Step by Step Guide to Building a Smartsheet API Integration in C#

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your workflow with Smartsheet's API? You're in the right place. We'll be using the smartsheet-csharp-sdk package to make our lives easier. Buckle up, and let's dive in!

Prerequisites

Before we start coding, make sure you've got:

• Visual Studio or your favorite C# IDE
• .NET Framework 4.6.1 or later
• A Smartsheet account with API access
• Your Smartsheet API access token (keep it secret, keep it safe!)

Setting up the project

First things first, let's create a new C# project. Once that's done, grab the smartsheet-csharp-sdk package from NuGet. It's as easy as running:

Install-Package smartsheet-csharp-sdk

Initializing the Smartsheet client

Now, let's get that Smartsheet client up and running:

using Smartsheet.Api;
using Smartsheet.Api.Models;

// Initialize the client
SmartsheetClient smartsheet = new SmartsheetBuilder()
    .SetAccessToken("YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN")
    .Build();

Basic operations

Fetching sheets

Time to get your hands on some sheets:

PaginatedResult<Sheet> sheets = smartsheet.SheetResources.ListSheets(
    null,           // IEnumerable<SheetInclusion> includes
    null,           // PaginationParameters
    null            // DateTime modifiedSince
);

Reading data from a sheet

Let's grab that data:

long sheetId = 123456789;  // Replace with your sheet ID
Sheet sheet = smartsheet.SheetResources.GetSheet(
    sheetId,
    null,           // IEnumerable<SheetLevelInclusion> includes
    null,           // IEnumerable<SheetLevelExclusion> excludes
    null,           // IEnumerable<long> rowIds
    null,           // IEnumerable<int> rowNumbers
    null,           // IEnumerable<long> columnIds
    null,           // Nullable<long> pageSize
    null            // Nullable<long> page
);

Writing data to a sheet

Time to add some rows:

Row row = new Row();
row.Cells = new List<Cell>();
row.Cells.Add(new Cell.AddCellBuilder(columnId, "New Value").Build());

IList<Row> newRows = smartsheet.SheetResources.RowResources.AddRows(sheetId, new Row[] { row });

Updating existing rows

Let's tweak that data:

Row rowToUpdate = new Row();
rowToUpdate.Id = existingRowId;
rowToUpdate.Cells = new List<Cell>();
rowToUpdate.Cells.Add(new Cell.UpdateCellBuilder(columnId, "Updated Value").Build());

IList<Row> updatedRows = smartsheet.SheetResources.RowResources.UpdateRows(sheetId, new Row[] { rowToUpdate });

Advanced operations

Working with attachments

Spice up your sheets with some attachments:

Attachment attachment = smartsheet.SheetResources.AttachmentResources.AttachFile(
    sheetId,
    "path/to/your/file.pdf",
    "application/pdf"
);

Managing users and groups

Let's add a new user to the party:

User newUser = new User.AddUserBuilder("[email protected]", true, true).Build();
User addedUser = smartsheet.UserResources.AddUser(newUser);

Handling reports and workspaces

Fetch those reports like a pro:

PaginatedResult<Report> reports = smartsheet.ReportResources.ListReports();

Error handling and best practices

Always wrap your API calls in try-catch blocks:

try
{
    // Your Smartsheet API call here
}
catch (SmartsheetException ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Oops! {ex.Message}");
}

Remember to respect rate limits and implement exponential backoff for retries. And hey, don't forget to log those errors for easier debugging!

Sample integration scenario

Let's put it all together with a quick example:

try
{
    // Fetch a sheet
    Sheet sheet = smartsheet.SheetResources.GetSheet(sheetId, null, null, null, null, null, null, null);

    // Add a new row
    Row newRow = new Row();
    newRow.Cells = new List<Cell>();
    newRow.Cells.Add(new Cell.AddCellBuilder(columnId, "New Data").Build());
    IList<Row> addedRows = smartsheet.SheetResources.RowResources.AddRows(sheetId, new Row[] { newRow });

    // Attach a file to the new row
    Attachment attachment = smartsheet.SheetResources.RowResources.AttachmentResources.AttachFile(
        sheetId,
        addedRows[0].Id.Value,
        "path/to/your/file.pdf",
        "application/pdf"
    );

    Console.WriteLine("Operation completed successfully!");
}
catch (SmartsheetException ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Oops! Something went wrong: {ex.Message}");
}

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now equipped to build some awesome Smartsheet integrations with C#. Remember, practice makes perfect, so don't be afraid to experiment and push the boundaries of what you can do with the API.

For more in-depth info, check out the Smartsheet API Documentation and the smartsheet-csharp-sdk GitHub repo.

Now go forth and code something amazing! 🚀