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

Aug 12, 2024 • 4 minute read

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your PHP project with Pocket integration? You're in the right place. We'll be using the awesome djchen/pocket-api-php package to make our lives easier. Let's dive in!

Prerequisites

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

A PHP environment (you're a pro, so I'm sure you've got this covered)
Composer installed (because who doesn't love dependency management?)
A Pocket API consumer key (grab one from the Pocket Developer Portal)

Installation

First things first, let's get that package installed:

composer require djchen/pocket-api-php

Easy peasy, right?

Authentication

Now, let's get you authenticated with Pocket. It's a three-step dance:

Get a request token:

$consumer_key = 'your-consumer-key';
$pocket = new Pocket($consumer_key);
$request_token = $pocket->getRequestToken('http://your-redirect-url.com');

Generate the authorization URL:

$auth_url = $pocket->getAuthorizationURL($request_token, 'http://your-redirect-url.com');

Send your user to this URL. They'll authorize your app, and Pocket will redirect them back to you.

Exchange the request token for an access token:

$access_token = $pocket->getAccessToken($request_token);

Boom! You're in.

Basic API Operations

Now the fun begins. Let's play with some Pocket items:

Adding items

$pocket->add('https://example.com', 'Example Title', ['tags' => 'example,test']);

Retrieving items

$items = $pocket->retrieve(['count' => 10, 'detailType' => 'complete']);

Modifying items

$pocket->archive('12345');
$pocket->favorite('67890');
$pocket->delete('54321');

Advanced Usage

Ready to level up? Let's get fancy:

Searching and filtering

$items = $pocket->retrieve(['search' => 'PHP', 'tag' => 'coding', 'sort' => 'newest']);

Bulk operations

$actions = [
    ['action' => 'archive', 'item_id' => '12345'],
    ['action' => 'favorite', 'item_id' => '67890']
];
$pocket->modify($actions);

Error handling

Always be prepared:

try {
    $pocket->add('https://example.com');
} catch (PocketException $e) {
    echo "Oops! " . $e->getMessage();
}

Best Practices

Respect rate limits: Pocket's not a fan of spam. Play nice!
Cache when you can: Your users (and Pocket's servers) will thank you.

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now a Pocket API integration wizard. Remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There's so much more you can do with Pocket's API. Go forth and build something awesome!

Resources

Happy coding, and may your pockets always be full of great content!