Step by Step Guide to Building a Simpro API Integration in Python

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of Simpro API integration? You're in for a treat. Simpro's API is a powerful tool that can supercharge your workflow management. In this guide, we'll walk through building a robust integration that'll have you manipulating job data like a pro.

Prerequisites

Before we jump in, let's make sure you're geared up:

• A Python environment (3.7+ recommended)
• requests library (pip install requests)
• Your Simpro API credentials (if you don't have these, hit up your Simpro admin)

Authentication

First things first, let's get you authenticated:

import requests

API_KEY = 'your_api_key_here'
API_SECRET = 'your_api_secret_here'

headers = {
    'Authorization': f'Bearer {API_KEY}:{API_SECRET}',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
}

Pro tip: Keep those credentials safe! Consider using environment variables instead of hardcoding them.

Basic API Request Structure

Simpro's API endpoints follow a predictable pattern. Here's how to construct a basic request:

BASE_URL = 'https://api.simpro.co'

def make_request(endpoint, method='GET', data=None):
    url = f'{BASE_URL}/{endpoint}'
    response = requests.request(method, url, headers=headers, json=data)
    response.raise_for_status()
    return response.json()

Handling API Responses

Always expect the unexpected! Let's wrap our requests in a try-except block:

try:
    data = make_request('jobs')
except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
    print(f"Oops! Something went wrong: {e}")

Core API Operations

Now for the fun part - let's play with some data:

# Get all jobs
jobs = make_request('jobs')

# Create a new job
new_job = make_request('jobs', method='POST', data={'name': 'Fix the flux capacitor'})

# Update a job
updated_job = make_request(f'jobs/{job_id}', method='PUT', data={'status': 'completed'})

# Delete a job
make_request(f'jobs/{job_id}', method='DELETE')

Pagination and Filtering

Dealing with lots of data? No sweat:

def get_all_jobs(status=None, limit=100):
    jobs = []
    page = 1
    while True:
        params = {'page': page, 'limit': limit}
        if status:
            params['status'] = status
        response = make_request('jobs', params=params)
        jobs.extend(response['data'])
        if not response['has_more']:
            break
        page += 1
    return jobs

Webhooks

Want real-time updates? Set up a webhook listener:

from flask import Flask, request

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/webhook', methods=['POST'])
def handle_webhook():
    payload = request.json
    # Process the webhook payload
    return '', 200

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(port=5000)

Rate Limiting and Best Practices

Be nice to the API - implement exponential backoff:

import time

def make_request_with_retry(endpoint, max_retries=3, **kwargs):
    for attempt in range(max_retries):
        try:
            return make_request(endpoint, **kwargs)
        except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
            if attempt == max_retries - 1:
                raise
            time.sleep(2 ** attempt)

Example Use Case: Job Sync

Let's put it all together and sync some jobs:

def sync_jobs():
    local_jobs = get_local_jobs()  # Implement this based on your local storage
    remote_jobs = get_all_jobs()
    
    for remote_job in remote_jobs:
        if remote_job['id'] not in local_jobs:
            create_local_job(remote_job)
        elif remote_job != local_jobs[remote_job['id']]:
            update_local_job(remote_job)
    
    for local_job_id in local_jobs:
        if local_job_id not in [job['id'] for job in remote_jobs]:
            delete_local_job(local_job_id)

# Run the sync
sync_jobs()

Testing and Debugging

Always test your integration! Here's a simple unit test to get you started:

import unittest
from unittest.mock import patch

class TestSimproIntegration(unittest.TestCase):
    @patch('requests.request')
    def test_get_jobs(self, mock_request):
        mock_request.return_value.json.return_value = {'data': [{'id': 1, 'name': 'Test Job'}]}
        jobs = make_request('jobs')
        self.assertEqual(len(jobs['data']), 1)
        self.assertEqual(jobs['data'][0]['name'], 'Test Job')

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

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid foundation for your Simpro API integration. Remember, this is just the beginning - there's so much more you can do with Simpro's API. Keep exploring, keep coding, and most importantly, have fun with it!

Got questions? Hit up the Simpro API docs or reach out to their support team. Happy coding, and may your integrations always run smoothly!