Step by Step Guide to Building a Typeform API Integration in Java

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your Java app with some Typeform magic? Let's dive into building a slick Typeform API integration. We'll cover everything you need to know, from setup to best practices, so you can start pulling in those sweet, sweet form responses in no time.

Prerequisites

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

• A Java development environment (I know you've got this covered)
• A Typeform account with an API key (grab one if you haven't already)
• Your favorite HTTP client library (we'll use OkHttp in this guide)

Setting up the project

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

1. Create a new Java project in your IDE of choice.
2. If you're using Maven, add this to your pom.xml:

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.squareup.okhttp3</groupId>
    <artifactId>okhttp</artifactId>
    <version>4.10.0</version>
</dependency>

For Gradle users, pop this into your build.gradle:

implementation 'com.squareup.okhttp3:okhttp:4.10.0'

Authentication

Alright, time to get that API key working for us:

1. Grab your API key from the Typeform dashboard.
2. In your Java code, let's set it up:

String apiKey = "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE";
OkHttpClient client = new OkHttpClient();

Making API requests

Now for the fun part - let's make some API calls:

Request request = new Request.Builder()
    .url("https://api.typeform.com/forms/{form_id}/responses")
    .addHeader("Authorization", "Bearer " + apiKey)
    .build();

try (Response response = client.newCall(request).execute()) {
    if (!response.isSuccessful()) throw new IOException("Unexpected code " + response);
    
    System.out.println(response.body().string());
}

Don't forget to handle pagination and errors like a pro!

Parsing JSON responses

Time to make sense of that JSON:

Gson gson = new Gson();
TypeformResponse typeformResponse = gson.fromJson(responseBody, TypeformResponse.class);

Implementing specific use cases

Let's put it all together and grab those form responses:

public List<FormResponse> getFormResponses(String formId) {
    // Implementation here
}

Best practices

Remember to:

• Respect rate limits (Typeform will thank you)
• Cache responses when it makes sense
• Log errors and handle them gracefully

Testing the integration

Don't forget to test! Here's a quick unit test to get you started:

@Test
public void testGetFormResponses() {
    List<FormResponse> responses = typeformService.getFormResponses("abc123");
    assertNotNull(responses);
    assertFalse(responses.isEmpty());
}

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now armed with the knowledge to build a robust Typeform API integration in Java. Remember, the Typeform API docs are your friend if you need more details. Now go forth and create something awesome!

Happy coding! 🚀