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

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of Formsite API integration? You're in for a treat. We'll be walking through the process of building a robust integration using C#. Formsite's API is a powerful tool that allows us to programmatically interact with forms, submissions, and more. Let's get our hands dirty and build something awesome!

Prerequisites

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

• Visual Studio or your favorite C# IDE
• .NET Core 3.1 or later
• A Formsite account with API access
• Your Formsite API key (keep it secret, keep it safe!)

Got all that? Great! Let's move on.

Setting up the project

First things first, let's create a new C# project. Fire up Visual Studio and create a new Console Application. We'll keep it simple for now, but feel free to adapt this to your specific needs later.

Now, let's grab the packages we need. Open up the Package Manager Console and run:

Install-Package Newtonsoft.Json
Install-Package RestSharp

These will help us handle JSON and make HTTP requests with ease.

Authentication

Alright, time to get our foot in the door. Formsite uses API key authentication, so let's set that up:

using RestSharp;
using RestSharp.Authenticators;

var client = new RestClient("https://fs3.formsite.com/api/v2/");
client.Authenticator = new HttpBasicAuthenticator("your-api-key", "");

Pro tip: Don't hardcode your API key in production. Use environment variables or a secure configuration manager.

Core API operations

Now for the fun part - let's interact with the API!

Retrieving form data

var request = new RestRequest("forms/{form_id}/results", Method.GET);
var response = await client.ExecuteAsync(request);

if (response.IsSuccessful)
{
    // Handle the response data
}

Submitting form responses

var request = new RestRequest("forms/{form_id}/submissions", Method.POST);
request.AddJsonBody(new
{
    items = new[]
    {
        new { id = "1", value = "John Doe" },
        new { id = "2", value = "[email protected]" }
    }
});

var response = await client.ExecuteAsync(request);

Handling API responses

Formsite returns JSON responses. Let's parse them:

using Newtonsoft.Json.Linq;

if (response.IsSuccessful)
{
    var data = JObject.Parse(response.Content);
    // Work with the data
}
else
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Error: {response.ErrorMessage}");
}

Implementing pagination

Dealing with large datasets? No sweat. Here's how to handle pagination:

int page = 1;
int pageSize = 100;
bool hasMore = true;

while (hasMore)
{
    var request = new RestRequest($"forms/{formId}/results?page={page}&per_page={pageSize}", Method.GET);
    var response = await client.ExecuteAsync(request);
    
    if (response.IsSuccessful)
    {
        var data = JObject.Parse(response.Content);
        // Process the data
        
        hasMore = data["stats"]["this_page"].Value<int>() < data["stats"]["total_pages"].Value<int>();
        page++;
    }
    else
    {
        hasMore = false;
    }
}

Best practices

Remember to respect rate limits and implement caching where appropriate. Your future self (and Formsite's servers) will thank you!

Testing and debugging

Always test your API calls thoroughly. Here's a quick unit test example using xUnit:

[Fact]
public async Task GetFormResults_ReturnsSuccessStatusCode()
{
    var client = new FormsiteApiClient("your-api-key");
    var result = await client.GetFormResults("your-form-id");
    
    Assert.Equal(200, result.StatusCode);
}

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid foundation for your Formsite API integration. Remember, this is just the beginning - there's so much more you can do with the API. Don't be afraid to explore and push the boundaries.

For more details, check out the official Formsite API documentation. Happy coding, and may your integrations be ever smooth and your responses always 200 OK!