nerds

The API after every nerd's heart...

nerdsJS is an API for easily generating random data from your favorite nerdy movies, tv shows, and hobbies. Pull mock data into your app or presentation from Pokemon, Harry Potter, Star Wars and more (very soon). Effortlessly compose nerdy datasets by chaining methods in succint and intelligible expressions.

Return the datasets in whatever form works best for you. You can get it as a simple Array, wrapped in a Promise, or even get a Generator back.

Installation

nerdsJS is available on npm. Navigate to your project's folder and run:

npm install nerds

or download the source code directly from Github

Quick Examples

let nerds = require('nerds');
 
let singleHP = nerds.resolve('Harry Potter').asArray();
console.log(singleHP);
/*
[{
    'first': 'Hermione',
    'last': 'Granger',
    'full': 'Hermione Granger',
    'blood_status': 'Muggle-Born',
    'birthday': '19 September, 1979',
    'gender': 'Female',
    'house': 'Gryffindor',
    'wand': '10¾", Vine Wood - Dragon Heartstring'
}]
*/
 
let multiPoke = nerds.resolve('Pokemon', 3).include(['name', 'type', 'hp']).asArray();
console.log(multiPoke);
/*
[
    {'name':'Bulbasaur', 'type': 'Grass Poison', 'hp': 45},
    {'name':'Charmander', 'type': 'Fire', 'hp': 39},
    {'name':'Squirtle', 'type': 'Water', 'hp': 44}
]
*/
 
let genSW = nerds.resolve('Star Wars', 3).include(['name']).asGenerator();
genSW.next().value; // {"name":"Luke Skywalker"}
genSW.next().value; // {"name":"Nute Gunray"}
genSW.next().value; // {"name":"Leia Organa"}
genSW.next().value; // undefined

Methods

nerdsJS exposes an API that lets you chain methods together to get the exact fields and number of results you want. It is designed to be highly discoverable. Where possible, empty setters return valid options as examples. Every method comes standard with type and sanity checks and, if necessary, returns informative error messages.

---

resolve([topic], [results])

Parameter	Type	Description
topic	String	The topic that the data is based off of.
results	Number	Max number of results that will be returned.

Sets the topic and the max number of results to be returned (optionally). If no topic is assigned, returns all valid topics. If the number of results is not specified, nerds returns one random result by default. nerdsJS retrieves random data up to either the results or the size of the collection.

nerds.resolve('Harry Potter');  //sets topic and returns the nerd context
 
nerds.resolve('Harry Potter', 3);  //sets topic, number of results and returns the nerd context
 
let topics = nerds.resolve();
console.log(topics);  //['Harry Potter','Star Wars','Pokemon']

When used as a setter, resolve returns the nerds context, meaning you can (and should) continue chaining subsequent methods.

---

fields()

Convenience getter method for discovering available fields. Topic must be set first. Returns array of all valid fields for the topic.

let fields = nerds.resolve('Pokemon').fields();
console.log(fields);
/*[
    'national_pokedex_number',
    'name',
    'type',
    'height',
    'weight',
    'total',
    'hp',
    'attack',
    'defense',
    'special_attack',
    'special_defense',
    'speed',
    'base_experience',
    'evolves_from'
]*/

---

include(fields)

Parameter	Type	Description
fields	Array of Strings	The fields to include in the results.

Sets the fields to be included in the results. Accepts an array of strings. Any field not specified will not be included in the results. Topic must be set first.

nerds.resolve('Star Wars').include(['name', 'homeworld'])  //sets fields and returns the nerd context

include returns the nerds context, meaning you can (and should) continue chaining subsequent methods.

---

exclude(fields)

Parameter	Type	Description
fields	Array of Strings	The fields to exclude from the results.

Sets the fields to be excluded in the results. Accepts an array of strings. Any field not specified will be included in the results. Topic must be set first.

nerds.resolve('Star Wars').exclude(['birth_year', 'eye_color'])  //sets fields and returns the nerd context

exclude returns the nerds context, meaning you can (and should) continue chaining subsequent methods.

---

Once I've set the topic and fields, how to do I get the data?

Any of the following as methods will resolve the nerd method chain. This is what tells nerdsJS what format you would like to receive the data in.

asArray()

Returns the dataset as a plain ol' JavaScript Array. The Array will contain data objects representing the search results (characters, Pokemon, etc).

let result = nerds.resolve('Harry Potter').asArray();
console.log(result);
/*
[{
    'first':'Albus',
    'last': 'Dumbledore',
    'full': 'Albus Dumbledore',
    'blood_status': 'Half-Blood',
    'birthday': 'Summer 1881',
    'gender': 'Male',
    'house': 'Gryffindor',
    'wand': '15", Elder - Thestral Tail Hair'
}]
*/

---

asPromise()

Returns the same kind of result as asArray() except wrapped in a Promise. Once the promise is resolved, the resulting Array will contain data objects representing the search results (characters, Pokemon, etc).

let promise = nerds.resolve('Harry Potter').asPromise();
promise.then(function (result) {
    console.log(result);
/*
[{
    'first': 'Neville',
    'last': 'Longbottom',
    'full': 'Neville Longbottom',
    'blood_status': 'Pure-Blood',
    'birthday': '30 July, 1980',
    'gender': 'Male',
    'house': 'Gryffindor',
    'wand': '13", Cherry - Unicorn Hair'
}]
*/
});

---

asGenerator()

Returns the search results as a Generator. This allows you to iterate over the collection using the next method;

let gen = nerds.resolve('Harry Potter', 3).include(['first']).asGenerator();
gen.next().value;  // {'first':'Harry'}
gen.next().value;  // {'first':'Ron'}
gen.next().value;  // {'first':'Hermione'}
gen.next().value;  // undefined
});

---

What's Next?

nerdsJS is still under active development. Collecting, cleaning, compiling, and updating datasets are great ways to contribute. Just make sure that the data is consistent (they should all have the same keys and most of the fields should have some kind of data).

Topics Yet To Be Added:

• Super Mario
• Sherlock
• Lord Of The Rings
• Avengers
• Doctor Who
• Star Trek
• Dragonball Z
• Zelda