Searching our API documentation: Ctrl+K, the slash key, results by section and recent searches

WhatsApp & APIs·· 69 views· 3 min read

The short answer: there is a search box in the side menu and another on the home page. On any page, Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on a Mac) or the / key opens the search window. Results take you to the page, to the right section inside it, or straight to an operation.

What the search finds

Result How it shows
Pages By title and by text: "permissions" leads to the Permissions page.
Sections The result shows the page and the section, and opens right at that section.
Operations On area pages, every operation is a result of its own. You can search by name, such as "send an SMS", or by method and path, such as POST /v1/sms/messages.

How the search decides

1 Every word counts: a result only appears if it contains all the words you typed. If nothing shows up, remove a word.
2 Accents and capitals do not matter: "Invoices" and "invoices" give the same results.
3 Titles weigh more: a word in a page title counts for more than one in the middle of the text, so the most likely result comes first. The window also shows how many results it found.

The keys

Key What it does
Ctrl+K or Cmd+K Opens the search, or closes it if it is already open.
/ Opens the search, when you are not typing in a field.
Up and down arrows Move between results.
Enter Opens the selected result.
Esc Closes the window.

Recent searches and suggestions

With the box empty, the window shows your recent searches and a few suggestions. Recent searches are kept only in your browser, not on our side, and you can clear them. A search that looks like an API key, starting with sandbox_ or prod_, is never kept: that is the safety net for the day you paste your key in the wrong place.

One search per language

Each language has its own index: in the English documentation you search in English. Technical names (fields, headers, error codes, permissions) are in English in both versions, so they turn up in either.

Search for what you see on screen. An error code such as insufficient_scope, a header such as Idempotency-Key or a permission such as dns:write takes you straight to the explanation.

There are two more filters for when you are already in the right place: on area pages with many operations, "Filter the operations of this area"; in the Playground, "Search operations". See how to read an area page.

Open the documentation and try it: Ctrl+K and one word.

Open the documentation

SEE ALSO

How our API documentation is organised: Get started, Areas, API reference and Playground

Reading an area page in our API docs: the guide on top, the operations below and the filter

Reading one API operation in our docs: permission, parameters, examples, responses and errors

Handing our API docs to a developer or agency: section links, Markdown and the specification

Our API documentation: what it is, who it is for and how to find it

RECOMMENDED PRODUCT

Web hosting with cPanel

Domain and SSL included, daily backups and the panel you already know. from R118.80/mo (3-year plan, with coupon)

See plans
Was this answer helpful? Your answer helps us improve this article.