This page should answer some of the most common questions about APIFinder.

What kinds of APIs are listed on this site?
Can I add an API?
Can I add an article? What qualifies as an "article"?
I have a mashup. Can I list it on your site?
Your description/link to an API is incomplete or incorrect. How can I submit a change to an API if I didn't add it?
My submission does not fit into any of the categories you have listed. Can I add a new category to your list?
I submitted an API or article but it isn't published yet. What gives?
I submitted an article but I can't find it on the site.
I submitted an article that was published but it has been changed! What gives?
I submitted an article that isn't published yet. Can I make changes to it?
My article has code and/or images. How can I add them?
What if I don't have time to finish my article now but I'd like to get started?
I previewed my article and it looks terrible! What gives?
I signed up for the APIFinder newsletter when I registered but I haven't gotten anything yet. What gives?
I went to use your forums but my log in doesn't work. What gives?

What kinds of APIs are listed on this site?
Currently the majority of our APIs are Web Services (a.k.a. Web 2.0) APIs, but this site is designed to include APIs of absolutely any type. If the API that you want to list does not have a download associated with it (for example, if it is a reference to the Windows Library) simply provide us with an appropriate URL that documents the API from its official provider/purveyor. APIs can be from huge software companies such as Sun Microsystems or Microsoft or from an individual. The only requirement is that the API must be officially documented somewhere on the Internet so that other readers can find it and use it.

Can I add an API?
Yes! That's what this site is all about. This site is a work in progress and we want the list to grow for as long as there are useful APIs out there that we haven't yet listed. If you know of an API that isn't already listed on our site, please click on the "Submit an API" link which can be found at the top of every page (near the search box) or in the left nav. However, you must register in order to submit so that we can give you credit for your contribution.

Can I add an article? What qualifies as an "article"?
Yes. Just about anything can be an article, so long as it is useful to the development community and it discusses one or more APIs. An article can be documentation, reviews, mashups, examples, or even an interview or opinion. Each article will be evaluated personally by an editor. Submit an article using the "Submit an Article" link, which is found in many places on the site or in the left navigation. Just remember: Your content must be original. It is NOT OK to submit content or documentation written by a third-party without their consent.

I have a mashup. Can I list it on your site?
Yes. We are very interested in having your mashup on the site. You can submit your mashup as an article. You need to write a small amount of text about your mashup to describe what it does and hopefully you will tell us a bit about how you built it. This is what you submit as the content of your "article." You should also provide one more screen shots of your mashup in action. Finally, put a link to your mashup in the article body using simple HTML tags (i.e. Go to my mashup.) Make sure to put the word "Mashup" right in the title and description so people know what it is.

Your description/link to an API is incomplete or incorrect. How can I submit a change to an API if I didn't add it?
You cannot make changes directly to another author's submission, however, you can send your feedback to the editors of the site by emailing apifinder@jupitermedia.com. If the editor agrees with your change, he or she will modify the item and notify the original author of the change, if appropriate.

My submission does not fit into any of the categories you have listed. Can I add a new category to your list?
If you think we need to add a category to the "Function," "Language," or "Connection Protocol" taxonomies, please let the editor know when you submit your content. For example, when you submit an API, put in your description and then underneath in the same description field put a note to the editor (e.g. Note to Editor: This should be categorized under "Sports".) The utility of a suggested category will be evaluated by the site editor. In the meantime, choose the most appropriate category available or choose "Other" if you are stumped.

I submitted an API or article but it isn't published yet. What gives?
Each submission is evaluated personally by an editor. APIs and very short articles should be evaluated and either accepted or rejected within two or three business days. A very long article might take a little longer to evaluate but in most cases you will receive a notification of your submission's status within a week.

I submitted an article but I can't find it on the site.
If you just submitted it, you need to wait until an editor has had time to review your submission (see above). If you have already received email confirmation of your aritcle's acceptance, your article will be found in three places:
1. When you first submit your article it will be on the APIFinder home page (scroll down to see Latest Articles). As more articles are added it will move down the list until it rolls off the home page. Click the "More Articles" link on the home page to find it in the reverse chronological list.
2. Find the API that your article is about. Your article will be listed underneath the listing for that API along with any other articles that we have about that API.
3. Click on the "My Profile" page or click on your user name wherever it appear on the site. Any user who clicks on your name will be able to see a listing of all the content you have published on APIFinder, including APIs and articles.
Of course, you can always find your article using our search.

I submitted an article that was published but it has been changed! What gives?
Each article is reviewed in some detail by an actual human editor. He or she may make mild changes to your article in order to improve its flow, readability, or to conform to certain style issues that we have adopted for consistency on the site. In general, an editor will not make substantive changes to the technical content of your article without checking with you first.

I submitted an article that isn't published yet. Can I make changes to it?
Yes. Log in to the site and then click the "My Profile" link from the upper right corner of any page. Scroll down until you see Edit My Submissions and expand the link. You will be able to open any of your submissions, regardless of whether they have been previously published or not, and resubmit the modified article.

My article has code and/or images. How can I add them?
The Article Submission page has a facility for uploading images and code. Please zip your code using a standard compression utility such as WinZip and refrain from putting executable files in your code. After you have uploaded each image file or zip file, you can refer to them in your article text using a bracket syntax. Put brackets around your file name like this:
[myfilename.zip]
If it is an image the image will show up in the text at the position at which you placed the reference. A zip file will show up as a link.

What if I don't have time to finish my article now but I'd like to get started?
You are under no pressure to finish your article in one fail swoop. Our submit process allows you to save your work and come back to it later—without submitting it to an editor. Editors will not see your article until you have hit the button "Submit for Posting," which is found on the Submit Article page.

I previewed my article and it looks terrible! What gives?
Your article text needs to be lightly formatted using basic HTML markup. For example, use <br> to insert line breaks and <b>bold</b> for boldface type. If you wish to link to something you need to use a standard <a href="http://www.apifinder.com">anchor tag</a>. If your HTML is rusty, this reference may help. You do not need to use an <html> tag or other page formatting tags—our content management system will insert those automatically. Use very basic tagging only to get the best results. Finally, our editors can probably help clean up the display of your article after you submit it, but we need to be able to see where your paragraph breaks, subheads, etc. should go.

I signed up for the APIFinder newsletter when I registered but I haven't gotten anything yet. What gives?
Your name has been added to the list that we are compiling for a future newsletter. However, because the site is still new we are waiting for the list to grow a bit more before we create the newsletter.

I went to use your forums but my log in doesn't work. What gives?
Unfortunately our forums run on a separate system from the rest of the site so you will have to register separately if you wish to use the forum. However, if you are already registered to use the forums on DevX, FreeVBcode, or JavaBoutique, then your forum log in for those sites will work for APIFinder as well.

If you don't find a satisfactory answer to your question above, please email the editor at apifinder@jupitermedia.com.