How to Use the “Make an API Call” Module in Boost.space Integrator

Prerequisite: API documentation

To ensure the simplest possible use of the Boost.space Integrator, we have created and pre-configured numerous Boost.space modules. However, each user has specific requirements, and if you find that a particular request is not preset in our modules, you can use the “Make an API Call” module to configure your request manually.

You can search for this specific module on this page.

This module allows you to define your own API requests, giving you more flexibility and control over the data being processed. Additionally, by customizing the request parameters, you can prevent certain errors—specifically the “module timeout” error—by controlling how much data is processed in a single scenario run.

Example: Using the “Make an API Call” Module with Contacts

Let’s go through a practical example using the Contacts module. However, you can follow the same steps for any module you need.

Step 1

  1. Open the Integrator and choose the module with the “Make an API Call” function.

Step 2

  1. Open the Boost.space API documentation.
  2. Locate the module you want to work with (in this case, Contacts).
  3. Identify the action you want to perform (e.g., get, post, delete).
  4. Determine the HTTP method required for this action. In this example, we use the GET method.

Step 3

  1. In the Integrator, fill in the following fields:
    • Connection: Select the connection from which data will be retrieved.
    • URL: Enter the endpoint for the module (in this case, contact).
    • Method: Select the appropriate method (GET in our example).

Step 4

  1. Review the available parameters in the API documentation.
  2. Expand the relevant section to see which parameters can be used.
  3. In this example, we can use parameters such as filter, offset, limit, and order.

Step 5

The limit parameter controls how many records are retrieved in a single request. It is useful for managing data loads and ensuring efficient API calls, especially when working with large datasets. By setting a limit, you define the maximum number of records that the request should return.

  1. Open the parameter settings in the Integrator.
  2. Click “Add item” to add a new parameter.
  3. In the “Key” field, enter limit.
  4. In the “Value” field, enter the number of items you want to retrieve in a single operation (e.g., 10). You can adjust this number based on your needs.
  5. Run the scenario to see the results. If successful, the status code should be 200.

Step 6

The offset parameter is useful when you need to process large amounts of data in multiple requests. It specifies the starting point from which records should be retrieved. For example, if you retrieve 10 items in one request and want to get the next batch, you set offset to 10 to skip the first set of results.

  1. Open the parameter settings in the Integrator.
  2. Click “Add item” to add a new parameter.
  3. In the “Key” field, enter offset.
  4. In the “Value” field, enter the number of records to skip before starting the retrieval. For example, setting offset to 10 means the API call will return results starting from the 11th record.

5. Run the scenario again to verify that the defined parameters are correctly applied.

 

By following these steps, you can configure custom API calls within the Boost.space Integrator, ensuring optimal performance and flexibility for your integration needs.