Are API answers to non-API questions appropriate here?

Question

I recently read this meta thread wherein the takeaway was (I believe) that API questions are really programming questions and not web-app questions.

There are often questions wherein the answer lies in using an application's API, even if the question itself is not about the API.

• Most retweeted tweets from a twitter account

• How to get weekly data from Foursquare

In both cases, there are answers that basically say- check out the API. This makes sense to me given that detailed API instructions are not useful if someone has no desire to use/learn to use the API.

I know that in the latter question the API-based answer was helpful to the questioner, and the question had to do with the web application and not its API, so it seems that the Q&A pair is appropriate for this forum.

Is there a best practice for how programmy (for lack of a better word) answers on this SE should be?

Answer 1

I think it's perfectly OK for an answer to be "you need to use the API and here's how".

The level of "programming" should probably be at writing scripts rather than full blown programs, in much the same way as the (admittedly fine) distinction exists between Stack Overflow and Super User.