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

Introduction

Hey there, fellow Ruby enthusiast! Ready to dive into the world of Gravity Forms API integration? You're in for a treat. We'll be walking through the process of building a robust integration that'll have you pulling and pushing data like a pro. Let's get cracking!

Prerequisites

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

• A Ruby environment (2.7+ recommended)
• Gravity Forms API credentials (you know the drill)
• Your favorite HTTP client gem (we'll use faraday in this guide)

Setting up the API Client

First things first, let's get our API client set up:

require 'faraday'
require 'json'

class GravityFormsClient
  BASE_URL = 'https://your-wordpress-site.com/wp-json/gf/v2'

  def initialize(api_key, private_key)
    @api_key = api_key
    @private_key = private_key
  end

  def connection
    @connection ||= Faraday.new(url: BASE_URL) do |faraday|
      faraday.request :url_encoded
      faraday.adapter Faraday.default_adapter
      faraday.headers['User-Agent'] = 'GravityFormsRubyClient/1.0'
    end
  end

  # We'll add more methods here soon!
end

Basic API Operations

Now, let's add some methods to fetch forms and entries:

class GravityFormsClient
  # ... previous code ...

  def get_forms
    response = authenticated_request(:get, 'forms')
    JSON.parse(response.body)
  end

  def get_entries(form_id)
    response = authenticated_request(:get, "forms/#{form_id}/entries")
    JSON.parse(response.body)
  end

  def create_entry(form_id, entry_data)
    response = authenticated_request(:post, "forms/#{form_id}/entries", entry_data)
    JSON.parse(response.body)
  end

  private

  def authenticated_request(method, endpoint, body = nil)
    connection.send(method) do |req|
      req.url endpoint
      req.headers['Authorization'] = "Basic #{Base64.encode64("#{@api_key}:#{@private_key}")}"
      req.body = body.to_json if body
    end
  end
end

Advanced Operations

Let's add some more advanced operations:

class GravityFormsClient
  # ... previous code ...

  def update_entry(entry_id, entry_data)
    response = authenticated_request(:put, "entries/#{entry_id}", entry_data)
    JSON.parse(response.body)
  end

  def delete_entry(entry_id)
    response = authenticated_request(:delete, "entries/#{entry_id}")
    response.status == 200
  end

  def upload_file(form_id, field_id, file_path)
    file = Faraday::UploadIO.new(file_path, 'application/octet-stream')
    response = authenticated_request(:post, "forms/#{form_id}/entries", { field_id => file })
    JSON.parse(response.body)
  end
end

Error Handling and Logging

Let's add some error handling and logging:

class GravityFormsClient
  # ... previous code ...

  def authenticated_request(method, endpoint, body = nil)
    response = connection.send(method) do |req|
      req.url endpoint
      req.headers['Authorization'] = "Basic #{Base64.encode64("#{@api_key}:#{@private_key}")}"
      req.body = body.to_json if body
    end

    log_response(response)
    handle_errors(response)

    response
  end

  private

  def log_response(response)
    puts "API Response: #{response.status} #{response.body}"
  end

  def handle_errors(response)
    case response.status
    when 400..499
      raise "Client error: #{response.status} - #{response.body}"
    when 500..599
      raise "Server error: #{response.status} - #{response.body}"
    end
  end
end

Building a Wrapper Class

To make our lives easier, let's create a wrapper class:

class GravityFormsWrapper
  def initialize(api_key, private_key)
    @client = GravityFormsClient.new(api_key, private_key)
  end

  def get_form_entries(form_id)
    @client.get_entries(form_id)
  end

  def submit_form(form_id, data)
    @client.create_entry(form_id, data)
  end

  # Add more wrapper methods as needed
end

Testing the Integration

Here's a quick example of how you might test your integration:

require 'minitest/autorun'
require 'webmock/minitest'

class GravityFormsClientTest < Minitest::Test
  def setup
    @client = GravityFormsClient.new('api_key', 'private_key')
  end

  def test_get_forms
    stub_request(:get, "#{GravityFormsClient::BASE_URL}/forms")
      .to_return(status: 200, body: '[{"id": 1, "title": "Test Form"}]')

    forms = @client.get_forms
    assert_equal 1, forms.first['id']
    assert_equal 'Test Form', forms.first['title']
  end

  # Add more tests as needed
end

Performance Optimization

To optimize performance, consider implementing caching:

require 'redis'

class GravityFormsClient
  # ... previous code ...

  def get_forms
    cache.fetch('forms', expires_in: 3600) do
      response = authenticated_request(:get, 'forms')
      JSON.parse(response.body)
    end
  end

  private

  def cache
    @cache ||= Redis.new
  end
end

Security Best Practices

Always use HTTPS and store your API credentials securely. Consider using environment variables:

api_key = ENV['GRAVITY_FORMS_API_KEY']
private_key = ENV['GRAVITY_FORMS_PRIVATE_KEY']

client = GravityFormsClient.new(api_key, private_key)

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid Gravity Forms API integration in Ruby. Remember, this is just the beginning – there's always room for improvement and customization. Keep exploring the API docs, and don't be afraid to push the boundaries of what you can do with this integration.

Happy coding, Rubyist!