[FEATURE] Extend API functionality to include searching

[+frinklabs]

I was looking for documentation on the API calls but probably they're proprietary and I'd need to sign an NDA.

 

I was trying to figure out if a number of the requests for PQ enhancements in this forum could be met by a well-programmed GSAK macro which will prompt for the information restricting the PQ search, then execute it.

 

I surmised that there was no capability to send in a search and get back a list of matching caches via the API, or else someone else would have done this already.

 

HOWEVER, the functionality must be there or else the Groundspeak official iPhone app wouldn't be able to do the coveted restricted-parameter searches. Also, the API license agreement specifically differentiates basic versus premium members by quantifying the number of search results that can be returned via the API (in Schedule A API Restrictions & Call Limits)

 

Anyone familiar with the API care to weigh in here and confirm/deny the ability to search through it?

[AZcachemeister]

I have no direct knowledge on the subject.

 

However, I think we can safely presume that Groundspeak are at least moving in this direction.

Groundspeak has stated they have no plans to improve the PQ system because waypoint delivery via .gpx is 'old technology', and have further stated they are planning to work on waypoint delivery via the API.

 

The fact that I can 'get caches' that have not been found by certain other users indicates (to me) that probably all details of the listing are available to be selected on.

 

The current API capabilities seem to be limited in the number of listings that can be dealt with at a time.

[+niraD]

I was trying to figure out if a number of the requests for PQ enhancements in this forum could be met by a well-programmed GSAK macro which will prompt for the information restricting the PQ search, then execute it.

For those of us who don't have a system that can run GSAK, or who want to download PQ data directly from the geocaching.com site without first filtering it with a third-party program, none of them.

[+frinklabs]

I was going to say that you don't necessarily need GSAK to make the API calls, but it doesn't matter.

 

While the API does provide some search functionality (thank you to the individual who sent me the documentation), it is limited in areas where PQs are not.

 

For example, I was testing a search for specific D/T combos, and that worked OK but when I tried to limit the results by a published-before date, the API barfed with this:

 

Range specified is longer than allowed. Range must be less than 30 days.

 

So yeah. I guess if I could, I would change the title of this thread to

 

[FEATURE] Allow the API SearchForGeocaches call to have same parametrization capabilities as PQs

[+Lil Devil]

I was looking for documentation on the API calls

API reference

[AZcachemeister]

I was looking for documentation on the API calls

API reference

 

Hmmmm, not as many variables as I would have suspected.

[+Walts Hunting]

The feature i use most in GSAK is Last 2 DNFs. If that could be done via API I could actually stop using it. Although the multiple logging is nice on busy days.