The recent user system update introduced an authentication system for users. For the last month, we still allowed write access for unauthenticated users (meaning, users who hadn't updated the app could still edit maps). But that grace period is over, and we've locked down the API.
If you are using the API for a tool/website, and you just lost write access, please contact us to obtain an auth token. If you're using the app and things seem weird, update the app! The iOS version will give you a detailed error message about the problem, but the Android app will not. We also updated the "Message of the Day" on a lot of regions to try and spread the word. Fortunately, we can see that the vast majority of edits are made by authenticated users, so this should only affect a few people.
Thank you for your generous donations!! As noted earlier, we recently started accepting donations to help us cover infrastructure costs. To date, we've received ten donations, covering over half a year's costs!
If you want to help out, here's the link!
We've noticed that some people mess up when entering their email address (when they sign up). This makes it so you can't confirm your account. In some cases (…@gmail.con), we've noticed and corrected the problem. But sometimes we don't know what the problem is – except that the email wasn't delivered. So! Let us know if you need your email fixed.
Similarly, if you want a new username, let us know.
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).
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!
Here's a simple example of using the Pinball Map API to do something cool. In this post I'll give a detailed how-to (with PHP and jQuery examples) so that you can implement this feature on your site.
Background: http://pinballmap.com aims to actively promote pinball. If you own a business that carries publicly-playable pinball machines, then our site is free advertising for you.
Say you want to share on your own website that you have pinball machines. And you want to list the machines you currently have, AND you want that list to stay current without you having to update your website.
Well, that's easy. You can pull that information from http://pinballmap.com using the Pinball Map API.
Note the "6784" in the url. That is the location ID. To see the machine data for your site, you'll have to replace 6784 in the url with your location's ID. So now you should be asking, what is the location ID for my location?
6784! So, just plug that number (or rather, your number) into the json link above and you'll see your machine data.
It might hurt your brain to stare at that json data. The important thing to know is that there's an object called 'machines' and within it is an array of hashes. These are the keys in each hash: "name" "year" "manufacturer" "ipdb_link". And each key has a value.
To spit out the data, you iterate through the hashes, pulling out the values you want along the way. There's the name, and if you click the name it goes to the ipdb_link, and then in parentheses there's the manufacturer and year.
In WordPress, you can create a page template and then place this code in it. Place this code near "the_content" (your mileage may vary).
So here's the php code, with my comments explaining what everything does. At the bottom of this post is a link to the complete code, so you can copy it.
First grab the json file and decode it.
Then add a FOR loop that counts through the hashes.
If you want to only spit out the names of the machines, then "echo $name;" would do it.
First add this div to the template, placing it near "the_content" (your mileage may vary).
The results will print in that div. The code below should be within a script tag.
Even if you don't have a WordPress site, these methods will work. You just need a website that supports either PHP or jQuery.
So, now we never have to update that your webpage again! As long as the map is up to date, the website is up to date.
In conclusion, this is a simple way to post your machine list on your website. Tell me if you have any questions, and tell us if you use it on your website!
We're happy to announce a MAJOR update to the Pinball Map iOS app!
This is the first update in, uh, four years. A lot has happened in iOS-land in those years. New phones, new tablets, new native UI, new resolutions.
The original developer of the Pinball Map iOS app, Isaac Ruiz, put together a solid app that held strongly for years and was instrumental in growing pinballmap.com. The last version of the app (2.0) worked great and lots of people loved it, but it was missing some important features from the website. Over the last four years, we came up with a nice list of improvements for it. Just like the website, where we're continuously rolling out updates and new features, we're always looking for ways to improve the user experience. "Oh, a user didn't know that they can REMOVE machines from locations? WHY didn't they know that? Seems like we can probably improve the user interface/experience there." But, we have limited resources! We (Scott and Ryan) work on the website basically every day (current count: we've committed code updates 1,340 times), and Scott does the entire the Android app and also spent time refactoring the iOS app.
Then along comes Frank Michael Sanchez! He's an illustrious iOS developer who saw that the app was in serious need of modernization. He reached out to us and volunteered his service to it. And he immediately proved his expertise. Scott put together a new Pinball Map API, so that Frank Michael could easily access all the data in a clean and efficient manner. And Frank Michael rewrote the entire app starting from scratch. We worked closely with him to make sure that key features were added, and we had a squadron of regional administrators beta testing it. The entire time we knew the app was in good hands. And no joke, he put the entire update together in like three months!
As always, the app is free (and makes no money from ads). Frank Michael put in his time for free, all so we can supply a better experience to you folks who use the site/apps (and who support it by updating it). If you're looking to hire an iOS developer for your project, hit him up! We can't recommend him enough.
Pinball Map App 3.0 has a modernized interface, supports retina displays and has both iPhone AND iPad versions, and has new features. And we plan to roll out updates with regularity. Since the app was released yesterday, we've already received a bunch of feedback (send yours here). And yes, we'll add back "recently added" in version 3.1!
iPad support, retina support, iPhone 5 support, new look, and MANY updated interface elements.
Submit new locations to be added to your regional map!
When adding a machine to a spot, it's now way easier to choose from the list of machines in the database.
In general, it's easier to do a lot of things, like add/remove machines from locations, add machine condition comments, etc.
The iOS and Android apps both play a humongous role in spreading the word about the site (and about pinball in general). It's just nice to be able to carry it around with you, with a simple, intuitive interface (though if you don't have a mobile device that supports either app, please note that we added a simple mobile skin to the website – try it out!). Thanks for using the site/apps to support your regional pinball map.
Get the updated Pinball Map iOS App!