wolfram-alpha-api

Wolfram|Alpha APIs NPM Library

This is a class that allows Node.js applications/backends to simply call (some of) the Wolfram|Alpha APIs.

Before you can use any of the APIs described below, you will need an 'AppID' from the Wolfram|Alpha Developer Portal. (Note, because AppIDs may not be distributed, this library is not intended for use in the frontend.)

First, install the library into your project by running the following command:

npm install @wolfram-alpha/wolfram-alpha-api

Next, import the class, and instantiate it with your 'AppID':

const WolframAlphaAPI = require('wolfram-alpha-api');
const waApi = WolframAlphaAPI('DEMO-APPID');

Then, call one of the following 'get' methods with either a string of a query or an object of parameters, and it will return a Promise that will resolve the result or reject an Error.

getFull(input)

If 'input' is a string, it will call the Wolfram|Alpha Full Results API, and will return a Promise. This Promise will either resolve with an Object of results, or will reject with an Error.

waApi.getFull('sin x').then(console.log).catch(console.error);
// { success: true, error: false, numpods: 13, datatypes: '', ...

waApi.getFull('F9TVlu5AmVzL').then(console.log).catch(console.error);
// { success: false, error: false, numpods: 0, datatypes: '', ...

waApi.getFull('sin(x)').then((queryresult) => {
  const pods = queryresult.pods;
  const output = pods.map((pod) => {
    const subpodContent = pod.subpods.map(subpod =>
      `  <img src="${subpod.img.src}" alt="${subpod.img.alt}">`
    ).join('\n');
    return `<h2>${pod.title}</h2>\n${subpodContent}`;
  }).join('\n');
  console.log(output);
}).catch(console.error);
// <h2>Input</h2>
//   <img src="http://www1.wolframalpha.com/Calculate/MSP/MSP2831bhah3hgdb1d0a6h0000270i2f8f935cf432?MSPStoreType=image/gif&s=14" alt="sin(x)">
// <h2>Plots</h2>
//   <img src="http://www1.wolframalpha.com/Calculate/MSP/MSP2841bhah3hgdb1d0a6h000018c0hieb8d6cc753?MSPStoreType=image/gif&s=14" alt="">
//   <img src="http://www1.wolframalpha.com/Calculate/MSP/MSP2851bhah3hgdb1d0a6h00005ge64a5i3g8g8i6f?MSPStoreType=image/gif&s=14" alt="">
// ...

'input' may also be an Object of parameters. (For more information, see the Wolfram|Alpha Full Results API Documentation - Parameter Reference)

waApi.getFull({
  input: 'pikachu',
  includepodid: 'Statistics:PokemonData',
  format: 'plaintext',
}).then((queryresult) => {
  console.log(queryresult.pods[0].subpods[0].plaintext)
}).catch(console.error)
// hit points | 35
// attack | 55
// defense | 40
// ...

Note: We are defaulting the 'output' parameter to 'json'. If you set output to 'xml', we will resolve a string of XML.

waApi.getFull({
  input: 'weather in miami',
  output: 'xml',
}).then(console.log).catch(console.error)
// "<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
// <queryresult success='true'
//     error='false'
//     numpods='0'
// ..."

getSimple(input)

If 'input' is a string, it will call the Wolfram|Alpha Simple API, and will return a Promise. This Promise will either resolve with a Data URI, or will reject with an Error.

waApi.get('where is the ISS?').then(console.log).catch(console.error);
// "data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhHAJlA/cAAAAAAAAEAAgICAsNCxwdHBAUECkqKTk8O..."

waApi.getSimple('F9TVlu5AmVzL').then(console.log).catch(console.error);
// Error: Wolfram|Alpha did not understand your input

waApi.getSimple('time until christmas').then((url) => {
  console.log(`<img src="${url}">`)
}).catch(console.error);
// "<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhHAKLAvcAAAAAAAAEAAgICAgMCBAQEBA..."

'input' may also be an Object of parameters. (For more information, see the Wolfram|Alpha Simple API Documentation)

waApi.getSimple({
  i: 'What planes are flying overhead?',
  width: 320,
  background: '224466',
  foreground: 'white',
}).then(console.log).catch(console.error);
// "data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhQAFvBPcAADI+WSZAYloyRyBEWiBIWhpGWRhIS..."

getShort(input)

If 'input' is a string, it will call the Wolfram|Alpha Short Answers API, and will return a Promise. This Promise will either resolve with a string, or will reject with an Error.

waApi.getShort("16th president of us").then(console.log).catch(console.error);
// Abraham Lincoln (from March 4, 1861 to April 15, 1865)

aApi.getShort('F9TVlu5AmVzL').then(console.log).catch(console.error);
// Error: Wolfram|Alpha did not understand your input

const formatAnswer = answer => `<strong class="answer">${answer}</strong>`;
waApi.getShort('20! seconds in years').then((data) => {
  console.log(formatAnswer(data));
}).catch(console.error);
// <strong class="answer">77.1 billion years</strong>

'input' may also be an Object of parameters. (For more information, see the Wolfram|Alpha Short Answers API Documentation)

waApi.getShort({
  i: 'distance between new york and london',
  units: 'metric',
}).then(console.log).catch(console.error);
// "5585 kilometers"

getSpoken(input)

If 'input' is a string, it will call the Wolfram|Alpha Spoken Results API, and will return a Promise. This Promise will either resolve with a string, or will reject with an Error.

waApi.getSpoken("when is labor day in 2020")
  .then(console.log).catch(console.error);
// "The answer is Monday, September 7, 2020"

waApi.getSpoken('F9TVlu5AmVzL').then(console.log).catch(console.error);
// Error: Wolfram Alpha did not understand your input

const formatAnswer = answer => `<strong class="answer">${answer}</strong>`;
waApi.getSpoken('how far away is mars?').then((data) => {
  console.log(formatAnswer(data));
}).catch(console.error);
// <strong class="answer">The answer is about 2.16 astronomical units</strong>

'input' may also be an Object of parameters. (For more information, see the Wolfram|Alpha Spoken Results API Documentation)

waApi.getSpoken({
  i: 'how tall is the tallest building in chicago',
  units: 'metric',
}).then(console.log).catch(console.error);
// "The answer is about 442 meters"