# CARSKit-API
CARSKit-API is a software based on a command line interface that serves as an abstraction layer for the [CARSKit](https://github.com/irecsys/CARSKit) recommendation system engine. Built entirely in python, it aims to provide both a more dynamic and secure way of handling the input and output of engine data.
## Requirements
It is necessary that both python 3.6 and java 1.7 or higher are installed on the computer to run the software.
## Installation
Use the package manager [pip3](https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/) to install carskit-api.
```bash
pip3 install carskit-api
```
## Usage
First, it is necessary to create a folder for the rating data that will be used.
```shell
$ mkdir data
```
Contextual datasets are referenced in the [CARSKIT repository](https://github.com/irecsys/CARSKit) to use as example. Remember that the data must be in the same format that the engine requires. If in doubt, look in the [User Guide](https://arxiv.org/abs/1511.03780).
With the folder created, enter it and create another one for the results that the engine will generate and insert the data set that will be used.
```shell
$ cd data
$ mkdir results
$ paste ratings.csv
```
Now we need to specify both the data set path and the results folder name for the API.
```shell
$ capi settings --set "dataset_path" --value ./ratings.csv
$ capi settings --set "results_foldername" --value "results"
```
You can use the command `capi -h` to know more about the api's commands.
By now, it is assumed that we have everything to run the the engine. You do that using the following command:
```shell
$ capi run
```
After executing the command, two new json files will be created in the same directory where the data set is, one of them is a statistics file that the engine extracted from the data set and the other is a recommendations file where, for each user of the data set, the top N items recommended for the same, in each possible combination of context (if specified), will be listed.
To change a specific configuration of the engine, the top N recommendations as example, we just need to use the following command:
```shell
$ capi settings -s "topN" --value 10
```
And a new settings file will be generated with the new configuration.
## Saving on a MongoDB database
There are two things that must be done to store the results on a MongoDB server. First, a file called `.secrets.key` must be created, whose path is at the user's choice. Then it is necessary to specify the path of this file to the API using the command:
```shell
capi database --secrets-path PATH
```
to then specify the URI address for the API using the command:
```shell
capi database --uri URI
```
Now with the correct settings, we can run the engine and save the results on a MongoDB server using the command:
```shell
capi run --save-mongo
```
## Contributing
Pull requests are welcome. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.
Please make sure to update tests as appropriate.
## License
[MIT](https://choosealicense.com/licenses/mit/)
