We often hear requests for complete documentation on the Joomla Framework API or even just something on the most frequently used classes and methods.  There is the automatically-generated material at http://api.joomla.org (and I intend to get that updated as soon as I have some time), but what people really need is practical examples and useful hints about using each of the classes and methods of the new 1.5 API.  Now, only in the last six months or so has the API been stable enough that we could seriously think about making it happen, but I believe the time is now ripe to restart the effort with renewed vigour and, hopefully, some fresh blood.

There are 172 classes and maybe a thousand methods to document.  That's a lot of work and it's important not to get overambitious and end up being crippled by the sheer complexity of the undertaking.  So, in order to keep things simple, I have written a few sample pages with a basic structure that can be easily replicated across the whole API without too much effort.  The skeleton can then be fleshed out over time with more detail, example code and references to other useful material on the wiki.

One of the many reasons for using a wiki to hold this documentation is that it lowers the barriers to participation to the level where anyone can contribute.  Even if you only write something about a single method, or even just correct a single typographical error, your contribution is important and is very welcome.

But the people I really want to reach are the thousands of developers out there who develop code for Joomla 1.5 every day, for themselves or for their clients.  The API Reference will be invaluable to you, but it needs your skills and knowledge to make it really useful.  So the next time you figure out how to use a particular class or even just a single method, why not become a "drive-by documentor" and do a quick "brain dump" on that single item before moving on.  A lot of small contributions can be just as effective as a few large ones.

There is no commitment.  You don't need to join a Working Group and you don't need to ask permission.  Just register on the wiki and get started.

To learn more about how you can make a contribution, large or small, to the API Reference, please visit the https://docs.joomla.org/API_Reference_Project page now.