Since the all new Basecamp’s API launch, our Developerland site was feeling a bit dated without GitHub’s wonderful styling and syntax highlighting. Spring is a time for cleaning, and that includes API documentation!
Our API docs are now hosted on GitHub. If you’re looking to get started with our APIs, you can head to 37signals/api and check out our authentication guide or our brand guidelines.
Each 37signals product now has its own API documentation repo:
My favorite new feature of the API documentation is that each endpoint now has its own permalink. For example, here’s Highrise’s Get deal endpoint.
Found a typo or have a clarification for the API documentation? Feel free to open a pull request on any of the repos. If you spot a bug or have a question for us, opening a support ticket will be the fastest way you can get an answer.
Michael
on 28 May 12That gif makes everything better.
Zach
on 28 May 12This is awesome. Such a simple and smart idea.
Jakub Nesetril
on 28 May 12This is a great start, makes a lot of sense. We at Apiary.io are huge fans of making API documentation a community project, complete with pull-requests and all.
We’re building tools that allow you to write API documentation in enhanced Markdown DSL, share it on Github, generate nice documentation out of the DSL, debug your real API calls using an integrated proxy, even automatically test the documentation with your real API. You should check it out, we’d love to work with you.
Camie Coon
on 29 May 1237signals should have acquired github. What a smart move!
sysprv
on 29 May 12Hi Nick,
I’m wondering why you guys decided not to use Gollum, the git-based per-project wiki on github? It’s possible to clone/pull it, add files + wiki links etc.
Right now it looks like you have to put absolute URLs in README.md to each raw documentation file.
Nick
on 30 May 12sysprv, the formatting on the normal rendered markdown pages is good enough. We would have turned off edits from non-contributors anyway, and pull requests effectively let us do this review process in the open.
TVD
on 31 May 12Not entirely sold here…
I completely understand moving language/framework sample projects to Github.
But, I’m not sold on moving the actual documentation to Github.
The readme is simply not the right platform here and the limitations come across clearly and loudly in both the look-and-feel and user experience.
And yes, reading documentation is an “experience”.
The Raphael.js project takes this approach: Even the Ruby on Rails project takes this approach: You are 37signals.You could whip up better looking documentation with one hand tied behind your back, a MacBook Air in the other and a Zombie horde is hot pursuit.
Just do it!
This discussion is closed.