code>!): http://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php?action=query&titles=Seattle&prop=images&imlimit=20&format=jsonfm
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* get the content of the main page http://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php?format=json&action=query&titles=Main%20Page&prop=revisions&rvprop=content
* get the content of the main page http://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php?format=json&action=query&titles=Main%20Page&prop=revisions&rvprop=content


There are several other interesting examples [[Sample_Wikipedia_API_queries|available on the Sample API queries page]].


== Resources ==
=== Resources ===
=== API  ===
==== API  ====
* [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Main_page Main MediaWiki API Documentation]
* [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Main_page Main MediaWiki API Documentation]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php Autogenerated API Documentation]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php Autogenerated API Documentation]
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* [[Sample API queries]]
* [[Sample API queries]]


=== Research using Wikipedia data ===
==== Research using Wikipedia data ====
* ''[https://www.research.ibm.com/visual/projects/history_flow/ HistoryFlow]'' — A colorful visualization of the development of Wikipedia articles over time.
* [http://www.brianckeegan.com/papers/CSCW_2015.pdf ‘Is’ to ‘Was’: Coordination and Commemoration on Posthumous Wikipedia Biographies] — an exploration of editing patterns around Wikipedia articles about people who have recently died.
* [http://www.brianckeegan.com/papers/ICS_2015.pdf WikiWorthy: Judging a Candidate’s Notability in the Community] — A study that uses the editing activity on Wikipedia articles about political candidates as a predictor of election success.


=== Websites that use the MediaWiki API ===
==== Websites that use the MediaWiki API ====
* [http://listen.hatnote.com/ Listen to Wikipedia] — a dynamic, audiovisual experience based on what is being edited on Wikipedia right now.
* [http://histography.io/ HistoryGraph] — an interactive timeline of world events based on Wikipedia articles.
* [https://www.google.com/intl/es419/insidesearch/features/search/knowledge.html Google's knowledge graph]


[[Category:DS4UX (Spring 2016)]]
[[Category:DS4UX (Spring 2016)]]
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