Creating API that is fluent

Question

How does one go about create an API that is fluent in nature?

Is this using extension methods primarily?

Answer 1

KISS: Keep it simple stupid.

Fluent design is about one aesthetic design principle used throughout the API. Thou your methodology you use in your API can change slightly, but it is generally better to stay consistent.

Even though you may think 'everyone can use this API, because it uses all different types of methodology's'. The truth is the user would start feeling lost because your consistently changing the structure/data structure of the API to a new design principle or naming convention.

If you wish to change halfway through to a different design principle eg.. Converting from error codes to exception handling because some higher commanding power. It would be folly and would normally in tail lots of pain. It is better to stay the course and add functionality that your customers can use and sell than to get them to re-write and re-discover all their problems again.

Following from the above, you can see that there is more at work of writing a Fluent API than meet's the eye. There are psychological, and aesthetic choices to make before beginning to write one and even then the feeling,need, and desire to conform to customers demand's and stay consistent is the hardest of all.