Step by Step Guide to Building a Lofty API Integration in C#

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of Lofty API integration? You're in for a treat. The Lofty API is a powerhouse that'll supercharge your applications, and with the Lofty.Framework.DynamicApiController package, we're about to make integration a breeze. Let's get started!

Prerequisites

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

• Visual Studio or your favorite C# IDE
• .NET Core 3.1 or later
• NuGet package manager

I'm assuming you're already comfortable with C# basics and RESTful APIs. If not, no worries! Just brush up a bit, and you'll be good to go.

Setting up the project

First things first, let's create a new C# project. Fire up Visual Studio, create a new Console Application, and name it something cool like "LoftyApiIntegration".

Now, let's grab that Lofty.Framework.DynamicApiController package. In the Package Manager Console, run:

Install-Package Lofty.Framework.DynamicApiController

Configuring the API client

Time to initialize our DynamicApiController. Add this to your Program.cs:

using Lofty.Framework;

var apiClient = new DynamicApiController("https://api.lofty.com");

For authentication, you'll need to add your API key:

apiClient.SetAuthorizationHeader("Bearer", "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE");

Defining API endpoints

Now for the fun part - defining our endpoints. It's as easy as creating methods:

public async Task<string> GetUsers() => 
    await apiClient.GetAsync("/users");

public async Task<string> CreateUser(object userData) => 
    await apiClient.PostAsync("/users", userData);

Implementing CRUD operations

Let's implement some CRUD operations. Here's a quick example for each:

// GET
var users = await GetUsers();

// POST
var newUser = new { Name = "John Doe", Email = "[email protected]" };
var createdUser = await CreateUser(newUser);

// PUT
var updatedUser = await apiClient.PutAsync("/users/1", new { Name = "Jane Doe" });

// DELETE
var deletedUser = await apiClient.DeleteAsync("/users/1");

Handling responses

Parsing JSON responses is a cinch with System.Text.Json:

using System.Text.Json;

var users = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<List<User>>(await GetUsers());

For error handling, wrap your calls in a try-catch block:

try
{
    var users = await GetUsers();
}
catch (ApiException ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"API Error: {ex.Message}");
}

Advanced features

Want to add pagination, filtering, or sorting? No sweat:

var pagedUsers = await apiClient.GetAsync("/users?page=1&pageSize=10");
var filteredUsers = await apiClient.GetAsync("/users?name=John");
var sortedUsers = await apiClient.GetAsync("/users?sortBy=name&order=asc");

Testing the integration

Don't forget to test! Here's a quick unit test example using xUnit:

[Fact]
public async Task GetUsers_ReturnsUsers()
{
    var users = await GetUsers();
    Assert.NotNull(users);
    Assert.NotEmpty(users);
}

Best practices and optimization

To keep your app speedy, consider implementing caching:

private static readonly MemoryCache _cache = new MemoryCache(new MemoryCacheOptions());

public async Task<string> GetUsers()
{
    if (!_cache.TryGetValue("users", out string users))
    {
        users = await apiClient.GetAsync("/users");
        _cache.Set("users", users, TimeSpan.FromMinutes(5));
    }
    return users;
}

And always be mindful of rate limits. Space out your requests if needed!

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a robust Lofty API integration. Pretty cool, right? Remember, this is just the beginning. Keep exploring, keep coding, and most importantly, have fun with it!

Got questions? Hit me up in the comments. Now go forth and build something awesome!