VisibleThread API

Introduction

The VisibleThread b API provides services for analyzing/searching documents and web pages. To use the service you need an API key.

Contact us at support@visiblethread.com to request an API key.

The services are split into Documents and Webscans.

Documents

Upload documents and dictionaries so you can :

• Measure the readability of your document
• search a document for all terms from a dictionary
• retrieve all paragraphs from a document or only matching paragraphs

Webscans

Analyze web pages so you can:

• Measure the readability of your web content
• Identify & highlight content issues e.g. long sentences, passive voice

The VisibleThread API allows you to programatially submit webpage urls to be scanned, check on the results of a scan, and view a list of previous scans you have performed.

The VisibleThread API is a HTTP-based JSON API, accessible at https://api.visiblethread.com Each request to the service requires your API key to be successful.

Getting Started With Webscans

Steps:

1. Enter your API key above and hit Explore.
2. Run a new scan by submitting a POST to /webscans (title and some webUrls are required). The scan runs asynchronously in the background but returns immediately with a JSON response containing an “id” that represents your scan.
3. Check on the status of a scan by submitting GET /webscans/{scanId}, if the scan is still in progress it will return a HTTP 503. If it is complete it will return a HTTP 200 with the appropriate JSON outlining the urls scanned and the summary statistics for each url.
4. Retrieve all your previous scan results by submitting GET /webscans.
5. Retrieve detailed results for a url within a scan (readability, long sentence and passive language instances) by submitting GET /webscans/{scanId}/webUrls/{urlId} (scanId and urlId are required)

Getting Started With Document scans:

Steps:

1. Enter your API key above and hit Explore
2. Run a new scan by submitting a POST to /documents (document required). The scan runs asynchronously in the background but returns immediately with a JSON response containins an “id” that represents your scan
3. Check on the status of a scan by submitting GET /documents/{scanId}, if the scan is still in progress it will return a HTTP 503. If it is complete it will return a HTTP 200 with the appropriate JSON outlining the document readability results. It will contain detailed analysis of each paragraph in the document
4. Retrieve all your previous scan results by submitting GET /documents

Searching a document for keywords

The VisibleThread API allows you to upload a set of keywords or a ‘dictionary’. You can then perform a search of a already uploaded document using that dictionary

Steps (Assuming you have uploaded your document using the steps above):

1. Upload a csv file to use as a keyword dictionary by submitting a POST to /dictionaries (csv file required). This returns a JSON response with the dictionary Id
2. Search a document with the dictionary by submitting a POST to /searches (document id and dictionary id required).
3. Get the resuhlts of the search by submitting **GET /searches/{docId}/{dictionaryId}" . This will return JSON response containing detailed results of searching the document using the dictionary.
4. To view the list of all searches you have performed submit a GET /searches.

Below is a list of the available API endpoints, documentation & a form to try out each operation.

Use this page to mock VisibleThread API in your testing and development.

Run our mock API sample using the open source WireMock library, or in the free edition of WireMock Cloud. You'll have a working API server simulating the behavior of VisibleThread API, which will allow you to keep building and testing even if the actual API you isn't currently available.