Official announcement on upcoming API Version 2 breaking changes. Addition of new endpoint /spaced_repetition_systems

Am I extrapolating if I’m thinking you are doing this massive change in your API in order for it to work with… EtoEto ?!

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Yes, you are.

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Right? I’m well aware that the whole API thing might be more important than just eliminating the stage names but everything is in the details and for me is what makes WK different from other SRS applications. Changing the names for just a generic number doesn’t feel right for me.

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I know what you mean. There should definitely be, and probably will be with some not currently existing userscript, an option in the user settings somewhere for custom categories per SRS system (e.g. Guru-Master even if need be…)

The Open Framework should be updated to do that. This way the new naming would be consistent across scripts.

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I can imagine some future me wanting to unburn some number of random items from particular levels. To which an API to allow the unburning of an item would be useful.

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Could someone please explain what an API is in this context? And what exactly is changing on WaniKani? I don’t really understand code or what’s being said, can someone please explain in a simple form?
I think I understand that the stage names are being changed but that’s it.

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TL;DR:
This announcement is just a heads-up for the programmers of scripts etc. that they might need to adjust something. WK will remain as-is for the time being, even after this change has been performed.

Longer version:
API is the abbreviation for “Application Programming Interface”, i.e. it offers a way for scripts and other third-party apps to interact with the data that is inside WaniKani.
Therefore, the changes that are announced here are only visible to those scripts etc. They are currently accessing some of the data in a way that will be gone soon, so these scripts need to be adapted to the new way of accessing that data.

This does not have any consequences yet for WaniKani as you use it (well, maybe some unmaintained scripts will break, but WK itself will not change). Of course, we can expect that WK itself will also change at some point in time, and the “consequences” section in the OP hints at those changes, but that is not the contents of this announcement.

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I trust the team to make sensible and effective changes, since they’ve already built one of the most sensible and effective kanji-reading education tools around, but I do want to voice one concern about the removal of the SRS stage names.

One of the benefits of the stage names/categories was easy review-load management. Things like “Keep your Apprentice queue close to 100 items,” or “Keep your Guru queue under 300,” etc., have been useful in avoiding burn-out. I do have a slight worry that replacing these easily visualized frequency queues with anything else–even a fairly information-rich chart of of items in review and their next dates–maaay lose the site that benefit. It’s definitely something I feel it has over similar SRS sites like iKnow. So maybe just some food for thought (if it wasn’t already being considered) in planning revamps for the UI.

Good luck!

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This is a note to scriptwriters.

We are all aware of the changes in end-points but the following change may have been unnoticed. At least I didn’t notice it until yesterday.

For the immediate timeframe, we are going to drop the names from being delivered on the API. These names are delivered in assignment.srs_stage_name , review.starting_srs_stage_name and review.ending_srs_stage_name .

and also there is the deadline:

We will be dropping the endpoint /srs_stages and the attributes assignment.srs_stage_name , assignment.passed , reviews.starting_srs_stage_name and reviews.ending_srs_stage_name on August 17, 2020 .

This is not a big deal. Few scripts are affected and the fix is easy. We just define the SRS names in an array and index it with the integer version of srs_stage whenever we need the name. But the job must be done. The script that are affected must be modified by August 17.

I have noticed that beside my own script, @rfindley’s Dashboard Progress Plus is affected.

An additional note: the ‘assignment.passed’ attribute is also deprecated. I have noticed that Dashboard Progress Plus uses it.

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Having a number for the current apprentice items has been super useful for me to manage my learning and avoid burn out. If something similar was implemented instead that would be okay though!

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Yes, well, I hope you have started the popcorn because I’m afraid I’m stuck in the mud, forever, of liking things just the way they are. I try desperately to appreciate all this background work, but all I hear every time I read one of these posts is YOUR WANIKANI EXPERIENCE IS GOING TO BE RUINED FOREVER.
Inevitably someone then says natural attrition will eventually eliminate people like me.
Great. So I have that to look forward to as well.
Grouch <<<<

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What are you expecting to get out of posting something like this? People agreeing with you? The devs deciding to cancel everything for you? Do you just like complaining? (there’s a thread for that) Don’t worry so much, i guarantee you that there will be scripts that will preserve what you’re used to. If there aren’t I’ll try my best to make one for you.

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  1. Didn’t expect anything. Was just commenting. Like people do.
  2. No, I hadn’t considered that. Everyone else seems to be mostly positive about it.
  3. No.
  4. I wouldn’t say I LIKE to, but certainly do from time to time.
  5. That’s a kind offer, even though you didn’t intend it to be kind, but no thank you, I’ll make one for myself.

Clearly, pointing at and calling myself a grouch didn’t temper my comment by making fun of myself.

Good news: I’ll never post a comment again. Rejoice.

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I understand you found @tetraflu0ride post unpleasant but I think that never posting a comment again is overreacting. Please feel welcome to comment anytime you have something to say.

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I liked your comment for everything except the “I’ll never post a comment again” bit. Don’t let someone like that get you down. It’s natural to be worried about change, especially something so core to the WaniKani experience. Will they necessarily change their minds from your feedback? No. But just a month or so ago they were planning a big change and reversed course after getting feedback from users, so they do listen to feedback. (Adding specific reasons for why you like a feature as-is always helps though. :stuck_out_tongue:)

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I have to immediately break my pledge :roll_eyes: to thank @prouleau and @seanblue. I appreciate that a lot. Thanks.

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Way to go! Do not let one somewhat negative remark affect your participation in this forum or your mood.

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Test sounds awesome.