Step by Step Guide to Building a Help Scout API Integration in PHP

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your customer support game with Help Scout's API? You're in the right place. We're going to walk through building a robust integration using the helpscout/api package. It's powerful, it's flexible, and it's about to become your new best friend.

Prerequisites

Before we dive in, let's make sure you've got all your ducks in a row:

• PHP 7.4 or higher (because who doesn't love modern PHP?)
• Composer installed (your trusty dependency manager)
• Help Scout API credentials (grab these from your Help Scout account)

Got all that? Great! Let's roll.

Installation

First things first, let's get that helpscout/api package installed. Fire up your terminal and run:

composer require helpscout/api

Easy peasy, right? Composer's got your back.

Authentication

Now, let's get you authenticated. It's like getting your VIP pass to the Help Scout party:

use HelpScout\Api\ApiClient;

$client = ApiClient::getInstance();
$client->setAccessToken('your-access-token');

If something goes wrong, don't panic! Catch that AuthenticationException and handle it like a pro.

Basic API Operations

Time to flex those API muscles! Let's start with the bread and butter of customer support: conversations.

Retrieving Conversations

$conversations = $client->conversations()->list();
foreach ($conversations as $conversation) {
    echo $conversation->getSubject();
}

Creating Conversations

use HelpScout\Api\Conversations\Conversation;

$conversation = new Conversation();
$conversation->setSubject('Need help!');
// ... set other properties
$client->conversations()->create($conversation);

Updating and deleting work similarly. You're getting the hang of this!

Working with Customers

Customers are the heart of your business, so let's show them some love:

$customer = $client->customers()->get($customerId);
echo $customer->getFirstName();

// Creating a new customer
$newCustomer = new Customer();
$newCustomer->setFirstName('Jane');
$newCustomer->setLastName('Doe');
$client->customers()->create($newCustomer);

Managing Tags

Tags are like little organizational ninjas. Here's how to wield them:

$client->conversations()->tags()->updateAll($conversationId, ['urgent', 'billing']);

Handling Attachments

Got files? We've got you covered:

$attachment = new Attachment();
$attachment->setFileName('important.pdf');
$attachment->setMimeType('application/pdf');
$attachment->setData(base64_encode(file_get_contents('path/to/file.pdf')));
$client->attachments()->create($conversationId, $attachment);

Webhooks Integration

Want real-time updates? Webhooks are your friend:

$webhook = new Webhook();
$webhook->setUrl('https://your-app.com/webhook');
$webhook->setEvents(['convo.assigned', 'convo.created']);
$client->webhooks()->create($webhook);

Error Handling and Best Practices

Remember, the API has rate limits. Be nice and implement retry logic:

use GuzzleHttp\Exception\ClientException;

try {
    // Your API call here
} catch (ClientException $e) {
    if ($e->getResponse()->getStatusCode() === 429) {
        // Wait and retry
        sleep(5);
        // Retry your API call
    }
}

Testing

Don't forget to test! Use PHPUnit and mock those API responses:

use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
use HelpScout\Api\ApiClient;

class YourIntegrationTest extends TestCase
{
    public function testGetConversation()
    {
        $mock = $this->createMock(ApiClient::class);
        $mock->method('conversations->get')
             ->willReturn(new Conversation());
        
        // Assert your expectations
    }
}

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now armed and dangerous with Help Scout API knowledge. Remember, this is just scratching the surface. The helpscout/api package has a ton more features to explore.

Keep experimenting, keep building, and most importantly, keep making your customers happy. You've got this!

Need more info? Check out the official Help Scout API docs and the helpscout/api GitHub repo. Now go forth and code!