Step by Step Guide to Building a Tumblr API Integration in Go

Introduction

Hey there, fellow Go enthusiast! Ready to dive into the world of Tumblr API integration? You're in for a treat. We'll be using the tumblrclient.go package to make our lives easier. Tumblr's API is a powerhouse, letting you do everything from fetching user info to creating posts programmatically. Let's get cracking!

Prerequisites

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

• Go installed (I know, obvious, right?)
• Tumblr API credentials (grab 'em from the Tumblr developer portal)
• The tumblrclient.go package (a quick go get will do the trick)

Setting up the project

First things first, let's create a new Go project:

mkdir tumblr-integration && cd tumblr-integration
go mod init tumblr-integration

Now, let's import the necessary packages in our main.go:

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "github.com/tumblr/tumblrclient.go"
)

func main() {
    // We'll fill this in soon!
}

Authenticating with Tumblr API

Time to get our hands dirty with some authentication:

client := tumblrclient.NewClient(
    "YOUR_CONSUMER_KEY",
    "YOUR_CONSUMER_SECRET",
    "YOUR_TOKEN",
    "YOUR_TOKEN_SECRET",
)

if err := client.Authenticate(); err != nil {
    panic("Auth failed: " + err.Error())
}

Pro tip: Don't actually panic in production code. Handle errors gracefully!

Basic API operations

Let's start with some basic operations:

Fetching user information

user, err := client.GetUserInfo()
if err != nil {
    fmt.Println("Error fetching user info:", err)
    return
}
fmt.Printf("Hello, %s!\n", user.Name)

Retrieving blog posts

posts, err := client.GetPosts("yourblogname.tumblr.com", nil)
if err != nil {
    fmt.Println("Error fetching posts:", err)
    return
}
fmt.Printf("Found %d posts\n", len(posts.Posts))

Creating a new post

params := map[string]string{
    "type": "text",
    "title": "My awesome Go-powered post",
    "body": "Look ma, I'm posting from Go!",
}
post, err := client.CreatePost("yourblogname.tumblr.com", params)
if err != nil {
    fmt.Println("Error creating post:", err)
    return
}
fmt.Printf("Created post with ID: %s\n", post.Id)

Advanced features

Handling pagination

Tumblr uses offset-based pagination. Here's how to handle it:

offset := 0
limit := 20
for {
    params := map[string]string{
        "offset": fmt.Sprintf("%d", offset),
        "limit": fmt.Sprintf("%d", limit),
    }
    posts, err := client.GetPosts("yourblogname.tumblr.com", params)
    if err != nil {
        fmt.Println("Error fetching posts:", err)
        break
    }
    // Process posts...
    if len(posts.Posts) < limit {
        break // We've reached the end
    }
    offset += limit
}

Working with different post types

Tumblr supports various post types. Here's how to create a photo post:

params := map[string]string{
    "type": "photo",
    "caption": "Check out this awesome Go gopher!",
    "source": "http://example.com/gopher.jpg",
}
post, err := client.CreatePost("yourblogname.tumblr.com", params)
// Handle error and success...

Best practices

• Respect rate limits: Tumblr has API rate limits. Implement exponential backoff for retries.
• Cache responses when appropriate to reduce API calls.
• Log errors and monitor your integration's health.

Testing and debugging

Write unit tests for your API calls. Here's a quick example using the httptest package:

func TestGetUserInfo(t *testing.T) {
    server := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
        w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
        w.Write([]byte(`{"response": {"user": {"name": "TestUser"}}}`))
    }))
    defer server.Close()

    // Use the test server URL instead of the real Tumblr API
    client := tumblrclient.NewClient("", "", "", "")
    client.BaseURL = server.URL

    user, err := client.GetUserInfo()
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatalf("Expected no error, got %v", err)
    }
    if user.Name != "TestUser" {
        t.Errorf("Expected user name 'TestUser', got '%s'", user.Name)
    }
}

Deployment considerations

When deploying your Tumblr API integration:

• Use environment variables or a secure secret management system for API keys.
• Consider using a circuit breaker pattern for resilience.
• Monitor API usage to stay within rate limits and optimize performance.

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now equipped to build a robust Tumblr API integration in Go. Remember, the tumblrclient.go package documentation is your friend for more advanced usage. Now go forth and create something awesome!

Happy coding, Gophers! 🚀