Lab - Parsing JSON with a Python Application

Objectives
• Obtain a MapQuest API Key.
• Import necessary modules.
• Create API request variables and construct a URL.
• Add user input functionality.
• Add a quit feature so that the user can end the application.
• Display trip information for time, distance, and fuel usage.
• Iterate through the JSON data to extract and output the directions.
• Display error messages for invalid user input.

Background / Scenario
In this lab, you will create an application that retrieves JSON data from the MapQuest Directions API, parses
the data, and formats it for output to the user. You will use the GET Route request from the MapQuest
Directions API. Review the GET Route Directions API documentation here:
https://developer.mapquest.com/documentation/directions-api/route/get/
Note: If the above link no longer works, search for “MapQuest API Documentation”.

Required Resources
• Computer with Python installed according to the Lab - PC Setup for Workshop.
• Access to the Internet.

Step 1: Demonstrate the MapQuest Directions API application.

Your instructor may demonstrate the application and show you the script used to create it. In addition, your
instructor may allow you to have the solution script, 08_parse-json_sol.py. However, you will create this
script step by step in this lab.
The application asks for a starting location and a destination. It then requests JSON data from the MapQuest
Directions API, parses it, and display useful information.
>>>
Starting Location: Washington
Destination: Baltimore
URL:
https://www.mapquestapi.com/directions/v2/route?key=your_api_key&from=Washington&to=Ba
ltimore
API Status: 0 = A successful route call.

Directions from Washington to Baltimore

Trip Duration: 00:49:19
Kilometers: 61.32
Fuel Used (Ltr): 6.24

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Lab - Parsing JSON with a Python Application

=============================================
Start out going north on 6th St/US-50 E/US-1 N toward Pennsylvania Ave/US-1 Alt N.
(1.28 km)
Turn right onto New York Ave/US-50 E. Continue to follow US-50 E (Crossing into
Maryland). (7.51 km)
Take the Balt-Wash Parkway exit on the left toward Baltimore. (0.88 km)
Merge onto MD-295 N. (50.38 km)
Turn right onto W Pratt St. (0.86 km)
Turn left onto S Calvert St/MD-2. (0.43 km)
Welcome to BALTIMORE, MD. (0.00 km)
=============================================

Starting Location: quit

>>>

Note: To see the JSON for the above output, you will need to replace your_api_key with the MapQuest API
key you obtain in Step 3.

Step 2: Authenticating a RESTful request.

Before building the application, you will need to obtain a key from MapQuest developer site, which you will do
in the next step. Previously, you used no authentication to access the ISS Pass Predictions API. However,
many APIs require some form of authentication.
Authenticating a RESTful request is done in one of four ways. Describe each method below:
• None: _______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
• Basic HTTP: __________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
• Token: ______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
• Open Authorization (OAuth): ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
For the MapQuest API, you will use token authentication.

Step 3: Get a MapQuest API key.

Complete the following steps to get a MapQuest API key:
a. Go to: https://developer.mapquest.com/.
b. Click Sign Up at the top of the page.
c. Fill out the form to create a new account. For Company, enter Cisco Networking Academy Student.
d. After clicking Sign Me Up, you are redirected to the Manage Keys page.
e. Click Approve All Keys and expand My Application.
f. Copy your Consumer Key to Notepad for future use. This will be the key you use for the rest of this lab.
Note: MapQuest may change the process for obtaining a key. If the steps above are no longer valid, search
for “steps to generate mapquest api key”.

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Lab - Parsing JSON with a Python Application

Step 4: Importing modules for the application.

To begin your script for parsing JSON data, you will need to import two modules from the Python library:
requests and urllib.parse. The request module provides functions for retrieving JSON data from a URL. The
urllib.parse module provides a variety of functions that will enable you to parse and manipulate the JSON
data you receive from a request to a URL.
a. Open a blank script file and save it 08_parse-json1.py.
b. Import the urllib.parse and requests modules.
import urllib.parse
import requests

Step 5: Create variables for API request.

The first step in creating your API request is to construct the URL that your application will use to make the
call. Initially, the URL will be the combination of the following variables:
• main_api - the main URL that you are accessing
• orig - the parameter to specify your point of origin
• dest - the parameter to specify your destination
• key - the MapQuest API key you retrieved from the developer website.
a. Create variables to build the URL that will be sent in the request. Copy your MapQuest key to the key
variable.
main_api = "https://www.mapquestapi.com/directions/v2/route?"
orig = "Washington"
dest = "Baltimaore"
key = "your_api_key"

b. Combine the four variables main_api, orig, dest, and key to format the requested URL. Use the
urlencode method to properly format the address value. This function builds the parameters part of the
URL and converts possible special characters in the address value (e.g. space into “+” and a comma into
“%2C”).
url = main_api + urllib.parse.urlencode({"key": key, "from":orig, "to":dest})

c. Create a variable to hold the reply of the requested URL and print the returned JSON data. The
json_data variable holds a Python’s Dictionary representation of the json reply of the get method of the
requests module. The print statement is used to check the returned data.
json_data = requests.get(url).json()
print(json_data)

Step 6: Test the URL request.

a. Run your 08_json-parse1.py script and verify it works. Troubleshoot your code, if necessary. Although
your output might be slightly different, you should get a JSON response similar to the following.
{'route': {'distance': 38.089, 'hasHighway': True, 'hasUnpaved': False,
'hasAccessRestriction': False, 'options': {'mustAvoidLinkIds': [],
'maxWalkingDistance': -1, 'manmaps': 'true', 'urbanAvoidFactor': -1,
'stateBoundaryDisplay': True, 'cyclingRoadFactor': 1, 'routeType': 'FASTEST',
'countryBoundaryDisplay': True, 'drivingStyle': 2, 'highwayEfficiency': 22,
'narrativeType': 'text', 'routeNumber': 0, 'tryAvoidLinkIds': [], 'generalize': -1,
'returnLinkDirections': False, 'doReverseGeocode': True, 'avoidTripIds': [],
'timeType': 0, 'sideOfStreetDisplay': True, 'filterZoneFactor': -1, 'walkingSpeed': -
1, 'useTraffic': False, 'unit': 'M', 'tr

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Lab - Parsing JSON with a Python Application

[output omitted]
>>>

b. Change the orig and dest variables. Rerun the script to get different results.

Step 7: Print the URL and check the status of the JSON request.
Now that you know the JSON request is working, you can add some more functionality to the application.
a. Save your script as 08_json-parse2.py.
b. Delete the print(json_data) statement as you no longer need to test that the request is properly
formatted.
c. Add the statements below, which will do the following:
o Print the constructed URL so that the user can see the exact request made by the application.
o Parse the JSON data to obtain the statuscode value.
o Start an if loop that checks for a successful call, which a value of 0. Add a print statement to display
the statuscode value and its meaning. The \n adds a blank line below the output.
print("URL: " + (url))

json_data = requests.get(url).json()
json_status = json_data["info"]["statuscode"]

if json_status == 0:
print("API Status: " + str(json_status) + " = A successful route call.\n")

Later in this lab, you will add elif and else statements for different statuscode values.

Step 8: Test status and URL print commands.

Run your 08_json-parse2.py script and verify it works. Troubleshoot your code, if necessary. You should get
output similar to the following.
URL:
https://www.mapquestapi.com/directions/v2/route?key=your_api_key&to=Baltimore&from=Was
hington
API Status: 0 = A successful route call.

>>>

Step 9: Add User input for starting location and destination.

Up to this point, you have used Washington and Baltimore as the static values for the location variables.
However, the application requires that the user input these. Complete the following steps to update your
application:
a. Save your script as 08_json-parse3.py.
b. Delete the current orig and dest variables.
c. Rewrite the orig and dest to be within a while loop in which it requests user input for the starting location
and destination. The while loop allows the user to continue to make requests for different directions.
d. Be sure all the remaining code is indented within the while loop.
while True:
orig = input("Starting Location: ")

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Lab - Parsing JSON with a Python Application

dest = input("Destination: ")

url = main_api + urllib.parse.urlencode({"key": key, "from":orig, "to":dest})
print("URL: " + (url))

json_data = requests.get(url).json()
json_status = json_data["info"]["statuscode"]

if json_status == 0:
print("API Status: " + str(json_status) + " = A successful route call.\n")

Step 10: Test user input functionality.

Run your 08_json-parse3.py script and verify it works. Troubleshoot your code, if necessary. You should get
output similar to what is shown below. You will add quit functionality in the next stpe. For now, enter Ctrl+C to
quit the application.
Starting Location: Washington
Destination: Baltimore
URL:
https://www.mapquestapi.com/directions/v2/route?key=your_api_key&from=Washington&to=Ba
ltimore
API Status: 0 = A successful route call.

Starting Location: <Ctrl+C>

Step 11: Add the quit functionality to the application.

Instead of entering Ctrl+C to quit the application, you will add the ability for the user to enter q or quit as
keywords to quit the application. Complete the following steps to update your application:
a. Save your script as 08_json-parse4.py.
b. Add an if statement after each location variable to check if the user enters q or quit, as shown below.
while True:
orig = input("Starting Location: ")
if orig == "quit" or orig == "q":
break
dest = input("Destination: ")
if dest == "quit" or dest == "q":
break

Step 12: Test the quit functionality.

Run your 08_json-parse4.py script four times to test each location variable. Verify that both quit and q will
end the application. Troubleshoot your code, if necessary. You should get output similar to the following.
Starting Location: q
>>>
Starting Location: quit
>>>
Starting Location: Washington
Destination: q
>>>
Starting Location: Washington

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Lab - Parsing JSON with a Python Application

Destination: quit
>>>

Step 13: Parse and display some data about the trip.
a. Copy your URL into your web browser. If you collapse all the JSON data, you will see that there are two
root dictionaries: route and info.
b. Expand the route dictionary and investigate the rich data. There are values to indicate whether the route
has toll roads, bridges, tunnels, highways, closures, or crosses into other countries. You should also see
values for distance, the total time the trip will take, and fuel usage, as highlighted below. To parse and
display this, specify the route dictionary and select key/value pair you want to print.

c. Save your script as 08_json-parse5.py.

d. Below the API status print command, add print statements that display the from and to locations, as well
as the formattedTime, distance, and fuelUsed keys.
e. Add a print statement that will display a double line before the next request for a starting location as
shown below.
if json_status == 0:
print("API Status: " + str(json_status) + " = A successful route call.\n")
print("=============================================")
print("Directions from " + (orig) + " to " + (dest))
print("Trip Duration: " + (json_data["route"]["formattedTime"]))
print("Miles: " + str(json_data["route"]["distance"]))
print("Fuel Used (Gal): " + str(json_data["route"]["fuelUsed"]))
print("=============================================")

f. Run 08_json-parse5.py to see the following output:

Starting Location: Washington

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Lab - Parsing JSON with a Python Application

Destination: Baltimore
URL:
https://www.mapquestapi.com/directions/v2/route?to=Baltimore&key=Your_api_key&from=Was
hington
API Status: 0 = A successful route call.

=============================================
Directions from Washington to Baltimore
Trip Duration: 00:49:19
Miles: 38.089
Fuel Used (Gal): 1.65
=============================================
Starting Location: q
>>>

g. MapQuest uses the imperial system and there is not a request parameter to change data to the metric
system. Therefore, you should probably convert your application to display metric values, as shown
below.
print("Kilometers: " + str((json_data["route"]["distance"])*1.61))
print("Fuel Used (Ltr): " + str((json_data["route"]["fuelUsed"])*3.78))

h. Run the modified 08_json-parse5.py script to see the following output:

Starting Location: Washington
Destination: Baltimore
URL:
https://www.mapquestapi.com/directions/v2/route?key=Your_api_key&to=Baltimore&from=Was
hington
API Status: 0 = A successful route call.

=============================================
Directions from Washington to Baltimore
Trip Duration: 00:49:19
Kilometers: 61.32329
Fuel Used (Ltr): 6.236999999999999
=============================================
Starting Location: q
>>>
i. Use the "{:.2f}".format argument to format the float values to 2 decimal places before converting them to
string values, as shown below. Each statement should be on one line.
print("Kilometers: " +
str("{:.2f}".format((json_data["route"]["distance"])*1.61)))
print("Fuel Used (Ltr): " +
str("{:.2f}".format((json_data["route"]["fuelUsed"])*3.78)))

Step 14: Test the parsing and formatting functionality.

Run your 08_json-parse5.py script to verify it works. Troubleshoot your code, if necessary. Make sure you
have all the proper opening and closing parentheses. You should get output similar to the following.
Starting Location: Washington
Destination: Baltimore

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Lab - Parsing JSON with a Python Application

URL:
https://www.mapquestapi.com/directions/v2/route?key=Your_api_key&to=Baltimore&from=Was
hington
API Status: 0 = A successful route call.

=============================================
Directions from Washington to Baltimore
Trip Duration: 00:49:19
Kilometers: 61.32
Fuel Used (Ltr): 6.24
=============================================
Starting Location: q
>>>

Step 15: Inspect the maneuvers JSON data.

a. Now you are ready to display the step-by-step directions from the starting location to the destination.
Locate the legs list inside the route dictionary. The legs list includes one big dictionary with most of the
JSON data.
b. Find the maneuvers list and collapse each of the seven dictionaries inside, as shown below.

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Lab - Parsing JSON with a Python Application

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Lab - Parsing JSON with a Python Application

c. Expand the first dictionary in the maneuvers list. Each dictionary contains a narrative key with a value,
such as “Start out going north...”, as shown below. You need to parse the JSON data to extract the value
for the narrative key to display inside your application.

Step 16: Add a for loop to iterate through the maneuvers JSON data.
Complete the following steps to update your application:
a. Save your script as 08_json-parse6.py.
b. Add a for loop below the second double line print statement. The for loop iterates through each
maneuvers list and does the following:
1) Prints the narrative value.
2) Converts miles to kilometers with *1.61.
3) Formats the kilometer value to print only two decimal places with the "{:.2f}".format function.
c. Add a print statement that will display a double line before the next request for a starting location, as
shown below.
Note: The second double line print statement is not indented within the for loop. It therefore is part of the
previous if statement that checks the statuscode parameter.
print("Fuel Used (Ltr): " + str("{:.2f}".format((json_data["route"]["fuelUsed"])*3.78)))
print("=============================================")
for each in json_data["route"]["legs"][0]["maneuvers"]:
print((each["narrative"]) + " (" + str("{:.2f}".format((each["distance"])*1.61) + " km)"))
print("=============================================\n")

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Lab - Parsing JSON with a Python Application

Step 17: Activity - Test the JSON iteration.

Run your 08_json-parse6.py script and verify it works. Troubleshoot your code, if necessary. You should get
an output similar to the following:
Starting Location: Washington
Destination: Baltimore
URL:
https://www.mapquestapi.com/directions/v2/route?key=Your_api_key&to=Baltimore&from=Was
hington
API Status: 0 = A successful route call.

Directions from Washington to Baltimore

Trip Duration: 00:49:19
Kilometers: 61.32
Fuel Used (Ltr): 6.24
=============================================
Start out going north on 6th St/US-50 E/US-1 N toward Pennsylvania Ave/US-1 Alt N.
(1.28 km)
Turn right onto New York Ave/US-50 E. Continue to follow US-50 E (Crossing into
Maryland). (7.51 km)
Take the Balt-Wash Parkway exit on the left toward Baltimore. (0.88 km)
Merge onto MD-295 N. (50.38 km)
Turn right onto W Pratt St. (0.86 km)
Turn left onto S Calvert St/MD-2. (0.43 km)
Welcome to BALTIMORE, MD. (0.00 km)
=============================================

Starting Location: q
>>>

Step 18: Check for invalid user input.

Now you are ready to add one final feature to your application to report an error when the user enters invalid
data. Recall that you started an if loop to make sure the returned statuscode equals 0 before parsing the
JSON data:
json_status = json_data["info"]["statuscode"]

if json_status == 0:
print("API Status: " + str(json_status) + " = A successful route call.\n")

a. But what happens if the statuscode is not equal to 0? For example, the user might enter an invalid
location or might not enter one or more locations. If so, then the application displays the URL and asks for
a new starting location. The user has no idea what happened. Try the following values in your application.
You should see similar results.
Starting Location: Washington
Destination: Beijing
URL:
https://www.mapquestapi.com/directions/v2/route?to=Beijing&key=your_api_key&from=Washi
ngton
Starting Location: Washington
Destination: Balt

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Lab - Parsing JSON with a Python Application

URL:
https://www.mapquestapi.com/directions/v2/route?to=Balt&key=your_api_key&from=Washingt
on
Starting Location: Washington
Destination:
URL:
https://www.mapquestapi.com/directions/v2/route?to=&key=your_api_key&from=Washington
Starting Location: q

b. Save your script as 08_jsont-parse7.py.

c. To provide error information when this happens, add elif and else statements to your if loop. After the last
double line print statement under the if json_status == 0, add the following elif and else statements:

for each in json_data["route"]["legs"][0]["maneuvers"]:

print((each["narrative"]) + " (" +
str("{:.2f}".format((each["distance"])*1.61) + " km)"))
print("=============================================\n")
elif json_status == 402:
print("**********************************************")
print("Status Code: " + str(json_status) + "; Invalid user inputs for one or both
locations.")
print("**********************************************\n")
else:
print("************************************************************************")
print("For Staus Code: " + str(json_status) + "; Refer to:")
print("https://developer.mapquest.com/documentation/directions-api/status-codes")
print("************************************************************************\n")

The elif statement prints if the statuscode value is 402 for an invalid location. The else statement prints
for all other statuscode values, such as no entry for one or more locations. The else statement ends the
if/else loop and returns the application to the while loop.

Step 19: Activity - Test full application functionality.

Run your 08_json-parse7.py script and verify it works. Troubleshoot your code, if necessary. Test all the
features of the application. You should get output similar to the following:
Starting Location: Washington
Destination: Baltimore
URL:
https://www.mapquestapi.com/directions/v2/route?key=your_api_key&from=Washington&to=Ba
ltimore
API Status: 0 = A successful route call.

Directions from Washington to Baltimore

Trip Duration: 00:49:19
Kilometers: 61.32
Fuel Used (Ltr): 6.24
=============================================
Start out going north on 6th St/US-50 E/US-1 N toward Pennsylvania Ave/US-1 Alt N.
(1.28 km)
Turn right onto New York Ave/US-50 E. Continue to follow US-50 E (Crossing into
Maryland). (7.51 km)

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Lab - Parsing JSON with a Python Application

Take the Balt-Wash Parkway exit on the left toward Baltimore. (0.88 km)
Merge onto MD-295 N. (50.38 km)
Turn right onto W Pratt St. (0.86 km)
Turn left onto S Calvert St/MD-2. (0.43 km)
Welcome to BALTIMORE, MD. (0.00 km)
=============================================

Starting Location: Moscow

Destination: Beijing
URL:
https://www.mapquestapi.com/directions/v2/route?key=your_api_key&from=Moscow&to=Beijin
g
API Status: 0 = A successful route call.

Directions from Moscow to Beijing

Trip Duration: 84:31:10
Kilometers: 7826.83
Fuel Used (Ltr): 793.20
=============================================
Start out going west on Кремлёвская набережная/Kremlin Embankment. (0.37 km)
Turn slight right onto ramp. (0.15 km)
Turn slight right onto Боровицкая площадь. (0.23 km)
[output omitted]
Turn left onto 广场东侧路/E. Guangchang Rd. (0.82 km)

广场东侧路/E. Guangchang Rd becomes 东长安街/E. Chang'an Str. (0.19 km)

Welcome to BEIJING. (0.00 km)
=============================================

Starting Location: Washington

Destination: Beijing
URL:
https://www.mapquestapi.com/directions/v2/route?key=your_api_key&from=WashingtonTurn+r
ight+onto+%E5%89%8D%E9%97%A8%E8%A5%BF%E5%A4%A7%E8%A1%97%2FQianmen+West+Street.+%281.01
+km%29&to=Beijing

****************************************************************
Status Code: 402; Invalid user inputs for one or both locations.
****************************************************************

Starting Location: Washington

Destination: Balt
URL:
https://www.mapquestapi.com/directions/v2/route?key=your_api_key&from=Washington&to=Ba
lt

************************************************************************
Status Code: 602; Refer to:
https://developer.mapquest.com/documentation/directions-api/status-codes
************************************************************************

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Lab - Parsing JSON with a Python Application

Starting Location: Washington

Destination:
URL:
https://www.mapquestapi.com/directions/v2/route?key=your_api_key&from=Washington&to=

************************************************************************
Status Code: 611; Refer to:
https://developer.mapquest.com/documentation/directions-api/status-codes
************************************************************************

Starting Location: q
>>>

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