Text with version arg

[reginafcompton]

This PR modifies the text function in the APIBillScraper: the function now enables discovery of the most current bill version via the MatterVersion field in the API. I included a fairly verbose explanatory doc string, but that verbiage could easier be condensed and/or moved to an issue.

This PR relates to Metro-Records/la-metro-councilmatic#237

[fgregg]

how do we know what the latest_version_value is?

[reginafcompton]

We find it in the matter dict returned from scraping the API. Like this: https://github.com/opencivicdata/scrapers-us-municipal/blob/optional-arg-text/lametro/bills.py#L295

[fgregg]

It would be better to do that all in this method.

[reginafcompton]

Sure, we could do that by calling matter, but that adds to the number of times we're hitting legistar, and it duplicates the efforts of the scraper, e.g., the scrape already calls matters https://github.com/opencivicdata/scrapers-us-municipal/blob/master/lametro/bills.py#L148-L156

Unless...do you have another solution in mind for "doing that all in this method"?

[fgregg]

you are right that it adds another call, but it makes the method a lot more intuitive. I think it's probably worth it.

I do think that there's probably a better architecture for this this API along the lines of

class Matter(object):

    __init__(self, matter_id):
        self._d = request.get(self.matter_endpoint(matter_id))

   def text(self):
       matter_version = self._d['MatterVersion']
       ...
       return most_recent_tex

This would avoid the duplicative call and reduce the extent of matter_id passing we are doing here.

In any case, that's well beyond the scope of this PR.

[fgregg]

reading our code again, I don't thing your proposed interface is that different from our current patterns where the the council specific scraper and the python legistar are both responsible for interacting with the API. I do think a better separation is possible and desirable, but that can wait for another day.

I am not requiring my recommended change.

[reginafcompton]

Oh, poo. I just pushed a revision...actually, could you give your opinion on my latest commit? I think the code is more intuitive, but it assumes that other municipalities use the MatterVersion field exactly as Metro does. (I'd love to assume that they do, but can we be sure?)

[fgregg]

i would check to see if _version_rank is definited as an attribute. If it is, then use that.

[reginafcompton]

hmmmmm....all instances of a LegistarAPIBillScraper will have the _version_rank function, right? So, I'm not sure what you mean by "defined as an attribute."

I am thinking that I should revert to the original state of this PR, which you already approved....

[fgregg]

okay