From Idea to App | Part 3 - Working with External Data

In this guide, we'll explore how to leverage an external API to populate your Xano database with restaurant data based on location. Specifically, we'll be using the Spoonacular API to retrieve restaurant information and insert it into our Xano database table.

Step 1: Sign Up for a Spoonacular Account

First, you'll need to sign up for a Spoonacular account. Visit their website, click "Start Now," fill in your information, accept the terms and conditions, and sign up.

Step 2: Obtain Your API Key

After verifying your email and logging in, you'll be taken to the API console. Navigate to your profile, where you'll find your API key. Copy this key as you'll need it for every request you make to the Spoonacular API.

Step 3: Store Your API Key in Xano

In Xano, go to the "Settings" section on the left-hand side, and click the blue "Manage" button under "Environment Variables." Add a new variable called "APIKey" and paste your API key as the value. Click "Save." This will allow you to refer to your API key as a variable in your Xano function stacks.

Step 4: Explore the Spoonacular API Documentation

Before making requests to the API, familiarize yourself with the documentation. This will provide information on the available endpoints, required parameters, and example requests and responses.

In our case, we'll be using the "Search Restaurants" endpoint to retrieve restaurant data based on location.

Step 5: Create a New API Endpoint in Xano

In Xano, create a new API endpoint by clicking "Add API Endpoint" and selecting "Start from scratch." Give it a descriptive title, such as "Populate Restaurants."

Step 6: Make an External API Request

Within the function stack, add an "External API Request" function. Paste the example request URL from the Spoonacular documentation into the "URL" field.

Step 7: Authenticate the Request

Spoonacular requires authentication via an API key parameter in the URL. Update the URL by appending `&apiKey=` followed by the environment variable you created earlier (e.g., `&apiKey={{APIKey}}`).

Step 8: Test the Request

Save the API endpoint and run the request. If you receive an error, double-check the URL and authentication parameters.

Step 9: Set Up a Loop

Since the API returns multiple restaurant results, you'll need to set up a loop to iterate through each item. Use the "For Each" loop and point it to the list of restaurants within the API response.

Step 10: Extract Relevant Data

Within the loop, use "Stop and Debug" to inspect the structure of the restaurant data. Then, use "Create Variable" steps to extract the necessary information (e.g., restaurant name, description, location) from the API response.

Step 11: Add Records to Your Database

Finally, use the "Database Request" function with the "Add Record" operation to insert the extracted restaurant data into your Xano database table.

Step 12: Test and Verify

Run the API endpoint again, and check your Xano database table to ensure the restaurant data has been populated correctly.

By following these steps, you can seamlessly integrate external API data into your Xano application, populating your database with relevant restaurant information based on location. This approach can be adapted to suit various use cases and data sources, empowering you to build robust applications powered by real-world data.