TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Well, I'm going to assume you mean "Application Programming
Interface", and not "Associated Press International" or
something else. Briefly, they document part or all of a
Software Development Kit (SDK).
An API tech writer, also known as a programmer writer, is
well versed in programming, and can dig into the source
code being documented. The API they document is the interface
that others use to access the component/system/function.
This involves not only knowing the jargon and syntax
appropriate for all the programming languages that might
use the API. They also are able to write small examples of
how to use the API method/property/function in whatever
language is appropriate. Less often they would be able to
write entire sample applications that make good tutorial
use of the API they're documenting. Languages commonly used
today in this type of documentation include Java, C++,
Visual Basic, Delphi, Structured Query Language (SQL),
and many others that are less-frequently seen.
Hope that helps,
Thom Randolph
thom -at- halcyon -dot- com
At 09:58 AM 3/5/00 -0800, you wrote:
What is a API Tech writer? How is this different than a "tech writer"? What
does the API TW do? I see this in job postings many times.
