Have you ever had the joy of using a Tell Me All I Know Already API? It is usually an interface to some business system holding a lot of business data inside its databases. It is perhaps a bit obese and oldfashioned and therefore also maybe a little lonely. Therefore it is always delighted to have lengthy conversations with anyone willing to talk to it. Something like this:
You: Hi, Tell Me All I Know Already API! Could I have five oranges delivered to my home address XYZ, please.
Tell Me All I Know Already API: Hi You! What is the ID of the "oranges"?
You: Can you tell me what IDs you have?
TMAIKAA: Oh, oranges are 5 and apples are 8.
You: OK, could I have five of the items with id 5 delivered to my home address XYZ, please.
TMAIKAA: What do you mean with 5? Can you also give the product name, please.
You: OK, could I have five oranges with ID 5 delivered to my home address XYZ, please.
TMAIKAA: What is the ID of your home address XYZ?
You: Can you tell me what is the ID of my home address XYZ?
TMAIKAA: Yea, it has ID 3.
You: OK, could I have five oranges with ID 5 delivered to address ID 3, please.
TMAIKAA: Can you also give me the address of the address ID 3, please.
You: OK, could I hanve five oranges with ID 5 delivered to address ID 3 (XYZ ), please.
TMAIKAA: Hey, that address and ID do not match, could you try again.
[… ad nauseam...]
If a system has this kind of API, the discussions with the system's tech support also bear resemblance to the above.
What other API personalities have you seen?
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