Step by Step Guide to Building a Gravity Forms API Integration in Python

Aug 1, 2024 • 6 minute read

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your Gravity Forms workflow with Python? You're in the right place. We're going to dive into building a robust API integration using the nifty gravityforms-python package. Buckle up!

Prerequisites

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

A Python environment (3.6+ recommended)
Gravity Forms API credentials (you know the drill)
The gravityforms-python package installed (pip install gravityforms-python)

Got all that? Great! Let's roll.

Setting up the API Connection

First things first, let's get that connection going:

from gravity_forms import GravityFormsClient

# Replace with your actual credentials
client = GravityFormsClient(
    base_url='https://your-wordpress-site.com',
    api_key='your_api_key',
    api_secret='your_api_secret'
)

Easy peasy, right? Now we're cooking with gas!

Basic Operations

Retrieving Forms

Want to see what forms you've got? Here's how:

forms = client.forms.get()
for form in forms:
    print(f"Form ID: {form['id']}, Title: {form['title']}")

Fetching Entries

Let's grab some entries:

entries = client.entries.get(form_id=1)  # Replace with your form ID
for entry in entries:
    print(f"Entry ID: {entry['id']}, Date: {entry['date_created']}")

Creating New Entries

Time to add a new entry:

new_entry = {
    'form_id': 1,  # Replace with your form ID
    'field_1': 'John Doe',
    'field_2': '[email protected]'
}
response = client.entries.create(new_entry)
print(f"New entry created with ID: {response['id']}")

Advanced Usage

Updating Entries

Need to tweak an entry? No sweat:

updated_entry = {
    'field_1': 'Jane Doe'
}
client.entries.update(1, 123, updated_entry)  # Replace with form_id and entry_id

Deleting Entries

Sometimes you gotta clean house:

client.entries.delete(1, 123)  # Replace with form_id and entry_id

Working with File Uploads

Handling files? We've got you covered:

with open('path/to/file.pdf', 'rb') as file:
    response = client.entries.upload_file(1, 5, file)  # Replace with form_id and field_id
print(f"File uploaded: {response['url']}")

Error Handling and Best Practices

Always wrap your API calls in try-except blocks:

try:
    forms = client.forms.get()
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Oops! Something went wrong: {str(e)}")

And remember, be nice to the API. Use rate limiting if you're making lots of requests!

Example Use Case

Let's put it all together with a simple script that fetches new entries and sends them to another system:

import time

def process_new_entries():
    last_check = time.time() - 3600  # Check entries from the last hour
    
    while True:
        try:
            entries = client.entries.get(form_id=1, search={
                'field_filters': [
                    {
                        'key': 'date_created',
                        'value': last_check,
                        'operator': '>'
                    }
                ]
            })
            
            for entry in entries:
                # Process the entry (e.g., send to another system)
                print(f"Processing entry: {entry['id']}")
            
            last_check = time.time()
        except Exception as e:
            print(f"Error: {str(e)}")
        
        time.sleep(300)  # Wait 5 minutes before checking again

process_new_entries()

Testing and Debugging

When testing, start with a test form and use dummy data. If you hit a snag, check the API response for error messages. They're usually pretty helpful!

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now armed and dangerous with Gravity Forms API integration skills. Remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There's so much more you can do, so don't be afraid to experiment and push the boundaries.

Additional Resources

Now go forth and create some awesome integrations! Happy coding!