Step by Step Guide to Building a SimplyBook.me API Integration in Python

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of SimplyBook.me API integration? You're in for a treat. This nifty API allows you to tap into a powerful booking system, and we're going to walk through how to make it dance with Python. Let's get cracking!

Prerequisites

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

• A Python environment (3.6+ recommended)
• requests library installed (pip install requests)
• Your SimplyBook.me API credentials (if you don't have these, hop over to their developer portal)

Authentication

First things first, let's get you authenticated:

import requests
import json

def get_token(company_login, api_key):
    url = f"https://{company_login}.simplybook.me/admin/auth"
    payload = {
        "company": company_login,
        "login": "api",
        "password": api_key
    }
    response = requests.post(url, json=payload)
    return response.json()['token']

token = get_token('your_company_login', 'your_api_key')

Pro tip: This token expires, so consider implementing a refresh mechanism.

Basic API Requests

Now that we're in, let's make some noise:

def make_request(endpoint, method='GET', data=None):
    url = f"https://api.simplybook.me/v2/{endpoint}"
    headers = {
        "X-Company-Login": "your_company_login",
        "X-Token": token
    }
    if method == 'GET':
        response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
    elif method == 'POST':
        response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=data)
    
    if response.status_code != 200:
        raise Exception(f"API request failed: {response.text}")
    
    return response.json()

Key API Endpoints

Let's explore some crucial endpoints:

# List services
services = make_request('services')

# Create a booking
booking_data = {
    "client_id": 123,
    "service_id": 456,
    "start_datetime": "2023-06-01 10:00:00"
}
new_booking = make_request('bookings', method='POST', data=booking_data)

# Get client info
client_info = make_request(f'clients/123')

Building Core Functions

Time to build some meat on these bones:

def get_available_slots(service_id, date):
    return make_request(f'schedule/available_slots/{service_id}/{date}')

def create_booking(client_id, service_id, start_datetime):
    booking_data = {
        "client_id": client_id,
        "service_id": service_id,
        "start_datetime": start_datetime
    }
    return make_request('bookings', method='POST', data=booking_data)

def update_client(client_id, data):
    return make_request(f'clients/{client_id}', method='POST', data=data)

Putting It All Together

Here's a simple script to tie it all together:

# Authenticate
token = get_token('your_company_login', 'your_api_key')

# Get available slots for a service
service_id = 123
date = "2023-06-01"
slots = get_available_slots(service_id, date)

# Create a booking
if slots:
    booking = create_booking(456, service_id, slots[0]['start_datetime'])
    print(f"Booking created: {booking}")

# Update client info
update_client(456, {"name": "John Doe", "email": "[email protected]"})

Best Practices

1. Respect rate limits - SimplyBook.me isn't your personal punching bag.
2. Validate data before sending - garbage in, garbage out.
3. Keep your API key secret - treat it like your Netflix password.

Testing and Debugging

Unit testing is your friend. Here's a quick example:

import unittest

class TestSimplyBookAPI(unittest.TestCase):
    def test_get_available_slots(self):
        slots = get_available_slots(123, "2023-06-01")
        self.assertIsInstance(slots, list)
        if slots:
            self.assertIn('start_datetime', slots[0])

if __name__ == '__main__':
    unittest.main()

If you're hitting walls, double-check your API credentials and endpoint URLs. The SimplyBook.me API is pretty friendly, but it's not a mind reader!

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now armed and dangerous with SimplyBook.me API integration skills. Remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There's a whole world of functionality to explore, so don't be shy - dive in and see what you can create!

Happy coding, and may your bookings always be on time! 🚀