Step by Step Guide to Building a Bloomerang API Integration in PHP

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of Bloomerang API integration? You're in for a treat. We'll be using the nifty phospr/bloomerang package to make our lives easier. Let's get cracking!

Prerequisites

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

• PHP 7.4 or higher (come on, you're not still using 5.6, right?)
• Composer installed (because who wants to manage dependencies manually?)
• Bloomerang API credentials (if you don't have these, time to sweet-talk your Bloomerang admin)

Installation

First things first, let's get that package installed:

composer require phospr/bloomerang

Easy peasy, right?

Configuration

Now, let's set up those API credentials and get our Bloomerang client ready to roll:

use Phospr\Bloomerang\Client;

$apiKey = 'your_api_key_here';
$client = new Client($apiKey);

Basic Usage

Let's make our first API request. How about fetching a constituent?

$constituent = $client->constituents->get(123456);
echo $constituent->firstName . ' ' . $constituent->lastName;

Boom! You're now officially talking to Bloomerang.

Common API Operations

Retrieving Constituents

$constituents = $client->constituents->list(['limit' => 10]);

Creating/Updating Constituents

$newConstituent = $client->constituents->create([
    'firstName' => 'John',
    'lastName' => 'Doe',
    'email' => '[email protected]'
]);

Managing Transactions

$transaction = $client->transactions->create([
    'constituentId' => 123456,
    'amount' => 100.00,
    'date' => '2023-05-01'
]);

Handling Interactions

$interaction = $client->interactions->create([
    'constituentId' => 123456,
    'channel' => 'EMAIL',
    'subject' => 'Follow-up call'
]);

Error Handling

Don't let those pesky errors catch you off guard:

try {
    $constituent = $client->constituents->get(999999);
} catch (\Exception $e) {
    echo "Oops! " . $e->getMessage();
}

Best Practices

• Respect rate limits (Bloomerang isn't your personal punching bag)
• Cache responses when possible (your server will thank you)
• Keep those API credentials secret (seriously, don't commit them to GitHub)

Advanced Topics

Pagination

$page = 1;
do {
    $constituents = $client->constituents->list(['page' => $page, 'limit' => 100]);
    // Process constituents
    $page++;
} while (count($constituents) > 0);

Filtering and Sorting

$recentDonors = $client->constituents->list([
    'lastTransactionDate' => ['gte' => '2023-01-01'],
    'sort' => '-lastTransactionDate'
]);

Testing

Don't forget to test your integration! Use PHPUnit and mock those API responses:

use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
use Phospr\Bloomerang\Client;

class BloomerangTest extends TestCase
{
    public function testGetConstituent()
    {
        $mock = $this->createMock(Client::class);
        $mock->method('get')->willReturn(['id' => 123, 'firstName' => 'John']);
        
        // Assert your expectations here
    }
}

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now armed and dangerous with Bloomerang API integration skills. Remember, the API documentation is your best friend, so keep it bookmarked. Happy coding, and may your integrations be ever smooth and error-free!