Poor JSON response structure #32
Description
Really dig what you've done @meetDeveloper! Was not aware that Google is using Oxford Dictionaries behind the scenes.
While I really dig the API, the current structure of the API responses makes it very unusable (at least in my JavaScript web-based client). Having values as keys is non-standard and iterating over them is a nightmare. For example, the meaning property should be an array and contain a standard object response with partOfSpeech (e.g. { "partOfSpeech": "noun", ... }).
I'd suggest a response that takes cues from the JSON:API spec.
Here's an example of the suggested improvement to the current structure:
{
"word": "work",
"phonetic": [
"wəːk"
],
"meanings": [{
"partOfSpeech": "noun",
"definitions": [
{
"definition": "activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.",
"example": "he was tired after a day's work in the fields",
"synonyms": [
"labour",
"toil",
"exertion",
"effort",
"slog",
"drudgery",
"the sweat of one's brow"
]
},
{
"definition": "a task or tasks to be undertaken.",
"example": "they made sure the work was progressing smoothly",
"synonyms": [
"tasks",
"jobs",
"duties",
"assignments",
"commissions",
"projects"
]
}
]
}, {
"partOfSpeech": "verb",
"definitions": [
{
"definition": "be engaged in physical or mental activity in order to achieve a result; do work.",
"example": "an engineer who was working on a design for a more efficient wing",
"synonyms": [
"toil",
"labour",
"exert oneself",
"slave (away)",
"plod away"
]
},
{
"definition": "(of a machine or system) function, especially properly or effectively.",
"example": "his phone doesn't work unless he goes to a high point",
"synonyms": [
"function",
"go",
"run",
"operate",
"perform"
]
}
]
}]
}Regrettably, I'm going to use the Oxford Dictionaries API.