Get everything touched by a user?

Question

I'm trying to figure out the best way to compile all "post threads" (Questions and all related Answers and Comments) where a specific user owns any of the {Question, Answer or [a comment on either the Q or A]}.

It seems like there's probably a more efficient way than the combinations of methods I've been trying, for example:

 (1) get `question_id`'s from `users/xxx/questions`
 (2) get `question_id`'s from `users/xxx/answers`
 (3) get `combined list` of `post_id` + `post_type` from   
  - `users/xxx/comments` and `users/xxx/mentioned`,
    - then split into 2 post-types:  
    - if post_type="question" then it's a question_id  
     - remaining `post_id`'s are `answer_id`'s: 
        (4) get `question_id`'s from `answer/{ids}`

Finally, combine all question_id's into unique list and query them again, for selected fields from questions/answers/comments. (body, dates, counts, userids, username, wrapper).

Is there a better way to do this?

It doesn't help that I've been intermittently fighting with the "missing comments" problem.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Since some users might exhaust your quota, for such a set of data, this might be a better job for SEDE.

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In your API approach, not sure why you are getting question id's from answer id's. You can give /answers/{ids} a filter to make it return: username, tags, and title for the answer's question -- which may be all you're after?

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But in/with the API, I would:

1. Use the /users/{ids}/timeline route to get question, answer, and comment id's on one swoop.
   As a bonus, comment text is already included in the detail property for comments.

2. Optionally, query /users/{ids}/mentioned too.

3. Feed the answer post id's, 100 at a time, to /answers/{ids} to get further details if desired.

4. Feed the question post id's, 100 at a time, to /questions/{ids} to get further details if desired.