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

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your donation system with Donorbox? Let's dive into building a robust C# integration that'll have you processing donations like a pro in no time.

Prerequisites

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

• Visual Studio or your favorite C# IDE
• .NET Core 3.1 or later
• A Donorbox account with API access

Got all that? Great! Let's roll up our sleeves and get coding.

Setting up the project

Fire up Visual Studio and create a new C# project. We'll be using a console app for this guide, but feel free to adapt it to your needs.

Next, let's grab the necessary NuGet packages:

Install-Package Newtonsoft.Json
Install-Package RestSharp

These will make our lives easier when dealing with JSON and HTTP requests.

Configuring API authentication

First things first, let's keep those API credentials safe. Create an appsettings.json file and add your Donorbox API key:

{
  "DonorboxApiKey": "your_api_key_here"
}

Now, let's set up a helper class to handle our API calls:

public class DonorboxApiClient
{
    private readonly string _apiKey;
    private readonly RestClient _client;

    public DonorboxApiClient(string apiKey)
    {
        _apiKey = apiKey;
        _client = new RestClient("https://donorbox.org/api/v1/");
    }

    // We'll add methods here soon!
}

Making API requests

Let's add a method to get donations:

public async Task<string> GetDonationsAsync()
{
    var request = new RestRequest("donations", Method.GET);
    request.AddHeader("Authorization", $"Bearer {_apiKey}");
    
    var response = await _client.ExecuteAsync(request);
    return response.Content;
}

Easy peasy, right? Now let's create a campaign:

public async Task<string> CreateCampaignAsync(string name, string goalAmount)
{
    var request = new RestRequest("campaigns", Method.POST);
    request.AddHeader("Authorization", $"Bearer {_apiKey}");
    request.AddJsonBody(new { name, goal_amount = goalAmount });
    
    var response = await _client.ExecuteAsync(request);
    return response.Content;
}

Handling API responses

Time to make sense of those JSON responses. Let's create some models:

public class Donation
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public decimal Amount { get; set; }
    public string DonorName { get; set; }
    // Add more properties as needed
}

public class Campaign
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public decimal GoalAmount { get; set; }
    // Add more properties as needed
}

Now we can deserialize our responses:

var donations = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<Donation>>(jsonResponse);

Don't forget to handle those pesky errors:

if (!response.IsSuccessful)
{
    // Log the error, throw an exception, or handle it as needed
    Console.WriteLine($"API Error: {response.ErrorMessage}");
}

Implementing key Donorbox features

Let's add methods for listing campaigns and retrieving donor info:

public async Task<List<Campaign>> ListCampaignsAsync()
{
    var response = await GetAsync("campaigns");
    return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<Campaign>>(response);
}

public async Task<Donor> GetDonorAsync(int donorId)
{
    var response = await GetAsync($"donors/{donorId}");
    return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Donor>(response);
}

Optimizing the integration

To keep things smooth, let's implement some basic rate limiting:

private DateTime _lastRequestTime = DateTime.MinValue;
private const int MinRequestInterval = 1000; // milliseconds

private async Task ThrottleRequestsAsync()
{
    var elapsed = (DateTime.Now - _lastRequestTime).TotalMilliseconds;
    if (elapsed < MinRequestInterval)
    {
        await Task.Delay(MinRequestInterval - (int)elapsed);
    }
    _lastRequestTime = DateTime.Now;
}

Call this method before each API request to avoid hitting rate limits.

Testing the integration

Time to put our code to the test! Here's a simple unit test to get you started:

[Fact]
public async Task GetDonations_ReturnsListOfDonations()
{
    var client = new DonorboxApiClient("test_api_key");
    var donations = await client.GetDonationsAsync();
    
    Assert.NotNull(donations);
    Assert.IsType<List<Donation>>(donations);
}

Deployment considerations

When deploying, remember to:

1. Use environment variables or secure vaults for API keys
2. Implement proper logging for monitoring
3. Set up alerts for API errors or unusual activity

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid Donorbox API integration in C#. With this foundation, you can expand and customize to your heart's content. Remember, the Donorbox API docs are your friend for more advanced features.

Now go forth and process those donations like a champ! Happy coding! 🚀💻