Step by Step Guide to Building a Sendy API Integration in Ruby

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your email marketing with Sendy? Let's dive into building a slick Ruby integration for the Sendy API. Buckle up, because we're about to make your life a whole lot easier.

Introduction

Sendy is a self-hosted email newsletter application that packs a punch without breaking the bank. Its API lets us automate all sorts of cool stuff, from managing subscribers to launching campaigns. Today, we're going to build a Ruby wrapper that'll make working with Sendy as smooth as butter.

Prerequisites

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

• Ruby (2.5 or higher)
• The httparty gem (we'll use this for API requests)
• Your Sendy API key and URL

Got all that? Great! Let's get cooking.

Setting Up the Project

First things first, let's create a new Ruby file and install our dependency:

touch sendy_api.rb
gem install httparty

Configuring the Sendy API Client

Now, let's set up our Sendy API client. Open sendy_api.rb and add this code:

require 'httparty'

class SendyAPI
  include HTTParty

  def initialize(api_key, api_url)
    @api_key = api_key
    @api_url = api_url
  end

  # We'll add more methods here soon!
end

Implementing Core Functionalities

Subscribing a User

Let's start with the bread and butter - adding a subscriber:

def subscribe(list_id, email, name = '')
  post_request('subscribe', {
    list: list_id,
    email: email,
    name: name
  })
end

Unsubscribing a User

What goes up must come down. Here's how to unsubscribe:

def unsubscribe(list_id, email)
  post_request('unsubscribe', {
    list: list_id,
    email: email
  })
end

Checking Subscription Status

Curious if someone's still on your list? Here's how to check:

def subscription_status(list_id, email)
  post_request('api/subscribers/subscription-status.php', {
    list_id: list_id,
    email: email
  })
end

Creating a Campaign

Time to spread the word! Let's create a campaign:

def create_campaign(options = {})
  post_request('api/campaigns/create.php', options)
end

Sending a Campaign

And finally, let's send that campaign out into the world:

def send_campaign(campaign_id)
  post_request('api/campaigns/send.php', { campaign_id: campaign_id })
end

Error Handling and Response Parsing

Let's add a helper method to handle our POST requests and parse the responses:

private

def post_request(endpoint, params)
  response = self.class.post("#{@api_url}/#{endpoint}", body: params.merge(api_key: @api_key))
  
  case response.body
  when 'true', '1'
    true
  when 'false', '0'
    false
  else
    response.body
  end
end

Creating a Reusable Sendy Class

Now that we've got all our methods, here's our complete SendyAPI class:

require 'httparty'

class SendyAPI
  include HTTParty

  def initialize(api_key, api_url)
    @api_key = api_key
    @api_url = api_url
  end

  def subscribe(list_id, email, name = '')
    post_request('subscribe', {
      list: list_id,
      email: email,
      name: name
    })
  end

  def unsubscribe(list_id, email)
    post_request('unsubscribe', {
      list: list_id,
      email: email
    })
  end

  def subscription_status(list_id, email)
    post_request('api/subscribers/subscription-status.php', {
      list_id: list_id,
      email: email
    })
  end

  def create_campaign(options = {})
    post_request('api/campaigns/create.php', options)
  end

  def send_campaign(campaign_id)
    post_request('api/campaigns/send.php', { campaign_id: campaign_id })
  end

  private

  def post_request(endpoint, params)
    response = self.class.post("#{@api_url}/#{endpoint}", body: params.merge(api_key: @api_key))
    
    case response.body
    when 'true', '1'
      true
    when 'false', '0'
      false
    else
      response.body
    end
  end
end

Testing the Integration

Ready to take it for a spin? Here's how you can use your shiny new Sendy API wrapper:

sendy = SendyAPI.new('your_api_key', 'https://your_sendy_url')

# Subscribe a user
result = sendy.subscribe('your_list_id', '[email protected]', 'John Doe')
puts "Subscription result: #{result}"

# Check subscription status
status = sendy.subscription_status('your_list_id', '[email protected]')
puts "Subscription status: #{status}"

# Create and send a campaign
campaign_id = sendy.create_campaign({
  from_name: 'Your Name',
  from_email: '[email protected]',
  reply_to: '[email protected]',
  title: 'Your Campaign Title',
  subject: 'Your Email Subject',
  plain_text: 'Your plain text email content',
  html_text: '<h1>Your HTML email content</h1>',
  list_ids: 'your_list_id',
  brand_id: 'your_brand_id'
})

puts "Campaign created with ID: #{campaign_id}"

send_result = sendy.send_campaign(campaign_id)
puts "Campaign send result: #{send_result}"

Best Practices and Optimization Tips

1. Error handling: Wrap your API calls in begin/rescue blocks to gracefully handle any exceptions.
2. Rate limiting: Be mindful of Sendy's rate limits and implement appropriate delays if needed.
3. Logging: Consider adding logging to track API interactions and troubleshoot issues.
4. Configuration: Use environment variables or a config file to store your API key and URL.

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a powerful Sendy API integration in Ruby. With this wrapper, you can automate your email marketing tasks, manage subscribers, and launch campaigns with just a few lines of code.

Remember, this is just the beginning. You can extend this integration to include more Sendy API endpoints or even build a full-fledged Ruby gem. The sky's the limit!

Now go forth and conquer your email marketing challenges. Happy coding!