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

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of OnceHub API integration? You're in for a treat. OnceHub's API is a powerful tool that lets you seamlessly incorporate scheduling functionality into your PHP applications. Whether you're building a booking system or enhancing an existing app, this guide will walk you through the process. Let's get started!

Prerequisites

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

• A PHP environment (you've got this, right?)
• OnceHub account and API credentials (if you don't have these yet, hop over to OnceHub and sign up)
• cURL library (we'll be using this for our HTTP requests)

Authentication

First things first, let's get you authenticated:

1. Log into your OnceHub account and grab your API key.
2. Now, let's set up those authentication headers:

$headers = [
    'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
    'Content-Type: application/json'
];

Easy peasy! You're now ready to make authenticated requests.

Making API Requests

Here's the basic structure for making a request:

$ch = curl_init('https://api.oncehub.com/v2/your-endpoint');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, $headers);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
$httpCode = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE);

if ($httpCode >= 400) {
    // Handle error
} else {
    $data = json_decode($response, true);
    // Process data
}

curl_close($ch);

Key API Endpoints

You'll be working with these main endpoints:

• /booking_pages: Manage your booking pages
• /resources: Handle resources like staff or rooms
• /bookings: Create, update, or cancel bookings

Implementing Core Functionality

Let's tackle some key features:

Fetching Available Time Slots

$response = makeApiRequest('GET', '/booking_pages/{id}/availability?date_from=2023-06-01&date_to=2023-06-07');
// Process and display available slots

Creating a Booking

$bookingData = [
    'customer' => [
        'name' => 'John Doe',
        'email' => '[email protected]'
    ],
    'start_time' => '2023-06-01T10:00:00Z'
];
$response = makeApiRequest('POST', '/bookings', json_encode($bookingData));
// Handle successful booking

Error Handling and Logging

Always expect the unexpected! Implement robust error handling:

function handleApiError($response) {
    $error = json_decode($response, true);
    error_log("OnceHub API Error: " . $error['message']);
    // Implement your error handling logic here
}

Optimizing Performance

• Cache frequently accessed data like booking page details
• Respect rate limits (check the API docs for current limits)

Security Best Practices

• Never expose your API key in client-side code
• Always validate and sanitize user input before sending it to the API

Testing

Don't forget to test your integration thoroughly:

function testFetchAvailability() {
    $response = makeApiRequest('GET', '/booking_pages/{id}/availability');
    assert($response['status'] === 200, 'Failed to fetch availability');
}

// Run more tests for other functionalities

Deployment Considerations

• Use environment variables for API keys
• Set up monitoring to track API usage and errors

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid OnceHub API integration in PHP. Remember, this is just the beginning - there's so much more you can do with the API. Keep exploring, keep coding, and most importantly, have fun with it!

For more details, check out the OnceHub API documentation. Happy coding!