STC Summit 2017

Web applications (particularly those using REST) have taken off, replacing traditional client side applications. That API technology far outpaces documentation technology. Many new writers have come to rely on automated documentation systems (such as Swagger, Sand Castle, and Visual Studio’s Summary XML tags). But they are not complete. Relying solely on those tools forms only a partial API suite. The truth is the suite is a combination of several disciplines. Robert’s session goes back a step and puts API documentation in proper perspective. It outlines the requirements of API documents, such as the difference between an API and SDK (software development kit), the parts of an API, the methods description page, how automated tools can make this better (or worse), and the relationships between the writer, developer, and reader. You don’t need programming or scripting experience although those with familiarity may benefit the most.