API: Development Tips

Development tips for the Clear Impact Scorecard API.

When working on developing an API integration with Clear Impact Scorecard we provide a development environment and test application to troubleshoot your integration.

API Test Application

For development purposes we also have a publicly available API test application that will allow you to send test requests to verify your call is correct. You can access the API test tool here:

https://api.resultsscorecard.com/test

Another handy tool is RequestBin You could create a RequestBin and send your request to them instead of us to see visually what it is you're sending, if you're not sure.

API Environments

There are two versions of our API that you can send calls to:

Test Environment

The test environment is a copy of our production server that you can use for testing your API integration. Sending requests to this API URL will only change the data stored on our test server and will have no impact on your live data. You can also login to the web-interface URL using the same username and password as on the production server to see your changes in the web interface URL.

Important Note: The test environment is refreshed nightly from our production data. Your production API key can be used against the test environment or you can login to the web interface URL below and generate a second key for testing purposes. However, this key will be overwritten daily.

Web-Interface URL: https://scorecard-test.clearimpact.com/
API URL Location: https://api-test.clearimpact.com/<resource URI>

Production Environment

When you are ready to set your integration up with your live data use these URLs. Sending requests to this URL will change live data in our database and should only be done once your integration has been thoroughly tested.

Web-Interface URL: https://app.resultsscorecard.com/
API URL Location: https://api.resultsscorecard.com/<resource URI>


Modifying Payloads

The documentation provides example payloads for every API request. When you modify these examples to fit your needs keep these tips in mind:

  • Parameter names are case-sensitive so double check them if you are having issues.
  • The parameter names are written in camel case with a lowercase letter first.
  • If a field is optional you can exclude that entire parameter from the payload. Leaving it blank may cause the operation to fail or it may overwrite the existing value.
  • If your call is failing try putting the parameters in alphabetical order except that the api key should be first and the siteCode should be second.
Troubleshooting

Make sure you accept the responses from our application as they may contain error codes that can help you troubleshoot issues. In most cases if data is incorrectly formatted or the parameters are incorrect the response header will notify you. Here are some common troubleshooting tips:

Error 401 - Not Authorized

In some cases if your requests are being rejected you will get a not authorized response. This may mean several things that you should check:

  • API Key is invalid or incorrect
  • Sitecode and API Key do not match
  • Your request was sent with the wrong formatting XML or JSON

Error 404 - Not Found

This is usually because either the URL you are sending the request to is incorrect or the ID of the object you are trying to update or access is incorrect or does not exist.

Submitting an Issue

If you continue to have issues you can submit an issue to our community by clicking the Question mark in the top right of the Clear Impact Scorecard application or send an email to support@clearimpact.com. Please include your XML or JSON and request that you are having an issue with.