How to Use the Pinball Map API

It’s no secret that we have a public API. Or wait, maybe it kind of is, given how many people say to us, “I had no idea you had an API!” Point is, it’s not supposed to be a secret. After all, we link to it on the homepage (though not in the app, which is likely the problem here) and frequently mention it on the blog.

We get excited whenever anyone uses the API. And now, not only has someone used it, but she wrote a tutorial on how to use it! Beth Poore, a post-bacc in Computer Science at Oregon State University, used the Pinball Map API for a class project. For anyone looking to learn more about the API, this project is not only a great how-to guide, it’s also an illustration of the creative things you can do with the data (things that we don’t do on the Pinball Map website).

The tutorial covers a lot of ground:

• Querying data
• Post a list of your locations machines on your website
• Post high scores for your machines on your website
• Compare the machines in TWO regions
• Show national high scores

As you can see, you can do a lot with the data via the API. We’re excited to share Beth’s work with you all. Hope you find it useful!

How-To: Using the Pinball Map API