.NET Library for Digg API - Making it work!

While looking for a .NET library for Digg API, I found two (the reader may suggest more, if any, in the comments). One goes by the name 'Baileysoft.Rss.DiggAPI' which has recently been added at codeproject by thund3rstruck and comes with a good tutorial and the api code - all of it to be found here. Nothing much to say about it as the tutorial is well-written and the author promises to add more functionality soon [not all Digg API calls have been implemented].

The other that I found is here which is fairly old and in all probability, it's development has been discontinued. It goes by the name 'DiggTools'. It's development was part of 'Google Code' and the web-page hasn't been updated since quite a while both at the original site and the Google page of the project. The download page [for an Aug. 9th 2006 release] says, "This version implements roughly 90% of the known Digg.com API. It is considered beta quality with newer versions expected shortly."

Since it's old, 'DiggTools' doesn't use an appkey that's required now. That wouldn't have been a problem if the download had the source code, but there was only a DiggTools.dll at the download location. Since, it implements quite a few API calls, I decided to bring it into running condition again. There is an API's google group which proved to be of some help and also, thund3rstruck's DiggAPI. In addition, DiggTools library is licensed under LGPL, so I am not making available the modified code - instead, here are the instructions to make it run for those who want to use it.

• First, we only have the dll file so, download Reflector to decompile DiggApi.dll to C# code. It does it fairly efficiently and we get all the code files.


• Now, open DiggTools solution in VS (assuming), open StoryFactor.cs - right click on references & add System.dll in it.


• Add, using System.Net; at the top.


• Add "+ &appkey=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unique.com&type=xml" to end of following four lines:
• 
  
  • string str = "http://services.digg.com/stories" + filter + this.parseSearchOptions(theOptions);
    
  
  
  • string filename = "http://services.digg.com/story/" + Convert.ToString(storyID) + "/activity?period=" + time;
    
  
  
  • string filename = "http://services.digg.com/stories/" + Convert.ToString(storyID);
    
  
  
  • string filename = "http://services.digg.com/stories?count=1";
    


• As you know you can add any unique app key. Also, one may define a global variable for the appkey to avoid this tedious task.
  


• Now, find this method: GetStories(string filter, SearchOptions theOptions) and inside the body of the first try{} statement inside the method, replace everything with the following code:

HttpWebRequest webRequest = (HttpWebRequest)WebRequest.Create(str);
webRequest.UserAgent = ".NET Framework digg Test Client";
webRequest.Credentials = System.Net.CredentialCache.DefaultCredentials;
webRequest.Accept = "text/xml"; HttpWebResponse webResponse = (HttpWebResponse)webRequest.GetResponse();
System.IO.Stream responseStream = webResponse.GetResponseStream();
this.theXmlDocument.Load(responseStream);

• Also, search for "min_date" & "max_date" and replace it with "min_submit_date" & "max_submit_date" in the same file.
  


• Now, you are good to go. Build -> Goto 'bin' folder -> Fetch 'DiggTools.dll' -> Use it in your app!

Happy Coding!

P.S. Write in for comments, suggestions, brickbats!