Futon external missing in show API?

One at a time please, don't all respond at once. ;)

@fredrikomfg wrote:
One at a time please, don't all respond at once. ;)

I think this was overlooked, @david can answer this :)

I don't think these ID's are "stable" enough to warrant adding them to the API.

@david wrote:
I don't think these ID's are "stable" enough to warrant adding them to the API.

What do you mean by that? Why isn't Futon Critic "stable"? Afaik the IDs there are as stable as IMDb?

And either way, isn't that a reason to actually add it to the API so the errors can be noticed and corrected? Right now the data is there but unavailable. IMO if the data is saved it should be made available, or it should be entirely removed (and then I need to fetch it somewhere else i guess).

ps. you have tvrage in the API, if you want to talk about IDs that are not stable..

The IMDB and TVDB externals are (numerical) ID's so they are pretty much guaranteed not to change. For futon, it's not really an ID but just a part of their URL that could change as shows are renamed, move between networks, etc. That's no problem for listing them on the site, but I think that's not good enough to expose in an API.

Given that tvrage is dead (and the external ID's cannot be changed here anymore) they are extremely stable :-)

I don't understand the reasoning, can you explain?

Why is data that can change not "good enough" to be available in the API? Tons of data about the shows change every day? What is the downside to making this available for those who want it? 

Also, from experience it's extremely rare that IDs on futon critic ever change. IMDb on the other hand I know tons of IDs of new shows that have changed. I personally reported a couple recently.

Tell you what. I will make you a deal. If you add Futon to the API so I can fetch it to my script I will run a check to find and correct any futon IDs that are incorrect! You will get better TVmaze data and I will get the IDs to my bot. Win-win!

With "not good enough" I mean: once something is added to the API we can't just take it out anymore, so we should be committed to supporting that data (in that format) for a long time to come. For the reasons mentioned, I don't feel comfortable enough to make that commitment here.

you're in a catch 22 though, by not making the data available in the API you are in fact making sure no one can maintain the data

Only just noticed that it appears Futon Critic has been added as a "replacement" to the (defunct) TVRage external (at least when viewing externals via the web).  

I wouldn't have noticed apart from users are requesting these new Futon externals are added to shows in the Edit Requests thread.

Another vote here that it would be handy if the Futon Critic can be added to the API.  

Would a compromise be add to the API with a field where its name indicates that it may be removed in the future - or even possibly a "proposed_could_be_removed" node in the API to make it absolutely clear there is currently no commitment to support in the future?

I am confused however as users and editors are spending time submitting/maintaining the data and it is included on the website so some decision must have been made to get this far?

Shouldn't the decision of whether it was going to be supportable been made before this surely it is not just about the API?

Anyway crawling back into my hole.......

Thanks