Is there some way I could get the Bing background image programmatically?
Bing's API doesn't seem to provide such functionality, perhaps there's another way?
I think the best way is immitating the way they do it themselves through their AJAX calls.
They call this URL and extract the information through XML deserialization.
XML: http://www.bing.com/HPImageArchive.aspx?format=xml&idx=0&n=1&mkt=en-US
JSON: http://www.bing.com/HPImageArchive.aspx?format=js&idx=0&n=1&mkt=en-US
RSS: http://www.bing.com/HPImageArchive.aspx?format=rss&idx=0&n=1&mkt=en-US
The mkt
attribute can obviously be changed to a different region than ´en-US´, but can also be opted out of entirely if you don't care about a specific region.
Note that the _1366x768.jpg
suffix that is added to the image names appears to be modifiable into different resolutions (like _1920x1080.jpg
for full HD and possibly others).
Here's a dump of the data as of 9/28/2013, in XML format.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<images>
<image>
<startdate>20130928</startdate>
<fullstartdate>201309280000</fullstartdate>
<enddate>20130929</enddate>
<url>/az/hprichbg/rb/LakeTurkana_EN-US15976511099_1366x768.jpg</url>
<urlBase>/az/hprichbg/rb/LakeTurkana_EN-US15976511099</urlBase>
<copyright>Lava rock pools at the southern end of Lake Turkana, in Kenya (© Nigel Pavitt/Corbis)</copyright>
<copyrightlink>http://www.bing.com/search?q=Lake+Turkana%2C+Kenya&form=hpcapt</copyrightlink>
<drk>1</drk>
<top>1</top>
<bot>1</bot>
<hotspots>
<hotspot>
<desc>These are the southern reaches of a lake...</desc>
<link>http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=2.794725~37.335197&lvl=7&dir=0&sty=b&q=Lake%20Turkana%2C%20Kenya&form=hphot1</link>
<query>That stretches for 180 miles, up into another country</query>
<LocX>15</LocX>
<LocY>33</LocY>
</hotspot>
<hotspot>
<desc>This body of water was once called the Jade Sea.</desc>
<link>http://www.bing.com/search?q=green+algae&form=hphot2</link>
<query>What gives the water here its sometimes vibrant hue?</query>
<LocX>37</LocX>
<LocY>42</LocY>
</hotspot>
<hotspot>
<desc>One of the world's most powerful predators lives here.</desc>
<link>http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Underwater+Croc+Cams+National+Geographic&FORM=hphot3#view=detail&mid=D25E1909D3514A8732C5D25E1909D3514A8732C5</link>
<query>See some rare underwater footage of the beast</query>
<LocX>66</LocX>
<LocY>33</LocY>
</hotspot>
<hotspot>
<desc>Many fossils of ancient human ancestors have been uncovered in the surrounding area.</desc>
<link>http://www.bing.com/search?q=Turkana+Boy&form=hphot4</link>
<query>One skeleton was so complete, paleoanthropologists gave him a name</query>
<LocX>82</LocX>
<LocY>41</LocY>
</hotspot>
</hotspots>
<messages></messages>
</image>
<tooltips>
<loadMessage>
<message>Indlæser...</message>
</loadMessage>
<previousImage>
<text>Forrige</text>
</previousImage>
<nextImage>
<text>Næste</text>
</nextImage>
<play>
<text>Afspil</text>
</play>
<pause>
<text>Pause</text>
</pause>
</tooltips>
</images>