---
layout: post
title: Developing API Documentation
url: http://apievangelist.com/2010/11/13/developing-api-documentation/
image: https://s3.amazonaws.com/kinlane-productions2/api-evangelist-logos/api-evangelist-butterfly-vertical.png
author:
  name: kinlane
tags:
  - Documentation
---
[Peter Gruenbaum](http://www.linkedin.com/pub/peter-gruenbaum/0/41b/695) of [SDK Bridge](http://www.sdkbridge.com/) shared an article in the company's November newsletter that resonated with some of the work I've been doing recently -- creating API documentation for the Mimeo Connect REST Print API.

The article is titled [A Coder's Guide to Writing API Documentation](http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/gg309172.aspx) and appeared in MSDN Magazine.

Gruenbaum says that writing good API documentation requires the four components:

*   **Overview:** Explaining what advantages developers have in using the platform, and in some cases, providing an architectural description of the platform.
*   **Getting started:** Helping the developer get started, in the form of step-by-step tutorials or simpler walkthroughs.
*   **Sample code:** Providing well-commented code samples that developers can build on.
*   **Reference material:** Providing detailed information about each class, member, function or XML element.

I have been writing sample PHP code while authenticating and writing calls against every endpoint on the REST Print API this week.

I have five developers interested in integrating the API into their applications. So I have been working on and overview and a getting started guide to our API.

I have been keeping reference materials to each web service on a wiki as I play with and learn more about our API.

Seems like I already have a good start, and seeing Gruenbaum's list of what makes up good API documentation validates where I chose to start with our API documentation this week.