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

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of Thinkific API integration? You're in the right place. We're going to walk through building a robust C# integration that'll have you pulling course data, managing users, and handling enrollments like a pro. Let's get cracking!

Prerequisites

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

• Your favorite C# development environment (Visual Studio, Rider, whatever floats your boat)
• A Thinkific account with API credentials (if you don't have these, hop over to your Thinkific admin panel and get 'em)

Setting up the project

First things first, let's get our project set up:

1. Fire up your IDE and create a new C# project.
2. Install the necessary NuGet packages. We'll be using RestSharp for HTTP requests and Newtonsoft.Json for JSON handling:

Install-Package RestSharp
Install-Package Newtonsoft.Json

Authentication

Thinkific uses API key authentication. Let's create a base API client class to handle this:

public class ThinkificApiClient
{
    private readonly RestClient _client;
    private readonly string _apiKey;

    public ThinkificApiClient(string apiKey, string subdomain)
    {
        _apiKey = apiKey;
        _client = new RestClient($"https://{subdomain}.thinkific.com/api/public/v1/");
    }

    protected RestRequest CreateRequest(string resource, Method method)
    {
        var request = new RestRequest(resource, method);
        request.AddHeader("X-Auth-API-Key", _apiKey);
        request.AddHeader("Content-Type", "application/json");
        return request;
    }

    // We'll add more methods here later
}

Making API requests

Now that we've got our base client, let's add methods for GET and POST requests:

public class ThinkificApiClient
{
    // ... previous code ...

    public async Task<T> GetAsync<T>(string resource)
    {
        var request = CreateRequest(resource, Method.GET);
        var response = await _client.ExecuteAsync<T>(request);
        if (response.IsSuccessful)
            return response.Data;
        throw new Exception($"API request failed: {response.ErrorMessage}");
    }

    public async Task<T> PostAsync<T>(string resource, object payload)
    {
        var request = CreateRequest(resource, Method.POST);
        request.AddJsonBody(payload);
        var response = await _client.ExecuteAsync<T>(request);
        if (response.IsSuccessful)
            return response.Data;
        throw new Exception($"API request failed: {response.ErrorMessage}");
    }
}

Implementing key Thinkific API endpoints

Let's implement some key endpoints. We'll start with courses:

public class ThinkificApiClient
{
    // ... previous code ...

    public async Task<List<Course>> GetCoursesAsync()
    {
        return await GetAsync<List<Course>>("courses");
    }

    public async Task<Course> GetCourseAsync(int courseId)
    {
        return await GetAsync<Course>($"courses/{courseId}");
    }

    public async Task<User> CreateUserAsync(User user)
    {
        return await PostAsync<User>("users", user);
    }

    public async Task<Enrollment> EnrollUserAsync(int userId, int courseId)
    {
        var payload = new { user_id = userId, course_id = courseId };
        return await PostAsync<Enrollment>("enrollments", payload);
    }
}

Error handling and rate limiting

Thinkific has rate limits, so let's add some retry logic:

public class ThinkificApiClient
{
    // ... previous code ...

    private async Task<T> ExecuteWithRetryAsync<T>(Func<Task<T>> action, int maxRetries = 3)
    {
        for (int i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++)
        {
            try
            {
                return await action();
            }
            catch (Exception ex) when (ex.Message.Contains("429")) // Too Many Requests
            {
                if (i == maxRetries - 1)
                    throw;
                await Task.Delay(1000 * (i + 1)); // Exponential backoff
            }
        }
        throw new Exception("Max retries reached");
    }

    public async Task<T> GetAsync<T>(string resource)
    {
        return await ExecuteWithRetryAsync(async () =>
        {
            var request = CreateRequest(resource, Method.GET);
            var response = await _client.ExecuteAsync<T>(request);
            if (response.IsSuccessful)
                return response.Data;
            throw new Exception($"API request failed: {response.ErrorMessage}");
        });
    }

    // Apply similar changes to PostAsync
}

Testing the integration

Now that we've got our client set up, let's write a quick test:

[TestMethod]
public async Task TestGetCourses()
{
    var client = new ThinkificApiClient("your-api-key", "your-subdomain");
    var courses = await client.GetCoursesAsync();
    Assert.IsNotNull(courses);
    Assert.IsTrue(courses.Count > 0);
}

Best practices and optimization

To optimize your integration:

1. Implement caching for frequently accessed data.
2. Use asynchronous operations throughout your application.
3. Batch API requests where possible to reduce the number of calls.

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid foundation for a Thinkific API integration in C#. You can now fetch courses, create users, and manage enrollments. From here, sky's the limit! You could expand this to sync data with your own systems, build custom reports, or even create a full-fledged LMS integration.

Additional resources

• Thinkific API Documentation
• Sample Code Repository

Remember, the best way to learn is by doing. So go ahead, take this code, break it, improve it, and make it your own. Happy coding!