Step by Step Guide to Building a Woodpecker.co API Integration in C#

Introduction

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to supercharge your outreach game with Woodpecker.co? Let's dive into building a robust API integration in C#. Woodpecker.co's API is a powerhouse for managing campaigns, prospects, and stats. By the end of this guide, you'll be automating your sales processes like a pro.

Prerequisites

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

• Visual Studio or your favorite C# IDE
• .NET Core 3.1 or later
• Your Woodpecker.co API credentials (if you don't have them, hop over to your account settings and grab 'em)

Setting up the project

Let's get the ball rolling:

1. Fire up Visual Studio and create a new C# project.
2. Install these NuGet packages:

   Install-Package Newtonsoft.Json
   Install-Package RestSharp
   

Authentication

Woodpecker.co uses API key authentication. Here's how to set it up:

public class WoodpeckerClient
{
    private readonly string _apiKey;
    private readonly RestClient _client;

    public WoodpeckerClient(string apiKey)
    {
        _apiKey = apiKey;
        _client = new RestClient("https://api.woodpecker.co/rest/v1/");
        _client.AddDefaultHeader("X-API-KEY", _apiKey);
    }
}

Making API requests

Let's create a method to handle our API calls:

private async Task<T> ExecuteAsync<T>(RestRequest request)
{
    var response = await _client.ExecuteAsync<T>(request);
    if (!response.IsSuccessful)
    {
        throw new Exception($"API request failed: {response.ErrorMessage}");
    }
    return response.Data;
}

Implementing key Woodpecker.co API endpoints

Now for the fun part! Let's implement some core endpoints:

public async Task<List<Campaign>> GetCampaignsAsync()
{
    var request = new RestRequest("campaigns");
    return await ExecuteAsync<List<Campaign>>(request);
}

public async Task<List<Prospect>> GetProspectsAsync(int campaignId)
{
    var request = new RestRequest($"campaigns/{campaignId}/prospects");
    return await ExecuteAsync<List<Prospect>>(request);
}

public async Task<Statistics> GetStatisticsAsync(int campaignId)
{
    var request = new RestRequest($"campaigns/{campaignId}/statistics");
    return await ExecuteAsync<Statistics>(request);
}

Error handling and rate limiting

Don't forget to play nice with the API:

private async Task<T> ExecuteWithRetryAsync<T>(RestRequest request, int maxRetries = 3)
{
    for (int i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++)
    {
        try
        {
            return await ExecuteAsync<T>(request);
        }
        catch (Exception ex) when (ex.Message.Contains("429"))
        {
            if (i == maxRetries - 1) throw;
            await Task.Delay(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(Math.Pow(2, i)));
        }
    }
    throw new Exception("Max retries exceeded");
}

Data models and serialization

Create classes for Woodpecker.co objects:

public class Campaign
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
    // Add other properties
}

public class Prospect
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Email { get; set; }
    // Add other properties
}

public class Statistics
{
    public int Sent { get; set; }
    public int Opened { get; set; }
    // Add other properties
}

Example usage

Put it all together:

var client = new WoodpeckerClient("your-api-key");
var campaigns = await client.GetCampaignsAsync();
foreach (var campaign in campaigns)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Campaign: {campaign.Name}");
    var prospects = await client.GetProspectsAsync(campaign.Id);
    Console.WriteLine($"Prospects: {prospects.Count}");
}

Best practices and optimization

• Cache results when appropriate to reduce API calls.
• Use asynchronous operations to keep your app responsive.
• Implement proper error handling and logging.

Testing the integration

Don't skip testing! Write unit tests for your client methods and integration tests to ensure everything's working smoothly with the actual API.

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid Woodpecker.co API integration in C#. With this foundation, you can expand to cover more endpoints and build some seriously cool automation tools. Remember to check out the official Woodpecker.co API docs for more details on available endpoints and data structures.

Now go forth and conquer those sales campaigns! Happy coding! 🚀