I plan to help my colleague to develop a web application to collect the apps I want to buy or recommend.
The first step is to search and find the web page containing the app information.
Take the tool named SOUNDSNAP for example,
The first step is to search it in api and get return string.
The Search URL is:
http://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStoreServices.woa/wa/wsSearch?term=soundsnap&entity=software
Then you get the return string like:
{ ”resultCount”:33, ”results”: [{"version":"1.0", "kind":"software", "artistId":428212975, "artistName":"Black Arc Studios", "price":0.00, "description":"\u2605\u2605\u2605 Free for this weekend only! \u2605\u2605\u2605 \n\n\u2605\u2605\u2605 Featured on Gizmodo &
Lifehacker AU! \u2605\u2605\u2605 Let your voice do the photo taking!!! (Or any sound for that matter!)\n\nSoundSnap is a simple
camera app that lets you take pictures by detecting ANY sound you make!. Simply tap, speak or make any sound into the built-in
microphone and SoundSnap will quickly snap a picture! Better yet make use of your earphone headset or Bluetooth headset as a
remote!\n\n\n************\nRemote Control\n************\n\n\u2022 SoundSnap allows you to use your device\u2019s built-in microphone
to pick up sound from a distance! Now there\u2019s even more reason to say \u201CCheese\u201D!\n\u2022 Use your earphone headset
\u2019s microphone as a remote release cable!\n\u2022 For those who need precise wireless control, take advantage of your Bluetooth
headset as wireless remote!\n\n\n************\nPerfect for a variety of situations\n************\n\n\u2022 Too cold to take off your
gloves? No problems, with SoundSnap you can still snap a photo using just your voice!\n\u2022 Take advantage of the high quality rear
camera for self-portraits! No more fiddling around trying to find where the button is.\n\u2022 Reduce accidental shaking of the
camera when taking photos by not having to touch the device at all! \n\u2022 Mount your iPhone/iPod on a tripod and use your earphone
headset\u2019s microphone as remote release cable! Perfect for great night shots!\n\u2022 Take the perfect group photo when no one is
around to assist. For even more precision and timing of a snap, use a Bluetooth headset as a wireless remote!\n\u2022 Need to be
discreet when taking a photo? No problems. STEALTH mode will black out the screen to make it seem as though the device is off!\n\n
\n************\nKey Features\n************\n\n\u2022 Tap, speak or make any sound to snap a photo!\n\u2022 Adjust the sensitivity of
the sound detection! - Optimize the app for quiet or noisy environments.\n\u2022 Use your headset as a remote cable release!\n\u2022
Use your Bluetooth headset as a wireless remote!\n\u2022 Timer Mode \u2013 Give yourself time to perfect your pose before taking that
snap!\n\u2022 Stealth mode \u2013 For those times when discretion is needed!\n\n\n************\nCompatibility\n************
\nSoundSnap is compatible with the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch (4th Generation).\nFor Apple\u2019s built-in tap-to-focus
function to be active, iOS 4.3 is required.\n\n\n************\nWebsite\n************\nhttp://www.blackarcstudios.com/soundsnap",
"genreIds":["6008", "6002"], “releaseDate”:”2011-04-07T07:00:00Z”, “sellerName”:”Black Arc Studios Private Limited”,
“currency”:”USD”, “trackId”:428212972, “trackName”:”SoundSnap”, “genres”:["Photography", "Utilities"], “releaseNotes”:”",
“primaryGenreName”:”Photography”, “primaryGenreId”:6008, “isGameCenterEnabled”:false, “supportedDevices”:["iPhone-3GS", "iPhone4",
"iPhone", "iPad23G", "iPad2Wifi", "iPodTouchourthGen", "iPhone-3G"], “wrapperType”:”software”,
“artworkUrl60″:”http://a1.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/013/Purple/eb/8f/9d/mzi.erfyikae.png”,
“artworkUrl100″:”http://a4.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/035/Purple/14/a7/7f/mzm.tqzjqmrh.png”,
“artistViewUrl”:”http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/black-arc-studios/id428212975?uo=4″, “contentAdvisoryRating”:”4+”,
“trackCensoredName”:”SoundSnap”, “trackViewUrl”:“http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/soundsnap/id428212972?mt=8&uo=4“,
“languageCodesISO2A”:["DE", "EN", "ES", "FR", "IT", "JA", "KO", "ZH"], “fileSizeBytes”:”10089479″, ”screenshotUrls”:["http://a1.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/027/Purple/68/c9/5b/mzl.ctnqyntv.png",
"http://a2.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/050/Purple/3c/93/2d/mzl.qfsdkame.png",
"http://a2.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/029/Purple/37/cf/95/mzl.vugmtqaz.png"], “ipadScreenshotUrls”:[],
“sellerUrl”:”http://www.blackarcstudios.com/soundsnap”, “averageUserRatingForCurrentVersion”:5.0,
“userRatingCountForCurrentVersion”:4, “artworkUrl512″:”http://a4.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/035/Purple/14/a7/7f/mzm.tqzjqmrh.png”,
“trackContentRating”:”4+”, “averageUserRating”:5.0, “userRatingCount”:4},
…………………………………………
{“version”:”1.3″, “kind”:”software”, “artistId”:298593066, “artistName”:”A&G Soluzioni Digitali”, “price”:0.99, ”description”:”This is binaural preview of Peoplelikesound’s Vol.1, the SD card for X-spat player created by A&G Soluzioni Digitali
from the original soundscape compositions by PEOPLELIKESOUND. Press the \”Track 1\” or \”Track 2\” button to start loop playback.
Slide the \”Tilt Listener\” slider to activate the Open AL spatialisation. Press the \”info button\” to acquire more information.”,
“genreIds”:["6011", "6013"], “releaseDate”:”2010-01-28T11:49:26Z”, “sellerName”:”A&G Soluzioni Digitali srl”, “currency”:”USD”,
“trackId”:352734137, “trackName”:”PLS1Binaural”, “genres”:["Music", "Healthcare & Fitness"], “releaseNotes”:”Added Support for IOS
4.2″, “primaryGenreName”:”Music”, “primaryGenreId”:6011, “isGameCenterEnabled”:false, “supportedDevices”:["all"],
“wrapperType”:”software”, “artworkUrl60″:”http://a1.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/000/Purple/e1/8f/39/mzi.pkhljhvt.png”,
“artworkUrl100″:”http://a4.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/027/Purple/a1/fc/f3/mzi.hiqsxxto.jpg”,
“artistViewUrl”:”http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/a-g-soluzioni-digitali/id298593066?uo=4″, “contentAdvisoryRating”:”4+”,
“trackCensoredName”:”PLS1Binaural”, “trackViewUrl”:”http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pls1binaural/id352734137?mt=8&uo=4″,
“languageCodesISO2A”:["EN"], “fileSizeBytes”:”22972246″, ”screenshotUrls”:["http://a2.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/041/Purple/fd/f8/7b/mzl.oihqgzxg.png",
"http://a1.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/022/Purple/ed/34/1b/mzl.uanybuuh.png",
"http://a3.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/013/Purple/2c/be/ca/mzl.uvsrdgzi.png",
"http://a4.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/024/Purple/05/bb/c8/mzl.wqclmgrk.png",
"http://a1.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/018/Purple/38/29/f4/mzl.wicymqzc.png"], “ipadScreenshotUrls”:[],
“sellerUrl”:”http://www.aegweb.it/pli1.html”, “averageUserRatingForCurrentVersion”:null, “userRatingCountForCurrentVersion”:null,
“artworkUrl512″:”http://a4.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/027/Purple/a1/fc/f3/mzi.hiqsxxto.jpg”, “trackContentRating”:”4+”,
“averageUserRating”:null, “userRatingCount”:null}]}
Get more detail information of how to understand the string in:
http://www.apple.com/itunes/affiliates/resources/documentation/itunes-store-web-service-search-api.html
For me, only two things are important,
The first thing is trackId, which you can further used to compose the lookup url and info page url.
The second thing is trackViewUrl, which you can immediately used to link to the page for information.
Of course, the trackName and Black Arc Studios and price is also quite necessary.
Then, let’s come to the Lookup URL:
http://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStoreServices.woa/wa/wsLookup?id=428212972
You will get the return string like:
{ ”resultCount”:1, ”results”: [{"kind":"software", "artistId":428212975, "artistName":"Black Arc Studios", "price":0.00, "description":"\u2605\u2605\u2605 Free for this weekend only! \u2605\u2605\u2605 \n\n\u2605\u2605\u2605 Featured on Gizmodo &
Lifehacker AU! \u2605\u2605\u2605 Let your voice do the photo taking!!! (Or any sound for that matter!)\n\nSoundSnap is a simple
camera app that lets you take pictures by detecting ANY sound you make!. Simply tap, speak or make any sound into the built-in
microphone and SoundSnap will quickly snap a picture! Better yet make use of your earphone headset or Bluetooth headset as a
remote!\n\n\n************\nRemote Control\n************\n\n\u2022 SoundSnap allows you to use your device\u2019s built-in microphone
to pick up sound from a distance! Now there\u2019s even more reason to say \u201CCheese\u201D!\n\u2022 Use your earphone headset
\u2019s microphone as a remote release cable!\n\u2022 For those who need precise wireless control, take advantage of your Bluetooth
headset as wireless remote!\n\n\n************\nPerfect for a variety of situations\n************\n\n\u2022 Too cold to take off your
gloves? No problems, with SoundSnap you can still snap a photo using just your voice!\n\u2022 Take advantage of the high quality rear
camera for self-portraits! No more fiddling around trying to find where the button is.\n\u2022 Reduce accidental shaking of the
camera when taking photos by not having to touch the device at all! \n\u2022 Mount your iPhone/iPod on a tripod and use your earphone
headset\u2019s microphone as remote release cable! Perfect for great night shots!\n\u2022 Take the perfect group photo when no one is
around to assist. For even more precision and timing of a snap, use a Bluetooth headset as a wireless remote!\n\u2022 Need to be
discreet when taking a photo? No problems. STEALTH mode will black out the screen to make it seem as though the device is off!\n\n
\n************\nKey Features\n************\n\n\u2022 Tap, speak or make any sound to snap a photo!\n\u2022 Adjust the sensitivity of
the sound detection! - Optimize the app for quiet or noisy environments.\n\u2022 Use your headset as a remote cable release!\n\u2022
Use your Bluetooth headset as a wireless remote!\n\u2022 Timer Mode \u2013 Give yourself time to perfect your pose before taking that
snap!\n\u2022 Stealth mode \u2013 For those times when discretion is needed!\n\n\n************\nCompatibility\n************
\nSoundSnap is compatible with the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch (4th Generation).\nFor Apple\u2019s built-in tap-to-focus
function to be active, iOS 4.3 is required.\n\n\n************\nWebsite\n************\nhttp://www.blackarcstudios.com/soundsnap",
"version":"1.0", "genreIds":["6008", "6002"], “releaseDate”:”2011-04-07T07:00:00Z”, “sellerName”:”Black Arc Studios Private Limited”,
“currency”:”USD”, “trackId”:428212972, “trackName”:”SoundSnap”, “genres”:["Photography", "Utilities"], “releaseNotes”:”",
“primaryGenreName”:”Photography”, “primaryGenreId”:6008, “isGameCenterEnabled”:false, “supportedDevices”:["iPodTouchourthGen",
"iPhone", "iPhone4", "iPhone-3G", "iPhone-3GS", "iPad23G", "iPad2Wifi"], “wrapperType”:”software”,
“artworkUrl60″:”http://a1.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/013/Purple/eb/8f/9d/mzi.erfyikae.png”,
“artworkUrl100″:”http://a4.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/035/Purple/14/a7/7f/mzm.tqzjqmrh.png”,
“artistViewUrl”:”http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/black-arc-studios/id428212975?uo=4″, “contentAdvisoryRating”:”4+”,
“trackCensoredName”:”SoundSnap”, “trackViewUrl”:”http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/soundsnap/id428212972?mt=8&uo=4″,
“languageCodesISO2A”:["DE", "EN", "ES", "FR", "IT", "JA", "KO", "ZH"], “fileSizeBytes”:”10089479″, ”screenshotUrls”:["http://a1.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/027/Purple/68/c9/5b/mzl.ctnqyntv.png",
"http://a2.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/050/Purple/3c/93/2d/mzl.qfsdkame.png",
"http://a2.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/029/Purple/37/cf/95/mzl.vugmtqaz.png"], “ipadScreenshotUrls”:[],
“sellerUrl”:”http://www.blackarcstudios.com/soundsnap”, “averageUserRatingForCurrentVersion”:5.0,
“userRatingCountForCurrentVersion”:4, “artworkUrl512″:”http://a4.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/035/Purple/14/a7/7f/mzm.tqzjqmrh.png”,
“trackContentRating”:”4+”, “averageUserRating”:5.0, “userRatingCount”:4}]}
Parse it and get more information about the app.
Last, when you get the trackId, you can compose the url of info page like:
http://itunes.apple.com/app/id428212972
