Provide an API for Backdrop usage data

[stpaultim]

I originally posted a request for an API for general information about all contrib projects (https://github.com/backdrop-ops/backdropcms.org/issues/870). As @BWPanda pointed out, most of this data can be found on Github, which already has an API. However, the most important piece of data that is NOT available on Github, is the usage stats for each project. This information is only available on BackdropCMS.org.

I've begun working on a website to aggregate data about Backdrop contributed projects and would love access to the current usage datas. https://backdrop-projects.simplo.site/

As I understand it, the current usage data is generated by the project module and is not available in such a way that we can use views to expose it. Can we create some kind of feed or API to share Backdrop usage data with sites such as the one I am working on?

It would also be good to include information on the backdropcms.org link to each project page in this feed. This is not available in Github and there is no way to tell for certain if a public page is available on BackdropCMS.org from the data on Github.

[bugfolder]

Usage is computed in module project_usage; looks like at these lines from project_usage.module in project_usage_node_load():

      $count = db_query("SELECT count FROM {project_usage_week_project} WHERE nid = :nid ORDER BY timestamp DESC LIMIT 1", array(':nid' => $nid))->fetchCol();
      $nodes[$nid]->project['usage'] = reset($count);

So that suggests that we could declare the the project_usage_week_project table in the Views API with the appropriate relationship to the node table, which would make the usage count accessible via a relationship to a node View.

That's a bit beyond my bandwidth just now, but maybe this is enough of a hint (and hopefully not a red herring) for someone to implement.