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

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of SamCart API integration? You're in for a treat. We'll be using the nifty orchardcity/laravel-samcart package to make our lives easier. Let's get cracking!

Prerequisites

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

• A PHP environment with Laravel set up
• A SamCart account with API credentials in hand

Got those? Great! Let's move on.

Installation

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

composer require orchardcity/laravel-samcart

Now, let's register the service provider and facade. Add these lines to your config/app.php:

'providers' => [
    // ...
    OrchardCity\LaravelSamcart\SamcartServiceProvider::class,
],

'aliases' => [
    // ...
    'Samcart' => OrchardCity\LaravelSamcart\Facades\Samcart::class,
],

Configuration

Time to set up our config file:

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="OrchardCity\LaravelSamcart\SamcartServiceProvider"

Now, open up config/samcart.php and add your API credentials:

return [
    'api_key' => env('SAMCART_API_KEY'),
    'api_secret' => env('SAMCART_API_SECRET'),
];

Don't forget to update your .env file with the actual values!

Basic Usage

Let's get our hands dirty with some code:

use OrchardCity\LaravelSamcart\Facades\Samcart;

$client = Samcart::client();
$response = $client->get('products');

Boom! You've just made your first API call. How easy was that?

Common API Operations

Here are a few operations you'll likely use often:

// Get products
$products = $client->get('products');

// Fetch orders
$orders = $client->get('orders');

// Create a customer
$customer = $client->post('customers', [
    'email' => '[email protected]',
    'name' => 'John Doe'
]);

Handling Webhooks

SamCart can send webhooks to your app. Here's a quick example of how to handle them:

Route::post('samcart/webhook', function (Request $request) {
    $payload = $request->all();
    // Process the webhook data
    // ...
});

Remember to set up your webhook URL in your SamCart dashboard!

Error Handling and Debugging

When things go sideways (and they will), here's how to handle it:

try {
    $response = $client->get('nonexistent-endpoint');
} catch (\Exception $e) {
    Log::error('SamCart API Error: ' . $e->getMessage());
}

Pro tip: Always check the SamCart API docs when you hit a snag. They're your best friend!

Best Practices

A couple of things to keep in mind:

• Respect rate limits. SamCart isn't a fan of API hammering.
• Keep your API credentials secret. Use environment variables and never commit them to version control.

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now equipped to integrate SamCart into your PHP application like a pro. Remember, practice makes perfect, so don't be afraid to experiment and push the boundaries of what you can do with this integration.

Happy coding, and may your conversion rates be ever in your favor!