Back

Step by Step Guide to Building a Salesforce API Integration in Go

Jul 17, 20247 minute read

Introduction

Hey there, fellow Go enthusiast! Ready to dive into the world of Salesforce API integration? You're in for a treat. We'll be using the nifty go-salesforce package to make our lives easier. Let's get cracking!

Prerequisites

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

  • Go installed (I know, obvious, right?)
  • A Salesforce developer account (if you don't have one, go grab it – it's free!)
  • Some basic knowledge of Go and Salesforce (but hey, you wouldn't be here otherwise, would you?)

Setting up the project

First things first, let's set up our Go project:

mkdir salesforce-integration cd salesforce-integration go mod init salesforce-integration

Now, let's get that go-salesforce package:

go get github.com/simpleforce/simpleforce

Salesforce API Authentication

Alright, time to get those Salesforce credentials. Head over to your Salesforce developer account and grab:

  • Your instance URL
  • Client ID
  • Client Secret
  • Username
  • Password

Now, let's use these in our Go code:

package main import ( "github.com/simpleforce/simpleforce" ) func main() { client := simpleforce.NewClient("your-instance-url", simpleforce.ClientCredentials{ ClientID: "your-client-id", ClientSecret: "your-client-secret", Username: "your-username", Password: "your-password", }) // We'll use this client later }

Initializing the Salesforce client

Let's expand on that client initialization:

err := client.Login() if err != nil { panic(err) }

Boom! We're in. Now we can start making some API calls.

Basic CRUD operations

Querying records (SOQL)

Want to fetch some data? Here's how:

query := "SELECT Id, Name FROM Account LIMIT 10" result, err := client.Query(query) if err != nil { panic(err) } for _, record := range result.Records { fmt.Printf("Account: %s\n", record["Name"]) }

Creating records

Let's add a new Account:

newAccount := map[string]interface{}{ "Name": "Awesome New Account", } id, err := client.Insert("Account", newAccount) if err != nil { panic(err) } fmt.Printf("Created new Account with ID: %s\n", id)

Updating records

Time to update that Account:

updates := map[string]interface{}{ "Name": "Even More Awesome Account", } err = client.Update("Account", id, updates) if err != nil { panic(err) }

Deleting records

Don't need that Account anymore? Let's zap it:

err = client.Delete("Account", id) if err != nil { panic(err) }

Advanced operations

Bulk API usage

For those hefty data loads, use the Bulk API:

bulkJob := client.CreateBulkJob("Account", "insert") records := []map[string]interface{}{ {"Name": "Bulk Account 1"}, {"Name": "Bulk Account 2"}, } results, err := bulkJob.Upload(records) if err != nil { panic(err) }

Handling attachments

Attachments are a breeze:

attachment := map[string]interface{}{ "ParentId": parentId, "Name": "cool_file.txt", "Body": base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString([]byte("Hello, Salesforce!")), } id, err := client.Insert("Attachment", attachment) if err != nil { panic(err) }

Working with custom objects

Custom objects? No problem:

customObject := map[string]interface{}{ "Name__c": "Custom Object Instance", } id, err := client.Insert("Your_Custom_Object__c", customObject) if err != nil { panic(err) }

Error handling and best practices

Always check for errors (as we've been doing). For rate limiting, the go-salesforce package handles this automatically, but keep an eye on your API usage.

For logging, use Go's built-in log package or a more robust solution like logrus.

Testing the integration

Don't forget to write tests! Here's a quick example:

func TestQueryAccounts(t *testing.T) { client := setupTestClient() query := "SELECT Id, Name FROM Account LIMIT 1" result, err := client.Query(query) assert.NoError(t, err) assert.NotEmpty(t, result.Records) }

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now equipped to build robust Salesforce integrations with Go. Remember, the go-salesforce package documentation is your friend for more advanced features.

Now go forth and code some awesome Salesforce integrations! 🚀