Step by Step Guide to Building a CompanyCam API Integration in Ruby

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of CompanyCam API integration? You're in for a treat. CompanyCam's API is a powerful tool that lets you tap into their photo-centric project management platform. In this guide, we'll walk through building a solid integration in Ruby. Let's get cracking!

Prerequisites

Before we start coding, make sure you've got:

• Ruby 2.7+ installed
• The httparty and dotenv gems
• A CompanyCam API key (grab one from your account settings)

Setting up the project

First things first, let's set up our project:

mkdir companycam_integration
cd companycam_integration
bundle init

Now, add these to your Gemfile:

gem 'httparty'
gem 'dotenv'

Run bundle install, and you're good to go!

Authentication

CompanyCam uses API keys for authentication. Let's keep it secure:

1. Create a .env file in your project root
2. Add your API key: COMPANYCAM_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
3. In your Ruby file, load the key:

require 'dotenv'
Dotenv.load

API_KEY = ENV['COMPANYCAM_API_KEY']

Making API requests

Time to make our first request! We'll use HTTParty to keep things simple:

require 'httparty'

class CompanyCamAPI
  include HTTParty
  base_uri 'https://api.companycam.com/v2'
  headers 'Authorization' => "Bearer #{API_KEY}"

  def self.get_projects
    get('/projects')
  end
end

response = CompanyCamAPI.get_projects
puts response.body

Core API functionalities

Now that we've got the basics, let's implement some key features:

Retrieving projects

def self.get_project(id)
  get("/projects/#{id}")
end

Uploading photos

def self.upload_photo(project_id, file_path)
  post("/projects/#{project_id}/photos", 
    body: { photo: File.new(file_path) },
    multipart: true
  )
end

Managing tags

def self.create_tag(name)
  post('/tags', body: { name: name })
end

Error handling

Always expect the unexpected! Let's add some error handling:

def self.make_request(method, endpoint, options = {})
  response = send(method, endpoint, options)
  
  case response.code
  when 200..299
    response
  when 401
    raise "Unauthorized: Check your API key"
  when 404
    raise "Not found: #{endpoint}"
  else
    raise "Error #{response.code}: #{response.message}"
  end
end

Pagination and rate limiting

CompanyCam uses cursor-based pagination. Here's how to handle it:

def self.get_all_projects
  projects = []
  cursor = nil

  loop do
    response = get('/projects', query: { cursor: cursor })
    projects += response['projects']
    cursor = response['meta']['next_cursor']
    break if cursor.nil?
    sleep(1) # Respect rate limits
  end

  projects
end

Webhooks

If you're using webhooks, here's a quick Sinatra endpoint to get you started:

require 'sinatra'

post '/webhook' do
  payload = JSON.parse(request.body.read)
  # Process the webhook payload
  status 200
end

Testing the integration

Don't forget to test! Here's a simple RSpec example:

RSpec.describe CompanyCamAPI do
  describe '.get_projects' do
    it 'returns a list of projects' do
      VCR.use_cassette('get_projects') do
        response = CompanyCamAPI.get_projects
        expect(response.code).to eq(200)
        expect(response['projects']).to be_an(Array)
      end
    end
  end
end

Best practices and optimization

To keep your integration running smoothly:

1. Cache frequently accessed data
2. Use background jobs for time-consuming operations
3. Implement exponential backoff for retries

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid CompanyCam API integration in Ruby. Remember, this is just the beginning – there's so much more you can do with the API. Keep exploring, keep coding, and most importantly, have fun with it!

Got questions? Hit up the CompanyCam API docs or reach out to their support team. Now go forth and build something awesome! 🚀