Using the Yahoo Search API with Perl
TAPPING IN
Following in the footsteps of Google, Amazon, and eBay, Yahoo recently introduced a web service API to its search engine. In this month’s column, we look at three Perl scripts that can help you correct typos, view other people’s vacation pictures, and track those long lost pals from school.
It is quite common for an Internet service to provide a Web API. Developers use the Web API to integrate the Internet service with their own applications. Yahoo just released a REST (Representational State Transfer) interface to its search infrastructure. REST basically lets an application send a URL and get XML back. Of course, there is also a new Yahoo::Search Perl module to match; the module is available from CPAN and was developed by regex guru Jeffrey Friedl. Yahoo::Search makes it easy to search for documents, images, videos, and many other things. HTTP access and XML extraction are hidden behind simple calls to methods. If you intend to write an application, you need to register to get your own application ID. You will be allowed to issue 5,000 calls per day to the services mentioned in this article. To register at [2], you will need your own Yahoo ID, which you can get in exchange for a valid email address. You’ll also have to agree to Yahoo’s Privacy Statement; make sure to read it carefully.