Step by Step Guide to Building a Wealthbox CRM API Integration in Python

Aug 14, 2024 • 6 minute read

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of Wealthbox CRM API integration? You're in for a treat. Wealthbox CRM is a powerful tool for financial advisors, and its API opens up a whole new realm of possibilities. In this guide, we'll walk through building a Python integration that'll have you manipulating contact data like a pro.

Prerequisites

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

A Python environment (3.6+ recommended)
The requests library installed (pip install requests)
Wealthbox CRM API credentials (if you don't have these, head over to their developer portal)

Got all that? Great! Let's get cracking.

Authentication

First things first, we need to get you authenticated. Wealthbox uses API keys, so grab yours from your account settings. Here's how we'll set up our headers:

api_key = 'your_api_key_here'
headers = {
    'Authorization': f'Bearer {api_key}',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
}

Easy peasy, right?

Basic API Request Structure

Wealthbox's API is RESTful, so if you've worked with APIs before, this'll feel familiar. Here's the base URL:

base_url = 'https://api.wealthbox.com/v1'

We'll be using the requests library to make our HTTP calls. Here's a quick example:

import requests

response = requests.get(f'{base_url}/contacts', headers=headers)

Implementing Core Functionalities

Retrieving Contacts

Let's start by fetching some contacts:

def get_contacts():
    response = requests.get(f'{base_url}/contacts', headers=headers)
    return response.json()

Creating New Contacts

Time to add a new contact:

def create_contact(contact_data):
    response = requests.post(f'{base_url}/contacts', headers=headers, json=contact_data)
    return response.json()

Updating Contact Information

Got some changes? Let's update a contact:

def update_contact(contact_id, updated_data):
    response = requests.put(f'{base_url}/contacts/{contact_id}', headers=headers, json=updated_data)
    return response.json()

Deleting Contacts

And if you need to remove a contact:

def delete_contact(contact_id):
    response = requests.delete(f'{base_url}/contacts/{contact_id}', headers=headers)
    return response.status_code == 204

Handling Responses

Always check your responses! Here's a quick helper:

def handle_response(response):
    if response.status_code == 200:
        return response.json()
    else:
        response.raise_for_status()

Advanced Features

Wealthbox uses cursor-based pagination. Here's how to handle it:

def get_all_contacts():
    url = f'{base_url}/contacts'
    all_contacts = []
    while url:
        response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
        data = response.json()
        all_contacts.extend(data['contacts'])
        url = data.get('next_page')
    return all_contacts

Filtering and Sorting

You can add query parameters to filter and sort:

params = {
    'sort': 'last_name',
    'direction': 'asc',
    'query': 'John'
}
response = requests.get(f'{base_url}/contacts', headers=headers, params=params)

Best Practices

Respect rate limits! Wealthbox allows 120 requests per minute.
Use batch operations when possible to reduce API calls.
Cache responses when appropriate to minimize unnecessary requests.

Testing and Debugging

Wealthbox provides a sandbox environment for testing. Just change your base URL to:

base_url = 'https://api-sandbox.wealthbox.com/v1'

If you're running into issues, double-check your API key and make sure you're handling errors properly.

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now equipped to build a robust Wealthbox CRM integration in Python. Remember, this is just the beginning - there's so much more you can do with the API. Keep exploring, keep coding, and most importantly, have fun!

Additional Resources

Happy coding, and may your integrations be ever smooth and your API calls always successful!