Step by Step Guide to Building a Wave API Integration in Ruby

Introduction

Hey there, fellow Ruby enthusiast! Ready to ride the Wave? No, not the ocean kind – we're talking about the Wave API. If you're looking to integrate financial data into your Ruby application, you're in for a treat. This guide will walk you through building a solid Wave API integration that'll have you surfing through financial data in no time.

Prerequisites

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

• Ruby 2.7+ installed (because who doesn't love the latest and greatest?)
• A bundle of gems (we'll cover those in a sec)
• Wave API credentials (if you don't have these, hop over to Wave's developer portal and snag 'em)

Setting up the project

Let's get this party started:

mkdir wave_api_integration
cd wave_api_integration
bundle init

Now, crack open that Gemfile and add:

gem 'httparty'
gem 'dotenv'

Run bundle install, and you're golden.

Configuring the Wave API client

Time to create our Wave API client. Create a new file called wave_client.rb:

require 'httparty'
require 'dotenv/load'

class WaveClient
  include HTTParty
  base_uri 'https://api.waveapps.com/v1'

  def initialize
    @options = {
      headers: {
        'Authorization' => "Bearer #{ENV['WAVE_ACCESS_TOKEN']}",
        'Content-Type' => 'application/json'
      }
    }
  end

  # We'll add more methods here soon!
end

Don't forget to create a .env file in your project root and add your Wave access token:

WAVE_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_access_token_here

Basic API operations

Let's add some methods to our WaveClient class:

def get_account_info
  self.class.get('/user/businesses', @options)
end

def list_customers
  self.class.get('/customers', @options)
end

def create_invoice(invoice_data)
  self.class.post('/invoices', @options.merge(body: invoice_data.to_json))
end

Handling responses and errors

Wave's API returns JSON, so let's parse it and handle any errors:

def handle_response(response)
  case response.code
  when 200..299
    JSON.parse(response.body)
  else
    raise "API error: #{response.code} - #{response.message}"
  end
end

Now, update your methods to use this:

def get_account_info
  handle_response(self.class.get('/user/businesses', @options))
end

# Do the same for other methods

Advanced usage

Want to get fancy? Let's add pagination and filtering:

def list_customers(page: 1, page_size: 25, filter: {})
  query = { page: page, page_size: page_size }.merge(filter)
  handle_response(self.class.get('/customers', @options.merge(query: query)))
end

Testing the integration

Testing is crucial, folks. Here's a quick example using RSpec:

require 'rspec'
require_relative 'wave_client'

RSpec.describe WaveClient do
  let(:client) { WaveClient.new }

  it 'fetches account information' do
    VCR.use_cassette('account_info') do
      response = client.get_account_info
      expect(response).to have_key('businesses')
    end
  end

  # Add more tests for other methods
end

Best practices and optimization

Remember to respect rate limits and consider caching frequently accessed data. You could use Redis or Memcached for this – your future self will thank you.

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a Wave API integration that would make any surfer proud. Remember, this is just the beginning – there's a whole ocean of possibilities with the Wave API. Keep exploring, keep coding, and most importantly, keep riding that Ruby wave!

For more in-depth info, check out the Wave API documentation. Happy coding!