How to get Started with Google Data API aka GData?

When you have to search something online, many of us move to the search giant Google. This is because we all consider Google as the master of search engine. In last one decade, Google has evolved itself from a web search engine to a Giant player in Web space.

Today, if we just list down what all services Google has given to us; the list is impressive. We are using many services which Google has given to the community. You are reading this text on a Google provided service i.e. Google Blogspot for example.

The list of Google services includes Gmail, Google Maps, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Picasa Web, Google Project, Google Translator, YouTube, Orkut, Google Instant, Google+ and many more. The latest edition in this list is Google Drive.

To use most of the Google services you need to have a Google account. Google Data API is a mechanism provided by Google to read, write or modify information from Google services. It acts as an interface between client programs and Google services. So in case you need to use information from Google services you go log into the Google account and use the Google service. In case you want to develop your own program (windows based or web based or mobile based) and pull information from any of the Google services; Google Data API is there to help you. You may develop a financial portfolio and want to pull latest stock prices, mutual fund prices etc through Google Finance. You may want to upload or download pictures to your Google Picasa Web Album through your own windows based or mobile bases application. For all this external access to Google services you can use Google Data API. The short abbreviation for Google Data API is GData.

To use Google Data API you need to have following:

#1. You should have a Google account with Google.

#2. You should download and store Google Data API library. Google Data API library comes in different flavor. If you come from .NET background you can go to http://code.google.com/p/google-gdata/downloads/list and download Google Data API setup.

Once you have successfully downloaded the Setup you can add reference of Google Data API in your client program. I am using Ms-Visual Studio 2010 and I can see my references right up there.

If you come from Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python or C background you can go to https://developers.google.com/gdata/docs/client-libraries and download the Google Data API library

Once you are done with the two prerequisite you are all set to explore Google Data API aka GData.

Thanks for reading till this point.