API module "askargs"

askargs
Allows to do ask queries with as little ask query specific syntax as possible
Keywords
API · API module · ask query · action askargs · askargs
Further Information
Provided by:	Semantic MediaWiki
Added:	1.7.0
Removed:	still available

The "askargs" API module allows you to do ask queries via action "askargs" (?action=askargs) against Semantic MediaWiki using the MediaWiki API and get results back serialized in one of the supported formats. It was introduced with Semantic MediaWiki 1.7.0Released on 1 January 2012 and compatible with MW 1.16.x - 1.19.x..

The module supports three parameters in un-serialized form, so with as little syntax as possible specific to the #ask parser function:

1. "conditions": The query conditions, i.e. the requirements for a subject (page or subobject) to be included
2. "printouts": The query printouts, i.e, the properties to show per subject (page or subobject)
3. "parameters": The query parameters, i.e. all non-condition and non-printout arguments

Starting with Semantic MediaWiki 3.0.0Released on 11 October 2018 and compatible with MW 1.27.0 - 1.31.x. this module supports the "api_version" parameter1 allowing to choose between the dictionary structure { ... } (version "2", which is the default to ensure backwards compatibility for any consumer that uses the API) and the list structure [ ... ] (version "3") for the JSON serialization of the resulting data queried with the API.

Limit and offset

As in regular inline (ask) queries, both "limit" and "offset" are specified in the parameter list, e.g. to get the first 10 results: &parameters=limit%3D10.

The API result contains a "query-continue-offset" key, which can be used to fetch additional results: &parameters=offset%3D10|limit%3D10. If there is no "query-continue-offset" key in the result, the end of the result set was reached.

Examples

Use "dictionary" structure for JSON serialization

../api.php?action=askargs&conditions=Modification%20date::%2B&printouts=Modification%20date&parameters=sort%3DModification%20date|order%3Ddesc&format=jsonfm

API call includes the three parameters as explained earlier on this page:

1. &conditions=Modification%20date::%2B
2. &printouts=Modification%20date
3. &parameters=sort%3DModification%20date|order%3Ddesc

→ run example

Use "list" structure for JSON serialization

../api.php?action=askargs&conditions=Modification%20date::%2B&printouts=Modification%20date&parameters=sort%3DModification%20date|order%3Ddesc&format=jsonfm&api_version=3

→ run example

The arguments to all three modules may be concatenated using the pipe "|" character as demonstrated for the parameters module in the example above.

Further examples

• API result "Annotation URI"
• API result "Boolean"
• API result "Date"
• API result "Email"
• API result "External identifier"
• API result "Geographic coordinates"
• API result "Keyword"
• API result "Monolingual text"
• API result "Number"
• API result "Page"
• API result "Quantity"
• API result "Record"
• API result "Reference"
• API result "Telephone number"
• API result "Temperature"
• API result "Text"
• API result "URL"