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

Aug 11, 2024 • 7 minute read

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your productivity app with TickTick's powerful API? In this guide, we'll walk through building a robust C# integration that'll have you managing tasks like a pro. Let's dive in and make some magic happen!

Prerequisites

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

Visual Studio or your favorite C# IDE
.NET Core SDK (3.1 or later)
A TickTick account and API credentials (if you haven't got these yet, head over to the TickTick developer portal)

Got all that? Great! Let's get this show on the road.

Setting up the project

First things first, let's create a new C# project. Fire up Visual Studio and create a new Console Application. We'll keep it simple for now, but feel free to adapt this to your needs later.

Now, let's grab some NuGet packages to make our lives easier:

Install-Package RestSharp
Install-Package Newtonsoft.Json

These will handle our HTTP requests and JSON parsing, respectively. Trust me, they're lifesavers!

Authentication

Alright, time to get our hands dirty with OAuth 2.0. TickTick uses this for authentication, so we'll need to implement the flow. Here's a quick snippet to get you started:

public async Task<string> GetAccessToken(string clientId, string clientSecret, string code)
{
    var client = new RestClient("https://ticktick.com/oauth/token");
    var request = new RestRequest(Method.POST);
    request.AddParameter("client_id", clientId);
    request.AddParameter("client_secret", clientSecret);
    request.AddParameter("code", code);
    request.AddParameter("grant_type", "authorization_code");

    var response = await client.ExecuteAsync(request);
    var tokenResponse = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<TokenResponse>(response.Content);
    return tokenResponse.AccessToken;
}

Remember to store and refresh your access tokens securely. Your future self will thank you!

Basic API Requests

Now that we're authenticated, let's make our first API call. Here's how to fetch your tasks:

public async Task<List<Task>> GetTasks(string accessToken)
{
    var client = new RestClient("https://api.ticktick.com/api/v2/task");
    var request = new RestRequest(Method.GET);
    request.AddHeader("Authorization", $"Bearer {accessToken}");

    var response = await client.ExecuteAsync(request);
    return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<Task>>(response.Content);
}

Easy peasy, right? This pattern will serve you well for most API calls.

CRUD Operations

Let's run through the basic CRUD operations. Here's a quick example of creating a task:

public async Task<Task> CreateTask(string accessToken, string title, string content)
{
    var client = new RestClient("https://api.ticktick.com/api/v2/task");
    var request = new RestRequest(Method.POST);
    request.AddHeader("Authorization", $"Bearer {accessToken}");
    request.AddJsonBody(new { title, content });

    var response = await client.ExecuteAsync(request);
    return JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Task>(response.Content);
}

Updating and deleting follow a similar pattern. Just remember to use the correct HTTP methods (PUT for update, DELETE for delete) and include the task ID in your requests.

Advanced Features

Want to level up? Let's tackle lists and tags:

public async Task<List<TaskList>> GetLists(string accessToken)
{
    // Similar to GetTasks, but with a different endpoint
}

public async Task AddTagToTask(string accessToken, string taskId, string tag)
{
    // Use a PATCH request to update the task with the new tag
}

The sky's the limit here. Explore the TickTick API docs to see what else you can do!

Error Handling and Rate Limiting

Don't forget to implement robust error handling and respect those rate limits. Here's a simple retry mechanism:

public async Task<T> ExecuteWithRetry<T>(Func<Task<T>> action, int maxRetries = 3)
{
    for (int i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++)
    {
        try
        {
            return await action();
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            if (i == maxRetries - 1) throw;
            await Task.Delay(1000 * (i + 1)); // Exponential backoff
        }
    }
    throw new Exception("Max retries reached");
}

Wrap your API calls with this method, and you'll be handling transient errors like a champ!

Testing the Integration

Don't skip testing! Write unit tests for your key components and integration tests to ensure everything's working smoothly. Here's a quick example using xUnit:

[Fact]
public async Task CreateTask_ShouldReturnNewTask()
{
    var api = new TickTickApi(accessToken);
    var task = await api.CreateTask("Test Task", "This is a test task");
    Assert.NotNull(task);
    Assert.Equal("Test Task", task.Title);
}

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid foundation for your TickTick API integration. Remember, this is just the beginning. Keep exploring, keep coding, and most importantly, keep organizing those tasks!

Resources

Now go forth and conquer those to-do lists! Happy coding!