Step by Step Guide to Building an EmailOctopus API Integration in C#

Aug 16, 2024 • 6 minute read

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of email marketing automation? Today, we're going to walk through building an integration with the EmailOctopus API using C#. This powerful tool will let you manage contacts, lists, and campaigns with ease. Let's get started!

Prerequisites

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

A C# development environment (Visual Studio or VS Code will do nicely)
An EmailOctopus account with an API key
Your favorite cup of coffee (optional, but recommended)

Setting up the project

First things first, let's create a new C# project. Fire up your IDE and create a new Console Application. We'll need to install a couple of NuGet packages to make our lives easier:

Install-Package Newtonsoft.Json
Install-Package Microsoft.Extensions.Http

Configuring the API client

Now, let's set up our HttpClient to talk to the EmailOctopus API:

using System.Net.Http;
using System.Net.Http.Headers;

public class EmailOctopusClient
{
    private readonly HttpClient _httpClient;
    private const string BaseUrl = "https://emailoctopus.com/api/1.6/";

    public EmailOctopusClient(string apiKey)
    {
        _httpClient = new HttpClient();
        _httpClient.DefaultRequestHeaders.Accept.Add(new MediaTypeWithQualityHeaderValue("application/json"));
        _httpClient.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("api-key", apiKey);
    }
}

Implementing core API functions

Let's add some methods to our EmailOctopusClient class to handle basic operations:

public async Task<string> CreateContact(string listId, string email)
{
    var content = new StringContent(JsonConvert.SerializeObject(new { email_address = email }));
    var response = await _httpClient.PostAsync($"{BaseUrl}lists/{listId}/contacts", content);
    response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
    return await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
}

public async Task<string> GetContact(string listId, string contactId)
{
    var response = await _httpClient.GetAsync($"{BaseUrl}lists/{listId}/contacts/{contactId}");
    response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
    return await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
}

// Add similar methods for updating and deleting contacts

Working with lists

Now let's add some methods to manage lists:

public async Task<string> CreateList(string name)
{
    var content = new StringContent(JsonConvert.SerializeObject(new { name = name }));
    var response = await _httpClient.PostAsync($"{BaseUrl}lists", content);
    response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
    return await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
}

// Add methods for retrieving list information and adding contacts to a list

Handling campaigns

Time to send some emails! Let's add methods for creating and sending campaigns:

public async Task<string> CreateCampaign(string listId, string subject, string content)
{
    var campaignData = new
    {
        list_id = listId,
        subject = subject,
        content = new { html = content }
    };
    var jsonContent = new StringContent(JsonConvert.SerializeObject(campaignData));
    var response = await _httpClient.PostAsync($"{BaseUrl}campaigns", jsonContent);
    response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
    return await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
}

public async Task<string> SendCampaign(string campaignId)
{
    var response = await _httpClient.PostAsync($"{BaseUrl}campaigns/{campaignId}/send", null);
    response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
    return await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
}

Error handling and best practices

Don't forget to wrap your API calls in try-catch blocks to handle any exceptions gracefully. Also, keep an eye on rate limits to avoid overwhelming the API:

try
{
    var result = await client.CreateContact(listId, "[email protected]");
    Console.WriteLine("Contact created successfully!");
}
catch (HttpRequestException ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Oops! Something went wrong: {ex.Message}");
}

Testing the integration

Now that we've got our client set up, it's time to put it through its paces. Write some unit tests for your core functions and don't forget to include some integration tests to make sure everything's working smoothly with the actual API.

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid foundation for integrating EmailOctopus into your C# projects. From here, you can expand on this base, adding more advanced features and tailoring it to your specific needs.

Remember, the key to mastering any API is practice and exploration. Don't be afraid to dive into the documentation and try out different endpoints and parameters.

Resources

Happy coding, and may your emails always reach their destination!