Existing Data Exchange Methods/Systems

Data Interface - how JSON is presented
1. Tables
  1. HTML tables can be used to display data for the user.
    1. Because each JSON data is stored in an object, these can be used as headings for HTML tables when displaying/outputting information to the user.
2. Sample Data
  1. JSON (W3Schools, n.d.)
    2. Uses "{ }" to define objects (W3Schools, n.d.)
    3. Uses "[ ]" to define arrays (W3Schools, n.d.)
  2. XML (W3Schools, n.d.)
    2. Uses opening and closing tags (< > and </ >) (W3Schools, n.d.)
    3. User determines tag names (not pre-defined) (e.g. "<note>" and "</note>") (W3Schools, n.d.)
3. HTML
  1. HTML used to display selected data from the API, and structure the web page
    1. Creates text: uses tags like <h1> and <p> to display the API responses as text for users to read.
    2. Creates menu bar: uses tags like <div> to separate parts of the webpage into different parts, like a header at the top of the page.
4. CSS
  1. Used to style the different HTML elements to make the web app engaging and interesting for the users and user persona
    1. Can change colours: use "color" property to specify a predefine CSS colour, or use a HEX code.
      1. e.g. HEX Code: "#4b1394"
Data Structures - how JSON is structured from API
1. Keys
  1. "A string that identifies a 'key-value pair'". (Opentext, n.d.).
    1. Key-value pair: made of two elements ("a constant that defines the data set" and a value). (Adobe - Experience League, 2021).
    2. e.g. "name": "Alex Terry"
2. Values
  1. Data that can be manipulated or displayed, with a specific data type. (Launch Code Education, n.d.).
    1. JSON Value Types (W3Schools, n.d.).
      1. String (e.g. "Hello, world!")
      2. Number/integer (e.g. "4" or "25")
3. Arrays
  1. JSON Structure that can hold "zero, one, or more ordered elements". These are separated by a comma (,) and stored in square brackets ([]). (Opentext, n.d.).
    1. e.g. ["Hello", 2, 8, "Purple"]
Data Specifications - different data used in JSON
1. Data Types
  1. Boolean - only two options, used as a basis to determine if a condition is met or not.
    1. i.e. "true" or "false"
  2. Null - defines a cell/element that is empty
    1. i.e. "null"
  3. Text/varchar/string - any words or characters or general text
    1. e.g. "This is some text."
  4. Integer - numbers or digits
    1. e.g. "2", "64", "123"
2. Data Length
  1. Defines the number of characters in a data value
    1. E.g. 255 characters for Dad jokes (text/varchar/string)
    2. E.g. 4 characters for small ID codes (integer/number)
    3. E.g. 10 characters for phone numbers (integer/number)
3. Constraints/validation
  1. Constraint: defines any "individual requirements" applying to specific elements in JSON (Dennis, 2023).
    1. NOT NULL
    2. AUTO INCREMENT
    3. UNIQUE
    4. NULL
  2. Validation: checks for "proper syntax and structure", "identifies syntax errors" and can confirm if JSON meets the structural requirements (Janghu & Luthra, n.d.).
    1. Privacy - usernames, passwords and emails must be the designated data type when the user inputs them (e.g. strings with a certain data length), otherwise the database cannot accept them as values.
    2. E.g. Strings must be wrapped in double quotes (" ") not single quotes (' ') (Janghu & Luthra, n.d.).
    3. E.g. Arrays must be "denoted" by square brackets ([]) (Janghu & Luthra, n.d.).
Digital Methods of Exchanging Data - ways of exchanging data
1. Protocols (examples)
  1. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
    1. A standard that exchanges data through smaller packets, and checks that they are successfully delivered (Fortinet, n.d.).
  2. Internet Protocol (IP)
    1. Sending packets that have rules/ instructions attached to them, so that they arrive correctly and efficiently (Cloudflare , n.d.).
  3. Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
    1. A protocol that exchanges information of the internet/the web (Mozilla Developer, n.d.).
  4. File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
    1. Protocol for transferring files over a network, by establishing connections across computers (Fortinet, n.d.).
2. REST Principles
  1. A guideline with conditions for API, and manages complex network communication (Amazon Web Services, n.d.).
    1. Uniform Interface: a "standard format" so that there is enough information transferred for resource modification and processing (Amazon Web Services, 2024).
    2. Client-server: a server to client relationship where requests are sent and responses are retrieved over a connection, normally on the internet (TechTarget Contributor, 2023).
    3. Stateless: the fact that requests from the client are independent (can be in any order), and that the server is able to understand them, successfully (Amazon Web Services, 2024).
    4. Cacheable: responses can be saved with the client, saving time spent retrieving information, and the amount of requests sent to the server (Amazon Web Services, 2024) (Mindsize Team, 2023).
    5. Layered System: information is interconnected between multiple servers and server layers (Amazon Web Services, 2024).
3. JSON + XML
  1. JSON: "JavaScript Object Notation" - stores and exchanges data in an easy-to-read manner for humans and computers. It is usable across different languages/platforms (W3Schools, n.d.) (Erickson, 2024).
    1. Positive: Takes up little storage (Pinkiewicz, 2022)
    2. Positive: similar looking to "JavaScript object creation code" - easy conversion (W3Schools, n.d.)
    3. Negative: "No JSON calls error handling" (Rajeev, 2024)
    4. Negative: can be hacked easily (Rajeev, 2024)
  2. XML: "eXtensible Markup Language" - used to store/transport data. Tags are not predefined and can be made up, and requires software to exchange and display it (W3Schools, n.d.).
    1. Example syntax: uses "{ }" to define object and "[ ]" to create arrays (W3Schools, n.d.)
    2. Example syntax: uses "< >" to define opening tags and "</ >" to define closing tags (W3Schools, n.d.)
    3. Negative: creates large files (Murrell, n.d.).
    4. Negative: Requires complex software for interpretation (Murrell, n.d.)
    5. Positive: approved and recommended by W3C (W3Schools, n.d.)
    6. Positive: Compatible with any platform, including Java (IBM, 2023)
4. Extra data exchange/storing methods
  1. SOAP
    1. An XML-based protocol that transfers data by any method, so long as it is the same for the client and server, using HTTP (opentext, n.d.).
  2. Messaging
    1. The ability for an application to receive and send messages on this interface (PCMag, n.d.).
  3. GraphQL
    1. A language that provides more responses in requests from APIs (GraphQL, n.d.).
  4. SQL
    1. SQL is it's own sub-level of an API, which stores data, but locally (Pauncz, 2021).
  5. Python
    1. Python can communicate with APIs (API calls) to retrieve information and data for analysis (Ozanich, 2022).

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Existing Data Exchange Methods/Systems

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	Created by Rebbecca Stanley over 2 years ago