Step by Step Guide to Building an Acuity Scheduling API Integration in Java

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your scheduling game? Let's dive into integrating the Acuity Scheduling API with Java. This powerhouse combo will let you manage appointments like a pro, right from your Java application. Buckle up!

Prerequisites

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

• A Java development environment (your favorite IDE will do)
• An Acuity Scheduling account with API credentials (if you don't have one, go grab it!)
• An HTTP client library (we'll use OkHttp in this guide, but feel free to use your preferred option)

Setting up the project

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

1. Create a new Java project in your IDE
2. Add the OkHttp dependency to your pom.xml if you're using Maven:

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.squareup.okhttp3</groupId>
    <artifactId>okhttp</artifactId>
    <version>4.10.0</version>
</dependency>

Authentication

Alright, time to get cozy with the Acuity API:

1. Grab your API credentials from your Acuity account
2. Let's create a simple authentication method:

private static final String USER_ID = "your_user_id";
private static final String API_KEY = "your_api_key";

private static String getAuthHeader() {
    String credentials = USER_ID + ":" + API_KEY;
    return "Basic " + Base64.getEncoder().encodeToString(credentials.getBytes());
}

Making API requests

Now, let's craft our API requests:

OkHttpClient client = new OkHttpClient();

public String makeRequest(String endpoint) throws IOException {
    Request request = new Request.Builder()
        .url("https://acuityscheduling.com/api/v1/" + endpoint)
        .addHeader("Authorization", getAuthHeader())
        .build();

    try (Response response = client.newCall(request).execute()) {
        return response.body().string();
    }
}

Core API functionalities

Time to flex those API muscles! Here are some key operations:

Retrieving appointment types

String appointmentTypes = makeRequest("appointment-types");
System.out.println(appointmentTypes);

Fetching calendar availability

String availability = makeRequest("availability/dates?month=2023-05&appointmentTypeID=1");
System.out.println(availability);

Booking appointments

RequestBody body = RequestBody.create(
    "{\"appointmentTypeID\":1,\"datetime\":\"2023-05-15T10:00:00-0700\"}",
    MediaType.parse("application/json")
);

Request request = new Request.Builder()
    .url("https://acuityscheduling.com/api/v1/appointments")
    .addHeader("Authorization", getAuthHeader())
    .post(body)
    .build();

try (Response response = client.newCall(request).execute()) {
    System.out.println(response.body().string());
}

Error handling and best practices

Don't forget to handle those pesky errors and respect rate limits:

try {
    String response = makeRequest("some-endpoint");
    // Process the response
} catch (IOException e) {
    System.err.println("API request failed: " + e.getMessage());
}

And always validate your data before sending it to the API!

Testing the integration

Test, test, and test again! Write unit tests for your methods and integration tests to ensure everything's playing nice with the Acuity API.

Sample use case

Let's put it all together with a simple appointment booking flow:

public void bookAppointment(int appointmentTypeId, String datetime, String name, String email) {
    try {
        // Check availability
        String availability = makeRequest("availability/times?date=" + datetime.split("T")[0] + "&appointmentTypeID=" + appointmentTypeId);
        if (availability.contains(datetime)) {
            // Book the appointment
            String appointmentData = "{\"appointmentTypeID\":" + appointmentTypeId + ",\"datetime\":\"" + datetime + "\",\"firstName\":\"" + name + "\",\"email\":\"" + email + "\"}";
            RequestBody body = RequestBody.create(appointmentData, MediaType.parse("application/json"));
            Request request = new Request.Builder()
                .url("https://acuityscheduling.com/api/v1/appointments")
                .addHeader("Authorization", getAuthHeader())
                .post(body)
                .build();
            try (Response response = client.newCall(request).execute()) {
                System.out.println("Appointment booked: " + response.body().string());
            }
        } else {
            System.out.println("Selected time is not available");
        }
    } catch (IOException e) {
        System.err.println("Booking failed: " + e.getMessage());
    }
}

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now equipped to integrate Acuity Scheduling into your Java applications like a boss. Remember, this is just scratching the surface – there's a whole world of scheduling possibilities waiting for you in the Acuity API docs. Happy coding!