API Guidance

[Korferer]

Hi..

 

I really need help. I'm completely stuck and waaaay out of my depth here. I don't even know where to begin.

 

I am desperate to learn how to use existing API services - but I find the whole concept completely overwhelming. I can't even get something from a Google search because everything on this subject just goes over my head.

 

I have created an account with tvrage.com and got an API key. With that, I can get a list, in XML, of all the current TV shows in the UK and the US. It starts like this;

<currentshows>
<country name="US">
<show>
<showid>69</showid>
<showname>Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (US)</showname>
<showlink>http://tvrage.com/Who_Wants_to_Be_a_Millionaire_US</showlink>
</show>
<show>
<showid>237</showid>
<showname>Jack Van Impe</showname>
<showlink>http://tvrage.com/jack-van-impe</showlink>
</show>
<show>
<showid>286</showid>
<showname>Figure It Out</showname>
<showlink>http://tvrage.com/figure-it-out</showlink>
</show>
<show>
<showid>548</showid>
<showname>TNA Pay-Per-View</showname>
<showlink>http://tvrage.com/TNA_Pay-Per-View</showlink>
</show>
<show>
<showid>576</showid>
<showname>WWE After Burn</showname>
<showlink>http://tvrage.com/wwe-after-burn</showlink>
</show>

All I want, is to list this out on MY website... I am a complete beginner. I imagine I have to copy and paste the URL in to my code, right? A javascript link? But then, what after that?

 

I have barely touched javascript or jquery as a developer. Can someone just give me some guidance on this please? It's really starting to stress me out :-(

 

[QuickOldCar]

Here is an article I wrote explaining what an api is and some ways how to access the data.

http://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/291985-how-to-make-useful-native-apps/?p=1494550

 

It all depends each particular api service and also what you want to do with the results.

For something live as displaying latest results in a sidebar can retrieve the json or xml response and output it for display in a sidebar

You could build your own api service or even own website using all their data if you store the results a db.

 

They also have feeds which are similar minus the summaries.

Is many scripts,widgets and example codes of how do display feeds on a website.

http://www.tvrage.com/rss.php