Google Web API for Processing by Tatsuya SAITO  
  rev 02  
  Updates  
  - 03/05/2005 : rev03 added some new functions  
  - 28/04/2005 : rev02 changed the library structure  
  - 14/04/2005 : rev01 launched  
     
     
     
     
     
  Description  
 

Google Web API developer's kit provides a programming interface to query web pages through Google from our own computer programs. This library is a processing wrapper for Google Web API. There are some limitations in terms of maximum numbers of query per a day. However, Google Web API has great potential to allow Processing users to create sketch pieces enriched by huge amount of data available through Google.

  
  Installation  
 

To use Google Web API library on Processing, take the following flow.

1. Installing the library package

Download the package here: google_r03.zip

After uncompressing the file, copy 'google/' folder into 'libraries/' folder which you can find under the processing folder.

The folder/file structure should be as follows.

 

 

2. Restart processing

You should be able to import the google library from sketch menu.

 

3. Google API Java library

To use Google API on processing, you need to add googleapi.jar file to your sketch. Go to the download section on Google Web API website and download the Developer's Kit. Uncompress the package file and you will be able to find googleapi.jar in the extracted folder. Add this googleapi.jar into your sketch by clicking 'Add File...' in 'Sketch' menu.

 

4. Getting a license key

Google API also requires a license key, which you can create in account registration section. Once you get the license key, it works as an authorization key specifically for you. Avoid losing it. As mentioned in the reference, you need to give this license key to Google class to activate API.

 

 

 

  
  Reference  
 

this library contains two classes that have the following methods and member variables and an event handler which should be located in your sketch.

 

class Google Google Web API object  
  
Google(PApplet sketch, 
       String licenseKey)
provide your Google Web API license key to the constructor.
  
void searchBy(String keyword)
 google by the given keyword. the amount of maximum query is limited to 1,000 due to the constraint of Google Web API. see FAQ for detailed info.
  
void relatedTo(String url)
search related sites to the given url
  
void gotoNext()
 go to the next page of the query result.
  
void goTo(int startIndex)
go to the page that starts from startIndex-th result.
  
boolean isSearching()
 true while searching
     
Event Handler    
  
void googleEvent(GoogleResult)
 automatically called when Google API retrieves query results from Google. this function should be located in your Processing sketch.
     
class GoogleResult query result object  
  
int totalResultsCount()
 returns the total results count.
  
int size()
 the total number of results on the current page. it is limited to 10 at one time.
  
String title(int n)
 returns the title of n-th result
  
String titleHTML(int n)
 returns the HTML formatted title of n-th result
  
String url(int n)
 returns the URL of n-th result
  
String summary(int n)
 returns the site summary of n-th result
  
String category(int n)
 returns the category of n-th result
  
String host(int n)
 returns the host of n-th result
  
String filesize(int n)
 returns the filesize of n-th result
     

 
     
 
      

                 
searchBy()/relatedTo()
      
gotoNext()
 ...
PAGE 1
 
PAGE 2
 

goTo(N)

       

void googleEvent(GoogleResult r)
{

    doStuff();

    /* 
       this function is called
       everytime Google Web API
       retrieves query results

       should be located 
       in your sketch
    */
    
}

 

  
PAGE (N/10)
     
 
     
  Sample  
 

 

  
  
// Google Web API 
// by SAITO <http://users.design.ucla.edu/~tatsuyas> 
// Accessing to Google to search web resources by a given keyword
// 
// Created 28 April 2005


import saito.google.*;
String WORD = "Processing";
Google google;
void setup(){
 size(200, 200);


 google = new Google(this, "REPLACE HERE WITH YOUR LICENSE KEY");
 google.searchBy(WORD);

 smooth();
}
float tick = 0.0;
void draw(){
 background(255);
 // draw a wheel
 pushMatrix();
 translate(width/2, height/2);
 for(int i = 0 ; i < 10; i ++){
   pushMatrix();
   rotate(tick + i * 2*PI/10.);
   translate(10, 0);
   noStroke();
   fill(sin(tick*2)*100+100);
   rect(0, 0, 10, 2);
   popMatrix();
 }
 popMatrix();
 if( google.isSearching() ){
   // rotate the wheel when querying
   tick += 0.01;
 } else {
   // draw a button if not querying
   noStroke();
   fill(230, 200, 200);
   beginShape(TRIANGLES);
   vertex(width/2 + 8, height/2);
   vertex(width/2 - 4, height/2-7);
   vertex(width/2 - 4, height/2+7);
   endShape();
 }
}
void mousePressed(){
   google.gotoNext();
}
void googleEvent(GoogleResult result){
   println("total: " + result.totalResultsCount());
   for(int i = 0; i < result.size(); i++){
      println(result.title(i) + " : "+ result.url(i) + "-" + result.summary(i));
   }
}
  
     
  Etc.  
 

Bugs, opinions and complains? Reach me at tatsuyas@ucla.edu

 

  
 
SAITO at UCLA.edu