del.icio.us Mashups

del.icio.us has fast become part of the heartbeat of the Web, giving millions of Web users, both casual and hardcore, an online social network in which to collect, organize, and share their favorite web resources. Using a "hidden" underlayer of tools offered by del.icio.us, you now have the potential to tap into this social network and its rich data in order to expand your own website and applications to a whole new array of possibilities. This book will help you make the most of these possibilities by mixing your data and applications with other web services, and using your own innovative ideas to create something useful, unique, and perhaps even fun.

Expert developer Brett O'Connor skillfully guides you deep inside the del.icio.us API, and presents you with a variety of mashup fundamentals such as REST, XML, and Ajax. He shows you how to find and use the best technologies and techniques so that you can create your own robust mashups and remixes with the del.icio.us API and its data. Integrated through the pages you will find real-world examples that demonstrate how to apply this information when building your own cutting-edge website.

With this book, you'll discover:

• Tips on how to uncover and use mashup tools
• How to mash del.icio.us and WordPress
• Steps for remxing del.icio.us with Greasemonkey
• Methods for collecting references with a custom Firefox(r) plug-in
• Techniques to aggregate, organize, and display your research in a custom del.icio.us-powered project hub
• How to remix real-time del.icio.us data into image slideshows and streaming music playlists
• Techniques to minimize your API calls in order to improve performance and be a respectful mashup developer

 

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

Part I: The Mashup-Friendly Web.

Chapter 1: Web 2.0 and del.icio.us.

Enter del.icio.us.

Organizing Your Bookmarks.

Using Bookmarklets.

Socializing with Other del.icio.us Users.

Exploring the del.icio.us Community.

Chapter 2: del.icio.us and the Mashup.

del.icio.us: A Mashup Pioneer.

RSS Feeds for (Almost) Every Page.

The Application Programming Interface (API).

Chapter 3: Going Deeper Inside the del.icio.us API.

del.icio.us as a Subsystem.

Protocols.

The del.icio.us API Methods.

Language-Specific API Libraries.

RSS versus API.

Chapter 4: Other Mashable Software.

Flickr.

Yahoo! Search.

Amazon Web Services.

eBay.

Google Search.

WordPress.

Firefox Extensions.

Part II: Get Ready to Mash.

Chapter 5: Mashup Tools.

Understanding Editors.

Setting Up a Web-Development Environment.

Installing phpMyAdmin.

Setting Up a Weblog.

Accounts and API Keys.

Chapter 6: More Mashup Technologies.

Web Development Technologies: HTML, XHTML, and CSS.

Data Storage and Transfer with PHP.

Other Methods and Software.

Chapter 7: del.icio.us Mashup Techniques.

A Deliciously Simple JSON Remix.

Using PHP and MySQL for Full-Bodied Flavor.

Taking It to the Desktop.

Part III: Mashups and Remixes.

Chapter 8: Mashing del.icio.us and WordPress.

Sharing Your Daily Discoveries.

Spreading Your Ideas.

Tracking Your Popularity.

Combining Relevant Bookmarks.

Using the Del.icio.us Play Tagger for Your MP3 Links.

Chapter 9: Remixing del.icio.us with Greasemonkey.

Greasemonkey Explained.

Skinning del.icio.us.

Customizing the del.icio.us User Interface.

Fetching Remote Data.

Chapter 10: Remixing RSS Feeds.

Cleaning Up Tag Feeds.

Media Tag Remix: An Image Feed Slideshow.

Media Tag Remix: An MP3 Jukebox.

Chapter 11: Mashing It Up with Web Services.

The HotJobs, eBay, and Flickr Autobookmarking Scripts.

Amazon: Caching Pages with S3.

Part IV: Mashups Applied: A Research Project Hub.

Chapter 12: Collecting References with a Custom Firefox Plug-In.

Starting a Firefox Extension.

Creating the Rally Poster User Interface.

Completing the Rally Poster Extension.

Deploying the Rally Poster Extension.

Chapter 13: Aggregating, Organizing, and Displaying Your Research.

Basic Page Layout.

Adding Styles.

Adding a Quick Posting Form.

Chapter 14: Bringing in Other Web Services.

Adding a Calendar.

Implementing Maps.

Chapter 15: Managing Incoming Links.

Part V: Looking Forward with del.icio.us.

Chapter 16: New and Different Directions.

Desktop, Web, and Mobile Clients.

New Perspectives on del.icio.us Data.

Effective Mashups.

The Future of del.icio.us.

Appendix A: Exercise Answers.

Appendix B: Sympathy for the API-Enabled Web Services.

Index.