Step by Step Guide to Building a DocSend API Integration in Go

Aug 16, 2024 • 5 minute read

Introduction

Hey there, fellow Go enthusiast! Ready to dive into the world of DocSend API integration? You're in for a treat. We'll be building a sleek, efficient integration that'll have you managing documents like a pro in no time.

Prerequisites

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

Go installed (I know, obvious, right?)
DocSend API credentials (grab 'em from your DocSend account)
Your favorite code editor at the ready

Setting up the project

Let's kick things off:

mkdir docsend-integration
cd docsend-integration
go mod init docsend-integration

Now, let's grab the packages we need:

go get github.com/go-resty/resty/v2

Authentication

First things first, let's get that API key into action:

package main

import (
    "github.com/go-resty/resty/v2"
)

const apiKey = "your-api-key-here"
const baseURL = "https://api.docsend.com/v1"

func main() {
    client := resty.New().
        SetHeader("Authorization", "Bearer "+apiKey).
        SetHostURL(baseURL)
    
    // We'll use this client for all our requests
}

Basic API Requests

Time to make our first request. Let's fetch some documents:

resp, err := client.R().
    SetResult([]Document{}).
    Get("/documents")

if err != nil {
    log.Fatalf("Error: %v", err)
}

documents := resp.Result().(*[]Document)

Implementing key DocSend features

Uploading documents

resp, err := client.R().
    SetFile("file", "path/to/your/document.pdf").
    SetFormData(map[string]string{
        "name": "Awesome Document",
    }).
    Post("/documents")

Creating links

resp, err := client.R().
    SetBody(map[string]interface{}{
        "document_id": "doc123",
        "settings": map[string]interface{}{
            "is_password_protected": true,
            "password": "secretpassword",
        },
    }).
    Post("/links")

Managing permissions

resp, err := client.R().
    SetBody(map[string]interface{}{
        "email": "[email protected]",
        "permissions": []string{"view", "download"},
    }).
    Post("/documents/doc123/permissions")

Tracking document views

resp, err := client.R().
    Get("/documents/doc123/views")

Error handling and best practices

Always check for errors and handle them gracefully:

if err != nil {
    // Log the error
    log.Printf("Error: %v", err)
    // Maybe retry the request or notify the user
}

Testing the integration

Write some tests to ensure everything's working smoothly:

func TestDocumentUpload(t *testing.T) {
    // Your test code here
}

Optimizing performance

Rate limiting

Respect DocSend's rate limits. Implement exponential backoff for retries:

// Pseudo-code
for retries := 0; retries < maxRetries; retries++ {
    resp, err := client.R().Get("/documents")
    if err == nil {
        break
    }
    time.Sleep(time.Second * time.Duration(math.Pow(2, float64(retries))))
}

Caching

Cache frequently accessed data to reduce API calls:

var documentCache map[string]*Document

func getDocument(id string) *Document {
    if doc, ok := documentCache[id]; ok {
        return doc
    }
    // Fetch from API and update cache
}

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a robust DocSend API integration in Go. Pretty cool, right? Remember, this is just the beginning. There's always room to expand and improve your integration.

Resources

Now go forth and document with confidence! Happy coding!