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

Introduction

Hey there, fellow Ruby enthusiast! Ready to supercharge your chatbot game with Landbot? You're in the right place. We're going to walk through building a Landbot API integration that'll make your bots smarter, faster, and more powerful. Let's dive in!

Prerequisites

Before we get our hands dirty, make sure you've got:

• Ruby 2.7+ (because we're not living in the stone age)
• Your favorite HTTP client gem (I'm partial to faraday, but you do you)
• A Landbot API key (grab one from your Landbot dashboard)

Setting up the project

First things first, let's get our project off the ground:

mkdir landbot_integration && cd landbot_integration
bundle init

Now, crack open that Gemfile and add:

gem 'faraday'
gem 'json'

Run bundle install, and we're off to the races!

Authenticating with Landbot API

Time to make friends with the Landbot API. Create a new file, landbot_client.rb:

require 'faraday'
require 'json'

class LandbotClient
  BASE_URL = 'https://api.landbot.io/v1'

  def initialize(api_key)
    @conn = Faraday.new(url: BASE_URL) do |faraday|
      faraday.headers['Authorization'] = "Token #{api_key}"
      faraday.headers['Content-Type'] = 'application/json'
      faraday.adapter Faraday.default_adapter
    end
  end

  # We'll add more methods here soon!
end

Basic API Operations

Let's add some basic operations to our client:

class LandbotClient
  # ... previous code ...

  def get_bot(bot_id)
    response = @conn.get("bots/#{bot_id}")
    JSON.parse(response.body)
  end

  def create_bot(name, template_id)
    response = @conn.post('bots', { name: name, template: template_id }.to_json)
    JSON.parse(response.body)
  end

  def update_bot(bot_id, settings)
    response = @conn.patch("bots/#{bot_id}", settings.to_json)
    JSON.parse(response.body)
  end
end

Working with Conversations

Now, let's add some conversation magic:

class LandbotClient
  # ... previous code ...

  def get_conversations(bot_id)
    response = @conn.get("bots/#{bot_id}/customers")
    JSON.parse(response.body)
  end

  def send_message(customer_id, message)
    response = @conn.post("customers/#{customer_id}/send_message", { message: message }.to_json)
    JSON.parse(response.body)
  end
end

For webhooks, you'll need to set up an endpoint in your web framework of choice. Here's a quick example using Sinatra:

require 'sinatra'
require 'json'

post '/landbot_webhook' do
  payload = JSON.parse(request.body.read)
  # Process the webhook payload
  # You might want to trigger a specific action based on the payload content
  status 200
end

Implementing Custom Blocks

Custom blocks are where things get really interesting. Here's a simple example:

class LandbotClient
  # ... previous code ...

  def create_custom_block(bot_id, block_data)
    response = @conn.post("bots/#{bot_id}/blocks", block_data.to_json)
    JSON.parse(response.body)
  end
end

# Usage
client = LandbotClient.new('your_api_key')
block_data = {
  type: 'text',
  message: 'This is a custom block!',
  next: 'some_block_id'
}
client.create_custom_block('your_bot_id', block_data)

Error Handling and Best Practices

Always expect the unexpected:

class LandbotClient
  # ... previous code ...

  private

  def handle_response(response)
    case response.status
    when 200..299
      JSON.parse(response.body)
    when 429
      raise "Rate limit exceeded. Try again in #{response.headers['Retry-After']} seconds."
    else
      raise "API error: #{response.status} - #{response.body}"
    end
  end
end

Testing the Integration

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

require 'rspec'
require_relative 'landbot_client'

RSpec.describe LandbotClient do
  let(:client) { LandbotClient.new('fake_api_key') }

  it 'fetches bot information' do
    # Mock the API response
    allow_any_instance_of(Faraday::Connection).to receive(:get).and_return(double(body: '{"id": "123", "name": "Test Bot"}'))

    bot = client.get_bot('123')
    expect(bot['name']).to eq('Test Bot')
  end
end

Deployment Considerations

When deploying, remember:

• Keep your API key safe (use environment variables)
• Consider implementing caching for frequently accessed data
• Monitor your API usage to stay within rate limits

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid foundation for your Landbot API integration in Ruby. Remember, this is just the beginning – there's so much more you can do with the Landbot API. Keep exploring, keep building, and most importantly, keep having fun with it!

Happy coding, Rubyist! 🚀