Step by Step Guide to Building a lemlist API Integration in PHP

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your email outreach game? Let's dive into building a lemlist API integration in PHP. This guide will walk you through the process, assuming you're already familiar with PHP and API integrations. We'll keep things concise and focused on the good stuff.

Prerequisites

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

• A PHP environment (7.4+ recommended)
• Composer installed
• Your lemlist API key handy

Got all that? Great! Let's roll.

Setting up the project

First things first, let's get our project structure in place:

mkdir lemlist-integration
cd lemlist-integration
composer init
composer require guzzlehttp/guzzle

Authentication

Alright, let's get that API key working for us:

<?php

require 'vendor/autoload.php';

use GuzzleHttp\Client;

$apiKey = 'your_api_key_here';
$client = new Client([
    'base_uri' => 'https://api.lemlist.com/api/',
    'headers' => [
        'Authorization' => 'Bearer ' . $apiKey
    ]
]);

Basic API Operations

Now that we're set up, let's cover the basic CRUD operations:

// GET request
$response = $client->get('campaigns');

// POST request
$response = $client->post('campaigns', [
    'json' => ['name' => 'My New Campaign']
]);

// PUT request
$response = $client->put('campaigns/{campaignId}', [
    'json' => ['name' => 'Updated Campaign Name']
]);

// DELETE request
$response = $client->delete('campaigns/{campaignId}');

Implementing Key lemlist Features

Let's tackle some core lemlist functionalities:

// Managing campaigns
$campaigns = json_decode($client->get('campaigns')->getBody(), true);

// Handling leads
$newLead = $client->post('campaigns/{campaignId}/leads', [
    'json' => [
        'email' => '[email protected]',
        'firstName' => 'John',
        'lastName' => 'Doe'
    ]
]);

// Tracking email activities
$activities = json_decode($client->get('activities')->getBody(), true);

Error Handling and Rate Limiting

Don't let errors catch you off guard:

try {
    $response = $client->get('campaigns');
} catch (\GuzzleHttp\Exception\ClientException $e) {
    $errorResponse = $e->getResponse();
    $errorMessage = json_decode($errorResponse->getBody()->getContents(), true);
    // Handle the error
}

// Check rate limit headers
$rateLimit = $response->getHeader('X-RateLimit-Remaining');
if ($rateLimit[0] < 10) {
    // Consider slowing down requests
}

Best Practices

Keep your integration smooth and efficient:

// Caching responses
$cache = new SomeCache();
$campaignsKey = 'lemlist_campaigns';

if (!$cache->has($campaignsKey)) {
    $campaigns = json_decode($client->get('campaigns')->getBody(), true);
    $cache->set($campaignsKey, $campaigns, 3600); // Cache for 1 hour
} else {
    $campaigns = $cache->get($campaignsKey);
}

// Asynchronous requests
$promise = $client->getAsync('campaigns');
$promise->then(
    function ($response) {
        // Handle response
    },
    function ($exception) {
        // Handle exception
    }
);

Testing the Integration

Don't forget to test your work:

// Unit testing example
public function testGetCampaigns()
{
    $mockClient = $this->createMock(Client::class);
    $mockClient->expects($this->once())
               ->method('get')
               ->with('campaigns')
               ->willReturn(new Response(200, [], json_encode(['campaigns' => []])));

    $lemlistApi = new LemlistApi($mockClient);
    $campaigns = $lemlistApi->getCampaigns();

    $this->assertIsArray($campaigns);
}

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid lemlist API integration in PHP. Remember to keep an eye on the official lemlist API documentation for any updates or new features.

Now go forth and conquer those email campaigns! Happy coding!