Dimensional Data

It’s been around 6 years since I last wrote about the Azure Translator Services. Since 2015, the API has been updated from XML to JSON and re-organised under the Cognitive Services branding. Additionally, functionality has been broken down into different resources to help control access and provide increased flexibility around service delivery and billing. This week, I’ve updated the original blog content and shared new classes that work with the latest API’s. The security configuration has been updated to reflect the latest regions and the code released onto Github Download the code The readme.md provides details about the prerequisites for using the Azure Services, including the steps to follow to find the access keys when you set up your subscriptions and resources on the Azure portal. You can see the updated blog entry covering the services in more detail at https://delphiaball.co.uk/2021/07/30/how-to-use-azure-cloud-cognitive-services/ Azure Cloud – Translator Services Azure Cloud – Text to Voice Azure Cloud – Voice to Text

In our super-connected world, looking up physical addresses and getting accurate geographic locations is becoming an almost must-have skill for our apps. Would you like to enhance your application with accurate forward and reverse batch geocoding? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a free, lightweight and easy-to-use geocoding REST API to geocode any global address or set of coordinates in real-time? Well you’re in luck, we’re going to show you how to do that and, furthermore, we’re going to do it with a really tiny amount of code. What exactly do we mean by “geocoding”? Before we dive into how we’re going to do things, we should perhaps spend a minute or two going over some of the technical terms we’re going to cover. Forward geocoding is the process of looking up a plain-text address or place name (e.g. Eiffel Tower), whereas reverse geocoding is performed by passing latitude and longitude values of a desired location to the API. If successful, both types of geocoding return an extensive array of location-related data as well as multiple potential results along with confidence scores. In this article we will see how fast and easy it is to use RAD Studio and Delphi to create a FireMonkey multidevice application using the LowCode Wizard in addition to a REST client library to take advantage of PositionStack API and retrieve a JSON format response for worldwide news, headlines and blog articles in real-time. What is the PositionStack API? PositionStack API offers instant access to live geocoding for global places and coordinates around the world. This is possible to be done for free (up to first 25,000 calls/month; no credit card required) and much more is available at very affordable prices and scalable to the use you make with no upfront commitments. The PositionStack API covers 2+ billion addresses sourced from multiple, highly reliable sources, such as Nominatim, GeoNames, Pelias and OpenStreetMap. Updates to our dataset are made multiple times per day and smart filters and algorithms ensure the highest possible level of consistency across API requests and accuracy in geo data responses. Our RAD Studio and Delphi applications will be able to call the API and request information based on the name of parameters you provide. How do I set up the PositionStack API? Make sure you refer to PositionStack API website (https://PositionStack.com/) and and SignUp for the free Plan providing only your email and some basic information (no credit card required). Once you are in the website will redirect you to a Quickstart guide dashboard and your API Access Key will be provided. The Access Key unique, personal and is required to authenticate with the API. Keep it safe! How do I call PositionStack API endpoints? Now all we need to do is to call the API base URL (http://api.positionStack.com/) via a HTTP POST method with no JSON request body needed and some few requested parameters added to the URL address depending on the ednpoint we choose to call. One can do that using REST Client libraries available on several programming languages. PositionStack offers two API endpoints to choose from Forward Geocoding: Geocoding by free-text place name or address. Reverse Geocoding: Geocoding by coordinates or IP address. Our demo will focus on the Forward Geocoding Endpoint but all the others follow similar logic but […]

In keeping with our  theme, today we are focusing on Python, PyScripter, and the Python4Delphi bridge. The 11 AM CDT session covers Python and PyScripter basics The 1 PM CDT Session covers Python 4 Delphi and Delphi 4 Python Be sure to register if you haven’t already. For more articles about Python and Python GUII development visit PythonGUI.org

A search engine results page, or SERP, is the page you see after entering a query into Google, Yahoo, or any other search engine. In addition to organic search results, search engine results pages usually include paid search and pay-per-click (PPC) ads plus additional generated information not directly related to the search. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a free, lightweight, easy-to-use SERP API built into your own app to give your users the ability to harness the immense power of the search engines? How to add superb power to your apps with the absolute minimum of coding effort Low code is where RAD Studio Delphi really shines compared to nearly all other programming languages. In many ways it was one of the very first ground-breaking systems to embrace low code as a philosophy right from the very first day it was released. In this article we will see how fast and easy it is to use RAD Studio and Delphi to create a Firemonkey multidevice application using the LowCode Wizard in addition to a REST client library to take advantage of SerpStack API and retrieve a JSON format response for Google SERP in real-time. Using SerpStack API with RAD Studio’s low code capabilities is a smart way to produce applications in the modern world SerpStack API offers instant access to live geocoding for global places and coordinates around the world. This is possible to be done for free (up to first 100 calls/month; no credit card required) and much more is available at very affordable prices and scalable to the use you make with no upfront commitments. Our RAD Studio and Delphi applications will be able to call the API and request information based on the name of parameters you provide How do I set up the SerpStack API? Make sure you refer to SerpStack API website (https://SerpStack.com/) and and SignUp for the free Plan providing only your email and some basic information (no credit card required). Once you are in the website will redirect you to a Quickstart guide dashboard and your API Access Key will be provided. The Access Key unique, personal and is required to authenticate with the API. Keep it safe! How do I call SerpStack API endpoints? Now all we need to do is to call the API base URL (http://api.serpStack.com/) via a HTTP POST method with no JSON request body needed and some few requested parameters added to the URL address depending on the endpoint we choose to call. One can do that using REST Client libraries available on several programming languages. SerpStack offers two API endpoints to choose from Search: Get SERP data for your search query Locations: Search locations supported by the API Our demo will focus on the Search Endpoint but all the others follow similar logic but with different parameters passed. For a complete and detailed list of endpoints and its parameters make sure you refer to SerpStack Quickstart guide (https://serpStack.com/quickstart) // Search API Endpoint http://api.serpstack.com/search ? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY & query = mcdonalds // optional parameters: & engine = google & type = web & device = desktop & location = new york & google_domain = google.com & gl = us & hl = en & page = 1 & num = 10 & output = json // […]

NumVerify is a full-fledged and powerful RESTful web service that allows global number validation and lookup service in more than 230 countries around the globe. It offers a simple RESTful JSON API endpoint that you can send and receive correct information about a phone number. NumVerify API sends handy JSON formatted data about the carrier, geographical location, line type, and more in seconds. NumVerify API is easy to integrate. NumVerify API is platform agnostic and offers a simple connection in any platform. Moreover, with the power of Delphi, you can send and receive phone number validation information without coding because of low-code app development features. How to integrate NumVerify API into Delphi FireMonkey application? In this post, we will create a fully functional cross-platform application using FireMonkey App Low Code Wizard. the FireMonkey Low Code Wizard fully integrates with NumVerify API. What exactly is the NumVerify API? NumVerify API is a product built and maintained by apilayer and helping millions of developers to automate complex processes using solid RESTful web services.  Number Validation – Keep your user database clean and fight fraud by validating. Swift & Secure API – Easy to integrate URL structure Advanced Tools – Configure lookup options with a set of parameters Cost-effective API How do I set up the NumVerify API? Just head over to the NumVerify API website (https://numverify.com/) and sign up for the free subscription by providing basic information. After signing up, you can open Dashboard, and there will be your API Access Key with documentation. How to send a request to the NumVerify API endpoint? Well, now you can send requests to the endpoint using your API access key. Just need to give the required parameters to the URL.  Here is a sample API request with a sample JSON response. After the request is successfully sent, you receive a clear JSON response. Each API response consists of 10 different response objects. You learn more about the response structure here (https://numverify.com/documentation) How do I connect my applications to the NumVerify API? In this demonstration, I utilize Delphi and FireMonkey to create a client app. REST Client components can work with any RESTful web service easily.  The lightning-fast way of connecting to APIs is the RAD Studio Delphi REST Debugger REST Debugger is a specialized tool for Delphi and C++ Builder developers. You can play with any kind of REST-based web service. Besides, after connecting and receiving the JSON response, you can quickly copy and paste components from the REST Debugger to your Delphi or C++ Builder project. And you are good to go! How to build an app which runs on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS and works with the NumVerify API I pointed out to the FireMonkey App Low Code Wizard. Low Code Wizard helps us to initialize a fully functional cross-platform FireMonkey application. The wizard gives you different options and database functionalities. And then, you select the required features which, then generate a complete app. How do I start using Low-Code development in RAD Studio? Run your copy of RAD Studio. Open the GetIt Package Manager from the Tools menu. There you can search for a “low code” keyword. Now install the FireMonkey App Low Code Wizard. Now you can utilize Low Code App Wizard and generate a fully functional app within seconds. For this, you should go on the menu: File->New->Other and select Multi-Device […]

What is the purpose of dummy data generation? As a Developer or Tester, sometimes we need a large volume of data in the database to test the applications. Manually creating this data and inserting it into the database is not an affordable option if we consider the price and effort involved too. This is where you need the tools for automatically generating as much dummy data as you need, to test or populate your apps at the lowest cost. Load, performance, and stress testing are just impossible without the help of these data generation tools. These tools are easy to use, and in turn, save a lot of time. It not only saves time for creating lengthy scripts but has also made data generation easy. With just a few lines of Python code, you will be able to create a large volume of data. To get the data using web scraping, instead of dummy data generation, read this article for tutorials and best options: Delphi adds powerful GUI features and functionalities to Python In this tutorial, we’ll build Windows Apps with extensive Test Data Generation capabilities by integrating Python’s Test Data Generation libraries with Embarcadero’s Delphi, using Python4Delphi (P4D). P4D empowers Python users with Delphi’s award-winning VCL functionalities for Windows which enables us to build native Windows apps 5x faster. This integration enables us to create a modern GUI with Windows 10 looks and responsive controls for our Python Test Data Generation applications. Python4Delphi also comes with an extensive range of demos, use cases, and tutorials. We’re going to cover the following… How to use Faker, FauxFactory, lipsum, Mimesis, pandas, and radar Python libraries to Generate Dummy Data for Your Windows Apps All of them would be integrated with Python4Delphi to create Windows Apps with Test Data Generation capabilities. Prerequisites Before we begin to work, download and install the latest Python for your platform. Follow the Python4Delphi installation instructions mentioned here. Alternatively, you can check out the easy instructions found in the Getting Started With Python4Delphi video by Jim McKeeth. Getting started with Python4Delphi and RAD Studio First, open and run our Python GUI using project Demo1 from Python4Delphi with RAD Studio. Then insert the script into the lower Memo, click the Execute button, and get the result in the upper Memo. You can find the Demo1 source on GitHub. The behind the scene details of how Delphi manages to run your Python code in this amazing Python GUI can be found at this link. Open Demo01.dproj. 1. How can I use Faker to generate dummy data? Faker is a Python package that generates fake data for you. Whether you need to bootstrap your database, create good-looking XML documents, fill in your persistence to stress test it, or anonymize data taken from a production service, Faker is for you. After installing Python4Delphi properly, you can get Faker using pip or easy install to your command prompt: Don’t forget to put the path where your Faker library installed, to the System Environment Variables: System Environment Variable Examples C:/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/AppData/Local/Programs/Python/Python38/Lib/site-packages C:/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/AppData/Local/Programs/Python/Python38/Scripts C:/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/AppData/Local/Programs/Python/Python38 C:/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/AppData/Local/Programs/Python/Python38/Lib/site–packages C:/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/AppData/Local/Programs/Python/Python38/Scripts C:/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/AppData/Local/Programs/Python/Python38 The following is the code example of Faker and Python4Delphi to generate real-world example: Complex data with nine variables and 1000 rows (Run this inside the lower Memo of Python4Delphi Demo01 GUI): import pandas from faker import Factory import random […]

Would you like to create an application with real-time flight status & global Aviation data updated as often as every single minute? Whether it’s building booking platforms, visualizing and monitoring global flights or creating popular flight tracking applications, wouldn’t it be nice to have a free, simple REST API for live flight tracking & airport timetable data? You’ve probably used one already and, if you’re like me you’ve found a few of them a little lacking and thought “I could do that” – well, now you can! How to build a flight status app with as little code as possible In this article we will see how fast and easy it is to use RAD Studio and Delphi to create a FireMonkey multidevice application using the LowCode Wizard in addition to a REST client library to take advantage of AviationStack API and retrieve a JSON format response for worldwide Live Flight tracker & airport timetable data. What is the AviationStack API? The AviationStack API offers instant access to live extensive set of aviation data, including real-time flight status, historical flights, schedules, airline routes, airports, aircrafts from 250+ countries and 13.000+ airlines from all around the world. This is possible to be done for free (up to first 500 calls/month; no credit card required) and much more is available at very affordable prices and scalable to the use you make with no upfront commitments. Our RAD Studio and Delphi applications will be able to call the API and request information based on the name of parameters you provide. How do I set up the AviationStack API? Make sure you refer to AviationStack API website (https://aviationStack.com/) and and SignUp for the free Plan providing only your email and some basic information (no credit card required). Once you are in the website will redirect you to a Quickstart guide dashboard and your API Access Key will be provided. The Access Key unique, personal and is required to authenticate with the API. Keep it safe! How do I call AviationStack API endpoints? Now all we need to do is to call the API base URL (http://api.aviationStack.com/) via a HTTP POST method with no JSON request body needed and some few requested parameters added to the URL address depending on the ednpoint we choose to call. One can do that using REST Client libraries available on several programming languages. AviationStack offers several API endpoints to choose from: Real-Time Flights: Look up flights in real-time Historical Flights: Look up historical flights Airline Routes: Look up airline routes Airports: Look up global airports Airlines: Look up global airlines Airplanes: Look up airplanes/aircrafts Aircraft Types: Look up aircraft types Aviation Taxes: Look up aviation taxes Cities: Look up global cities Countries: Look up countries Our demo will focus on the Real Time Flights Endpoint but all the others follow similar logic but with different parameters passed. For a complete and detailed list of endpoints and its parameters make sure you refer to AviationStack Quickstart guide (https://aviationStack.com/quickstart) // Real-Time Flights (For the free subscription the request should be done using http and not https in the link below) https://api.aviationstack.com/v1/flights ? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY // optional parameters: & limit = 100 & offset = 0 // more parameters available please refer to the API Documentation (https://aviationstack.com/documentation) // Real-Time Flights (For […]

function QuickPos(const Substr, S: WideString; MatchesIndex: Integer = 1): Integer;   var     LenOfS, LenOfSubstr: Integer;   begin     // junk instruction begin     asm       jz   @1       jnz  @1       db   $e9       @1:     end;     // junk instruction end       Result := Pos(Substr, S);       // junk instruction begin     asm           pushf           push  $0A       @1: jnb   @3           jmp   @2       @2: call  @4       @3: jnb   @2       @4: add   esp,4           jmp   @5       @5: dec   dword ptr [esp]           jno   @6       @6: jns   @1           jp    @7       @7: add   esp,4           popf           jmp   @8       @8:     end;     // junk instruction end       if (MatchesIndex = 1) or (Result = 0) then     begin       // junk instruction begin       asm             pushf             jb    @3         @1: jmp   @2         @2: call  @4         @3: jb    @1         @4: add   esp,4             popf             jmp   @5         @5:       end;       // junk instruction end         Exit;     end;       LenOfS := Length(S);        // junk instruction begin     asm           jz   @1           jnz  @1           db   $e8       @1:     end;     // junk instruction end       LenOfSubstr := Length(Substr);       // junk instruction begin     asm       db 0E9h,0A2h,001h,000h,000h,049h,00Fh,0F6h,03Ch,0CFh,075h,0EEh,0C0h,00Fh,031h,08Bh       db 0C8h,00Fh,031h,02Bh,0C8h,0F7h,0D1h,081h,0F9h,000h,050h,000h,000h,07Fh,0FEh,00Fh       db 031h,08Bh,0C8h,00Fh,031h,02Bh,0C8h,0F7h,0D1h,081h,0F9h,000h,050h,000h,000h,07Fh       db 0FEh,0D6h,00Fh,088h,0DDh,001h,000h,000h,00Fh,089h,0D7h,001h,000h,000h,03Eh,0C1h       db 0C3h,005h,0C1h,0CBh,005h,036h,00Fh,08Ah,001h,002h,000h,000h,00Fh,08Bh,0FBh,001h       db 000h,000h,05Bh,0E8h,00Bh,000h,000h,000h,072h,065h,067h,069h,073h,074h,065h,072h       db 065h,064h,000h,058h,0EBh,002h,012h,028h,0E8h,03Eh,000h,000h,000h,099h,04Fh,0F6h       db 03Ch,0FFh,090h,05Fh,050h,00Fh,031h,08Bh,0C8h,00Fh,031h,02Bh,0C8h,0F7h,0D1h,081h       db 0F9h,000h,050h,000h,000h,07Ch,005h,0E9h,0D7h,06Ch,030h,0F0h,0E8h,00Bh,000h,000h       db 000h,072h,065h,067h,069h,073h,074h,065h,072h,065h,064h,000h,058h,0F8h,00Fh,084h       db 0A1h,000h,000h,000h,00Fh,085h,09Bh,000h,000h,000h,03Bh,068h,01Dh,024h,000h,000h       db 083h,0C4h,004h,083h,0C4h,004h,00Fh,084h,007h,000h,000h,000h,00Fh,085h,001h,000h       db 000h,000h,048h,0E8h,00Bh,000h,000h,000h,072h,065h,067h,069h,073h,074h,065h,072h       db 065h,064h,000h,058h,0EBh,00Bh,072h,065h,067h,069h,073h,074h,065h,072h,065h,064h       db 000h,065h,0F8h,00Fh,083h,056h,0FFh,0FFh,0FFh,000h,0A4h,0BCh,0E6h,0D6h,0B7h,0E8h       db 00Bh,000h,000h,000h,072h,065h,067h,069h,073h,074h,065h,072h,065h,064h,000h,058h       db 0F9h,00Fh,031h,08Bh,0C8h,00Fh,031h,02Bh,0C8h,0F7h,0D1h,081h,0F9h,000h,050h,000h       db 000h,07Fh,0FEh,068h,019h,054h,000h,000h,083h,0C4h,004h,0D6h,00Fh,08Ah,0CFh,000h       db 000h,000h,00Fh,08Bh,0C9h,000h,000h,000h,058h,0EBh,00Dh,077h,072h,06Fh,06Eh,067h       db 020h,073h,065h,072h,069h,061h,06Ch,000h,0E9h,038h,0FFh,0FFh,0FFh,043h,03Eh,0F6h       db 03Ch,0C5h,094h,053h,011h,0E8h,001h,000h,000h,000h,086h,0E8h,001h,000h,000h,000h       db 0B8h,083h,044h,024h,004h,012h,083h,004h,024h,00Ah,0C3h,0F8h,050h,052h,00Fh,031h       db 033h,0C8h,05Ah,033h,0C8h,058h,051h,059h,0F9h,00Fh,082h,006h,000h,000h,000h,000h       db 06Bh,05Dh,082h,06Bh,0EBh,00Fh,0CFh,00Fh,0CFh,036h,00Fh,080h,0D3h,0FEh,0FFh,0FFh       db 00Fh,081h,0CDh,0FEh,0FFh,0FFh,0DCh,050h,052h,00Fh,031h,033h,0C8h,05Ah,033h,0C8h       db 058h,068h,0EFh,04Ch,000h,000h,083h,0C4h,004h,036h,00Fh,084h,06Dh,0FEh,0FFh,0FFh       db 00Fh,085h,067h,0FEh,0FFh,0FFh,00Ah,00Fh,031h,08Bh,0C8h,00Fh,031h,02Bh,0C8h,0F7h       db 0D1h,081h,0F9h,000h,050h,000h,000h,07Fh,0FEh,0EBh,00Bh,072h,065h,067h,069h,073h       db 074h,065h,072h,065h,064h,000h,068h,027h,0ACh,000h,000h,083h,0C4h,004h,00Fh,08Ch       db 0B3h,0FFh,0FFh,0FFh,00Fh,08Dh,0ADh,0FFh,0FFh,0FFh,094h,068h,075h,004h,000h,000h       db 083h,0C4h,004h,0F3h,0F8h,00Fh,083h,004h,0FFh,0FFh,0FFh,000h,0BBh,08Dh,090h,07Ch       db 097h,0E8h,001h,000h,000h,000h,0EAh,0E8h,001h,000h,000h,000h,008h,083h,044h,024h       db 004h,012h,083h,004h,024h,00Ah,0C3h,010h,0F9h,00Fh,082h,01Ah,0FFh,0FFh,0FFh,000h       db 02Bh,09Dh,0CDh,020h,0DBh,00Fh,031h,08Bh,0C8h,00Fh,031h,02Bh,0C8h,0F7h,0D1h,081h       db 0F9h,000h,050h,000h,000h,07Fh,0FEh,0E8h,00Bh,000h,000h,000h,072h,065h,067h,069h       db 073h,074h,065h,072h,065h,064h,000h,058h,068h,09Fh,00Ch,000h,000h,083h,0C4h,004h       db 00Fh,088h,095h,0FFh,0FFh,0FFh,00Fh,089h,08Fh,0FFh,0FFh,0FFh,073h,0EBh,00Bh,072h       db 065h,067h,069h,073h,074h,065h,072h,065h,064h,000h,00Fh,088h,007h,000h,000h,000h       db 00Fh,089h,001h,000h,000h,000h,0A1h     end;     // junk instruction end       while (MatchesIndex > 1) and (Result > 0) do     begin       Result := _PosForward(Substr, S, Result + 1, LenOfSubstr, LenOfS);         // junk instruction begin       asm             jz   @1             jnz  @1             db   $9a             db   $e8         @1:       end;       // junk instruction end         if Result = 0 then         Exit;         // junk instruction begin       asm         db   0EBh, 1,    0Fh,  31h         db   0F0h, 0EBh, 0Ch,  33h         db   0C8h, 0EBh, 3,    0EBh         db   9,    0Fh,  59h,  74h         db   5,    75h,  0F8h, 51h         db   0EBh, 0F1h       end;       // junk instruction end         Dec(MatchesIndex);         // junk instruction begin       asm             jz   @1             jnz  @1             db   $e8         @1:       end;       // junk instruction end     end;   end;

Forwarding a set of emails to incorrect or invalid email addresses can be tedious and time-consuming. To avoid this problem you can utilize an email validation API which helps you thoroughly verify and identify the email sender’s domain and username with minimal fuss.  MailboxLayer can add powerful email address validation to your Delphi and C++ apps The MailboxLayer is a simple but solid REST API that measures email deliverability & quality. You can easily verify email addresses as they arrive into your system, and you can make sure you only send emails to real customers. The Low Code way of creating fully functional apps In this post, we will create our email validation application with FireMonkey App Low Code Wizard. With this wizard, you can create a fully functional Delphi mobile application with multiple screens using just a few easy steps.  The MailboxLayer API offers an easy to integrate option with RAD Studio The Mailboxlayer API is simple and secure and comes with easy to integrate URL structure, delivered in lightweight JSON format. Moreover, it offers: Email Provider Database  Interactive and clear documentation Secure data streams  Extended Statistics about your API usage Furthermore, you can power your validation process with a real-time SMTP checker, syntax & typos validation, and/or separate real permanent email addresses from disposable emails. How do I set up the MailboxLayer API? Head over to the MailboxLayer API website (https://mailboxlayer.com/) and sign up for the free subscription providing you basic information. After signing up, you can go to a quick start guide dashboard and your API access key will be provided. How do I request MailboxLayer API endpoints? Now you have the API access key and all we need to do is to call the base API endpoint (http://apilayer.net/api/check) with the required parameters added to the URL address. The easiest way of doing it is to utilize the REST Client library. What I liked about this API is that it is immaculately clean! In these images, you can see the sample of calling to API endpoint and with sample JSON response. After the request to the endpoint, you can get a clear and concise JSON response. Each API response consists of 10 different response objects. You can see them here on the official documentation of the API (https://mailboxlayer.com/documentation)  How do I connect my applications to the MailboxLayer API? Well, the crazy and fun part starts here! After following the steps and learning about the API endpoint now you can call the endpoint with RAD Studio Delphi or C++ Builder.  This REST endpoint calling is done by using 3 REST Client components those are TRESTClient, TRESTResponse, and TRESTRequest. The rapid way of connecting to APIs – REST Debugger REST Debugger helps to test and understand how RESTful web service works. You can easily configure, filter, enable OAuth 1.0/2.0 authentication and resource parameters. Moreover, after connecting and receiving the JSON response you can swiftly copy and paste components from the REST Debugger to your Delphi or C++ Builder solution. How do I build an app which runs on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS and works with the MailboxLayer API? As we talked about Low Code Wizard earlier, we will utilize FireMonkey App Low Code Wizard now. Let’s just pause for a moment to speak some more about Low-Code development.  Low-Code development is a visual […]

Would you like to enhance your application with news data from thousands of international news publishers and blogs, updated as often as every single minute? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a FREE, Simple REST API for Live News & Blog Articles? In this article we will see how fast and easy it is to use RAD Studio and Delphi to create a FireMonkey multidevice application using the LowCode Wizard in addition to a REST client library to take advantage of MediaStack API and retrieve a JSON format response for worldwide news, headlines and blog articles in real-time. What can the MediaStack API do for our apps? MediaStack API offers instant access to live news data feeds, discover trends & headlines, monitor brands and access breaking news events around the world. This is possible to be done for free (up to first 500 calls/month; no credit card required) and much more is available at very affordable prices and scalable to the use you make with no upfront commitments. Every minute, the MediaStack API interface is automatically collecting news articles from 7,500+ global news sources and blogs worldwide, parsing it and converting it into a standardized programmatic format for the purpose of ease of use. In order to ensure the highest possible level of accuracy and data consistency, each of the sources used is monitored closely and around the clock for technical or content anomalies. Additional news sources are added continuously as they become available. Our RAD Studio and Delphi applications will be able to call the API and request information based on the name of parameters you provide. How do I set up the MediaStack API? Make sure you refer to MediaStack API website (https://mediaStack.com/) and and sign up for the free plan providing only your email and some basic information (no credit card required). Once you are in the website will redirect you to a Quickstart guide dashboard and your API Access Key will be provided. The Access Key unique, personal and is required to authenticate with the API. Keep it safe! How do I call MediaStack API endpoints? Now all we need to do is to call the API base URL (http://api.mediaStack.com/) via a HTTP POST method with no JSON request body needed and some few requested parameters added to the URL address depending on the ednpoint we choose to call. One can do that using REST Client libraries available on several programming languages. MediaStack offers two API endpoints to choose from: News Data: Get live & historical news data News Sources: Get a list of news sources Our demo will focus on the Live News Endpoint but all the others follow similar logic but with different parameters passed. For a complete and detailed list of endpoints and its parameters make sure you refer to MediaStack Quickstart guide (https://mediaStack.com/quickstart) // Live News Data http://api.mediastack.com/v1/news ? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY // optional parameters: & sources = cnn,bbc & categories = business,sports & countries = us,au & languages = en,-de & keywords = virus,-corona & sort = published_desc & offset = 0 & limit = 100 // Live News Data http://api.mediastack.com/v1/news ? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY   // optional parameters: & sources = cnn,bbc & categories = business,sports & countries = us,au & languages = en,–de & keywords = virus,–corona & sort […]