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

Aug 16, 2024 • 6 minute read

Introduction

Hey there, fellow Go enthusiast! Ready to dive into the world of Formsite API integration? You're in for a treat. We'll be using the nifty github.com/zaddok/formsite package to make our lives easier. Let's get cracking!

Prerequisites

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

Go installed on your machine (you're a Go dev, so I'm sure you've got this covered!)
A basic understanding of Go (which I know you have)
A Formsite account with API credentials (if you don't have this, go grab it real quick)

Setting Up the Project

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

mkdir formsite-integration
cd formsite-integration
go mod init formsite-integration
go get github.com/zaddok/formsite

Easy peasy, right?

Initializing the Formsite Client

Now, let's get that Formsite client up and running:

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "github.com/zaddok/formsite"
)

func main() {
    client := formsite.NewClient("your-api-key", "your-server-name")
    // We're ready to rock and roll!
}

Implementing Key Formsite API Functionalities

Retrieving Form Data

Let's fetch some form data:

forms, err := client.Forms()
if err != nil {
    // Handle error
}
for _, form := range forms {
    fmt.Printf("Form ID: %s, Name: %s\n", form.Id, form.Name)
}

Submitting Form Responses

Time to submit a response:

response := map[string]string{
    "field1": "value1",
    "field2": "value2",
}
result, err := client.Submit("form-id", response)
if err != nil {
    // Handle error
}
fmt.Printf("Submission ID: %s\n", result.Id)

Updating Existing Entries

Oops, made a mistake? No worries, let's update that entry:

updates := map[string]string{
    "field1": "new-value1",
}
err := client.Update("form-id", "result-id", updates)
if err != nil {
    // Handle error
}

Got a ton of responses? We've got you covered:

page := 1
for {
    results, err := client.Results("form-id", page, 100)
    if err != nil {
        // Handle error
    }
    if len(results) == 0 {
        break
    }
    // Process results
    page++
}

Error Handling and Best Practices

Always check for errors, folks! And remember, Formsite has rate limits, so be nice:

if err != nil {
    if rateLimitErr, ok := err.(formsite.RateLimitError); ok {
        fmt.Printf("Rate limit exceeded. Try again in %d seconds\n", rateLimitErr.RetryAfter)
        // Implement backoff strategy
    } else {
        // Handle other errors
    }
}

Testing the Integration

Don't forget to test! Here's a quick example:

func TestFormRetrieval(t *testing.T) {
    client := formsite.NewClient("test-api-key", "test-server")
    forms, err := client.Forms()
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatalf("Failed to retrieve forms: %v", err)
    }
    if len(forms) == 0 {
        t.Error("No forms retrieved")
    }
}

Optimizing Performance

Want to speed things up? Try concurrent requests:

formsChan := make(chan []formsite.Form)
go func() {
    forms, _ := client.Forms()
    formsChan <- forms
}()

resultsChan := make(chan []formsite.Result)
go func() {
    results, _ := client.Results("form-id", 1, 100)
    resultsChan <- results
}()

forms := <-formsChan
results := <-resultsChan

Securing the Integration

Keep those API credentials safe! Use environment variables:

apiKey := os.Getenv("FORMSITE_API_KEY")
serverName := os.Getenv("FORMSITE_SERVER_NAME")
client := formsite.NewClient(apiKey, serverName)

Conclusion

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

Resources

Now go forth and create some awesome Formsite integrations!