Step by Step Guide to Building a 123FormBuilder API Integration in Ruby

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your Ruby project with some form-building magic? Let's dive into integrating the 123FormBuilder API. This powerful tool will let you create, manage, and collect data from forms with ease. Buckle up!

Prerequisites

Before we jump in, make sure you've got:

• A Ruby environment up and running
• A 123FormBuilder account (if you don't have one, go grab it!)
• Your 123FormBuilder API key (we'll need this for authentication)

Setting up the project

First things first, let's get our project ready:

# Create a new directory and initialize a new Ruby project
mkdir formbuilder_integration
cd formbuilder_integration
bundle init

# Add the necessary gems to your Gemfile
gem 'httparty'
gem 'dotenv'

# Install the gems
bundle install

Authentication

Time to get cozy with the API:

1. Log into your 123FormBuilder account and navigate to the API section.
2. Grab your API key - it's your golden ticket!
3. Create a .env file in your project root and add your key:

FORMBUILDER_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Now, let's set up a basic client:

require 'httparty'
require 'dotenv/load'

class FormBuilderClient
  include HTTParty
  base_uri 'https://api.123formbuilder.com/v2'
  
  def initialize
    @options = { headers: { 'Authorization' => "Bearer #{ENV['FORMBUILDER_API_KEY']}" } }
  end
  
  # We'll add more methods here soon!
end

Basic API Requests

Let's take our client for a spin:

client = FormBuilderClient.new

def get_forms
  response = self.class.get('/forms', @options)
  JSON.parse(response.body)
end

Working with Forms

Now for the fun part - let's play with some forms:

# Get a list of forms
forms = client.get_forms

# Get details of a specific form
def get_form(form_id)
  self.class.get("/forms/#{form_id}", @options)
end

# Create a new form
def create_form(name)
  body = { name: name }
  self.class.post('/forms', @options.merge(body: body))
end

Managing Form Submissions

Data's rolling in - let's handle it:

def get_submissions(form_id)
  self.class.get("/forms/#{form_id}/submissions", @options)
end

def process_submission(submission)
  # Your logic here to handle the submission data
  puts "New submission: #{submission['id']}"
end

Webhooks Integration

Stay in the loop with webhooks:

# Set up a webhook (you'll need a server endpoint for this)
def create_webhook(form_id, target_url)
  body = { form_id: form_id, hook_url: target_url }
  self.class.post('/webhooks', @options.merge(body: body))
end

# In your server code
post '/webhook' do
  payload = JSON.parse(request.body.read)
  process_submission(payload)
end

Error Handling and Best Practices

Don't let errors catch you off guard:

def api_request
  yield
rescue HTTParty::Error => e
  puts "HTTP Error: #{e.message}"
rescue StandardError => e
  puts "Error: #{e.message}"
end

# Usage
api_request { client.get_forms }

Remember to respect rate limits - nobody likes a spammer!

Testing the Integration

Let's make sure everything's ship-shape:

require 'minitest/autorun'
require 'webmock/minitest'

class FormBuilderClientTest < Minitest::Test
  def setup
    @client = FormBuilderClient.new
  end

  def test_get_forms
    stub_request(:get, "https://api.123formbuilder.com/v2/forms")
      .to_return(status: 200, body: '{"forms": []}', headers: {})

    response = @client.get_forms
    assert_equal({}, response)
  end
end

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid integration with the 123FormBuilder API. You're now equipped to create forms, manage submissions, and handle webhooks like a pro. Remember, this is just scratching the surface - there's plenty more to explore in the 123FormBuilder API documentation.

Keep coding, keep learning, and most importantly, keep building awesome stuff! 🚀