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

Aug 16, 2024 • 5 minute read

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your document sharing and tracking capabilities? Let's dive into building a DocSend API integration in Ruby. DocSend's API is a powerhouse for programmatically managing documents, creating links, and gathering analytics. By the end of this guide, you'll have a solid integration up and running.

Prerequisites

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

A Ruby environment (2.6+ recommended)
A DocSend account with API access
Your favorite code editor

Got all that? Great! Let's roll.

Setting up the project

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

mkdir docsend_integration
cd docsend_integration
bundle init

Now, open up your Gemfile and add these lines:

gem 'httparty'
gem 'dotenv'

Run bundle install, and we're off to the races!

Authentication

DocSend uses API key authentication. Create a .env file in your project root:

DOCSEND_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Now, let's create a basic client:

require 'httparty'
require 'dotenv/load'

class DocSendClient
  include HTTParty
  base_uri 'https://api.docsend.com/v1'
  headers 'Authorization' => "Bearer #{ENV['DOCSEND_API_KEY']}"
end

Basic API Requests

Time to make our first request:

response = DocSendClient.get('/documents')
puts response.body

Easy peasy, right? This will fetch all your documents.

Core DocSend Operations

Let's tackle some core operations:

Uploading documents

def upload_document(file_path, name)
  DocSendClient.post('/documents', 
    body: { 
      file: File.new(file_path),
      name: name
    }
  )
end

Creating links

def create_link(document_id)
  DocSendClient.post("/documents/#{document_id}/links")
end

Managing permissions

def update_permissions(link_id, email)
  DocSendClient.put("/links/#{link_id}/permissions", 
    body: { 
      email: email,
      permissions: 'view'
    }
  )
end

Advanced Features

Want to get fancy? Let's track document views and generate reports:

def get_document_views(document_id)
  DocSendClient.get("/documents/#{document_id}/views")
end

def generate_analytics_report(document_id)
  DocSendClient.get("/documents/#{document_id}/analytics")
end

Error Handling and Best Practices

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

def make_request
  retries = 0
  begin
    yield
  rescue HTTParty::Error => e
    retries += 1
    if retries <= 3
      sleep(2 ** retries)
      retry
    else
      raise e
    end
  end
end

Use this wrapper around your API calls to implement retry logic.

Testing the Integration

Last but not least, let's write some tests. Here's a quick example using RSpec:

RSpec.describe DocSendClient do
  it "fetches documents successfully" do
    VCR.use_cassette("documents") do
      response = DocSendClient.get('/documents')
      expect(response.code).to eq(200)
    end
  end
end

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid DocSend API integration in Ruby. You can now upload documents, create links, manage permissions, and gather analytics like a pro.

Remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The DocSend API has a lot more to offer, so don't be afraid to explore and expand on this integration. Happy coding!