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

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your scheduling game? Let's dive into the world of Calendly API integration using PHP. We'll be leveraging the awesome lobrs/calendly-sdk-php package to make our lives easier. Buckle up!

Prerequisites

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

• A PHP environment up and running
• Composer installed (because who wants to manage dependencies manually?)
• A Calendly API access token (grab one from your Calendly account)

Installation

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

composer require lobrs/calendly-sdk-php

Easy peasy, right?

Setting up the Calendly Client

Now, let's initialize our Calendly client:

use Lobrs\Calendly\Client;

$client = new Client('YOUR_API_TOKEN');

Just like that, we're ready to roll!

Basic API Operations

Let's start with some basic operations to get our feet wet:

Fetching User Information

$user = $client->users()->current();
echo $user->name; // "John Doe"

Retrieving Event Types

$eventTypes = $client->eventTypes()->list();
foreach ($eventTypes as $eventType) {
    echo $eventType->name . "\n";
}

Getting Scheduled Events

$events = $client->events()->list();
foreach ($events as $event) {
    echo $event->name . " - " . $event->start_time . "\n";
}

Advanced Operations

Ready to level up? Let's tackle some advanced stuff:

Creating Webhook Subscriptions

$webhook = $client->webhooks()->create([
    'url' => 'https://your-webhook-url.com',
    'events' => ['invitee.created', 'invitee.canceled']
]);

Handling Webhook Events

$payload = json_decode(file_get_contents('php://input'), true);
if ($payload['event'] === 'invitee.created') {
    // Handle new booking
}

Canceling Events

$client->events()->cancel('EVENT_UUID', [
    'reason' => 'Unexpected schedule conflict'
]);

Error Handling and Best Practices

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

try {
    // Your API calls here
} catch (\Lobrs\Calendly\Exception\RateLimitException $e) {
    // Wait and retry
} catch (\Lobrs\Calendly\Exception\CalendlyException $e) {
    // Handle other exceptions
}

Example Use Case: Simple Event Booking System

Let's put it all together:

$eventTypes = $client->eventTypes()->list();
foreach ($eventTypes as $eventType) {
    echo "<a href='book.php?type={$eventType->uri}'>{$eventType->name}</a><br>";
}

// In book.php
$availableTimes = $client->availableTimes()->list($_GET['type']);
// Display available times and handle booking

Testing and Debugging

Pro tip: Use Calendly's sandbox environment for testing. And don't forget to log everything – your future self will thank you!

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now equipped to build some seriously cool scheduling features with Calendly's API. Remember, the official Calendly API docs are your best friend for more in-depth info.

Now go forth and schedule like a boss! 🚀