Step by Step Guide to Building a Kintone API Integration in Ruby

Aug 16, 2024 • 6 minute read

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of Kintone API integration using Ruby? You're in for a treat. Kintone's API is a powerhouse for customizing and extending your Kintone apps, and with Ruby's elegance, we're about to make magic happen. We'll be using the kintone Ruby gem, so buckle up!

Prerequisites

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

A Ruby environment up and running (you've got this, right?)
A Kintone account with API access (if not, go grab one real quick)

Installation

Let's kick things off by installing the kintone gem. It's as easy as:

gem install kintone

Authentication

Time to get cozy with Kintone. Grab your API token and domain, and let's authenticate:

require 'kintone'

api = Kintone::Api.new("your-kintone-domain.com", "your-api-token")

Boom! You're in.

Basic Operations

Retrieving Records

Want to fetch some data? Here's how:

app_id = 1  # Replace with your app ID
records = api.records.get(app_id, query: "order_date >= THIS_MONTH()")
puts records

Creating Records

Got new data? Let's add it:

new_record = {
  "title" => { "value" => "New Project" },
  "status" => { "value" => "In Progress" }
}
api.record.create(app_id, new_record)

Updating Records

Need to change something? No sweat:

record_id = 1  # Replace with the actual record ID
updated_fields = {
  "status" => { "value" => "Completed" }
}
api.record.update(app_id, record_id, updated_fields)

Deleting Records

Time to say goodbye to a record:

api.record.delete(app_id, record_id)

Advanced Features

Querying with KQL

Flex those Kintone Query Language muscles:

complex_query = "status in ('Open', 'In Progress') and assignee = 'LOGINUSER()' order by created_time desc"
results = api.records.get(app_id, query: complex_query)

Bulk Operations

Efficiency is key. Let's do things in bulk:

records_to_create = [
  { "title" => { "value" => "Project A" } },
  { "title" => { "value" => "Project B" } }
]
api.records.create(app_id, records_to_create)

File Handling

Dealing with files? We've got you covered:

file_key = api.file.upload("path/to/your/file.pdf")
api.record.create(app_id, { "attachment" => { "value" => [{ "fileKey" => file_key }] } })

Error Handling and Best Practices

Always wrap your API calls in a begin-rescue block:

begin
  # Your API call here
rescue Kintone::KintoneError => e
  puts "Oops! #{e.message}"
end

And remember, Kintone has rate limits. Be nice to the API, and it'll be nice to you!

Example Project

Let's tie it all together with a simple task manager:

require 'kintone'

api = Kintone::Api.new("your-domain.kintone.com", "your-api-token")
app_id = 1  # Your Task Manager app ID

# Create a new task
new_task = {
  "title" => { "value" => "Learn Kintone API" },
  "status" => { "value" => "Not Started" },
  "due_date" => { "value" => "2023-12-31" }
}
api.record.create(app_id, new_task)

# Fetch all ongoing tasks
ongoing_tasks = api.records.get(app_id, query: "status in ('Not Started', 'In Progress')")

# Update a task
api.record.update(app_id, ongoing_tasks[0]['$id']['value'], { "status" => { "value" => "Completed" } })

puts "Task manager operational!"

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now armed and dangerous with Kintone API knowledge in Ruby. Remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Kintone's API is vast and powerful, so keep exploring and building awesome stuff!

Need more? Check out the official Kintone API docs and the kintone Ruby gem documentation.

Now go forth and code brilliantly! 🚀