Step by Step Guide to Building a Delighted API Integration in Java

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your customer feedback game? Let's dive into building a Delighted API integration in Java. Delighted's API is a powerhouse for gathering and analyzing customer feedback, and we're about to harness that power in our Java application.

Prerequisites

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

• A Java development environment (I know you've got this covered!)
• Your Delighted API key (if you don't have one, grab it from your Delighted account)
• An HTTP client library (we'll use OkHttp in this guide, but feel free to use your favorite)

Setting up the project

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

1. Create a new Java project in your IDE of choice.
2. Add the OkHttp dependency to your pom.xml or build.gradle:

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

Authentication

Delighted uses API key authentication. Let's set that up:

private static final String API_KEY = "your_api_key_here";
private static final String BASE_URL = "https://api.delighted.com/v1/";

OkHttpClient client = new OkHttpClient.Builder()
    .addInterceptor(chain -> {
        Request original = chain.request();
        Request request = original.newBuilder()
            .header("Authorization", "Basic " + Base64.getEncoder().encodeToString((API_KEY + ":").getBytes()))
            .method(original.method(), original.body())
            .build();
        return chain.proceed(request);
    })
    .build();

Making API requests

Now, let's make some requests! Here's how to get survey responses:

Request request = new Request.Builder()
    .url(BASE_URL + "survey_responses.json")
    .build();

try (Response response = client.newCall(request).execute()) {
    if (!response.isSuccessful()) throw new IOException("Unexpected code " + response);
    System.out.println(response.body().string());
}

Handling API responses

Parsing JSON responses is a breeze with a library like Gson:

Gson gson = new Gson();
SurveyResponse[] responses = gson.fromJson(responseBody, SurveyResponse[].class);

Don't forget to handle those pesky errors:

if (!response.isSuccessful()) {
    ErrorResponse error = gson.fromJson(response.body().string(), ErrorResponse.class);
    System.out.println("Error: " + error.getMessage());
}

Implementing key Delighted API features

Sending surveys

JSONObject json = new JSONObject();
json.put("email", "[email protected]");

RequestBody body = RequestBody.create(json.toString(), MediaType.parse("application/json"));
Request request = new Request.Builder()
    .url(BASE_URL + "people.json")
    .post(body)
    .build();

Retrieving survey results

Request request = new Request.Builder()
    .url(BASE_URL + "metrics.json")
    .build();

Best practices

• Keep an eye on those rate limits! Delighted has some restrictions, so pace your requests.
• Cache data when possible to reduce API calls.
• Use asynchronous requests for better performance in high-volume scenarios.

Testing the integration

Unit testing is your friend:

@Test
public void testSurveyCreation() {
    // Mock the OkHttpClient and test your survey creation logic
}

For integration testing, consider using a sandbox environment if Delighted provides one.

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid Delighted API integration in Java. You're now equipped to gather customer feedback like a pro. Remember, this is just the beginning – there's so much more you can do with the Delighted API.

Additional resources

• Delighted API Documentation
• Sample Code Repository (Coming soon!)

Now go forth and delight your customers with your newfound powers! Happy coding!