Inspiration for API improvements

[zekefast]

Have you considering to make an API similar to Google Spreadsheet API. Obviously they have API targeted specifically to JavaScript and you would need to adopted it to Ruby and all it's power, but anyway it would be nice to borrow some ideas from them.

[gorn]

I will try to read through this, thanks for inspiration. Do you have any particular favorites in this API. Just write some pseudocode of gist how you would imagine that it works.

[gorn]

Ok, I did put some list of possible inpiraion to https://github.com/gorn/rspreadsheet/blob/master/DEVEL_BLOG.md (scroll down to possible ideas from Google Spreadsheet API (issue #9)).

There might be some things, but it really feels very non-ruby. Did you mean to reuse API as it is or, convert it to ruby style. For example in GS API they use something like

@sheet = @workbook.worksheets(1)
@workbook.delete_sheet(@sheet)

but I much prefer more ruby way like

@sheet = @workbook.worksheets(1)
@sheet.delete

Was your intention to introduce alternative "JavaScript" like syntax, or use more rubyway?

[zekefast]

@gorn I have not check all your ideas document completely, but definitely you do not need to make a direct copy of the Google Spreadsheet to you library, because at first Google Spreadsheet API was created for JavaScript and at second they have slightly different context of manipulation (here I mean that they manipulate with SpreadsheetApp and you rather with documents).

Also I like that you document is a separate object (i am talking about instance of ::Rspreadsheet::Workbook now). That allows to create it in one place and send to another to fill with data which is greatly improve ability to test document generation code! So really would like that you leave that ability.

I really do not like libraries where all functionality combined in top level module or class and you can not have second instance of it as everything belongs to class (unless you apply ruby magic, but that is not a good approach to deal with things anyway!).

In particular in Google Spreadsheet API I liked specific method to manipulate formulas, alignment and other styles. Also a range idea, because it refer to UI experience where you select cells and apply to them common styles.

I shall check your ideas list and let you know! Thank you for your work!

[gorn]

@zekefast any thoughts on this? Have you looked at the ideas. What do you think?