How to Use PayPal Partner Referrals API in PHP

Installation of Required Libraries

• Install the PayPal PHP SDK via Composer, which will help you to work with PayPal REST APIs like Partner Referrals seamlessly.

 

• Execute the following command in your project directory:

composer require paypal/rest-api-sdk-php

Setting Up Authentication

• Utilize OAuth 2.0 for authentication. This will allow the API to authorize your requests securely.

 

• Begin by creating a credentials file to store your `clientId` and `clientSecret` obtained from your PayPal developer account:

$clientId = 'YOUR_CLIENT_ID';
$clientSecret = 'YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET';

Creating a PayPal API Context

• Set up an API context for making calls to PayPal. This context includes your credentials and environment settings.

 

• Write the following code to configure your API context:

use PayPal\Rest\ApiContext;
use PayPal\Auth\OAuthTokenCredential;

$apiContext = new ApiContext(
    new OAuthTokenCredential(
        $clientId,
        $clientSecret
    )
);

// Set to sandbox for testing
$apiContext->setConfig([
    'mode' => 'sandbox'
]);

Making a Partner Referral Request

• Create a JSON payload that represents the partner referral details, including partner-specific information and tracking details.

 

• Prepare a request using the SDK, which sends this payload to PayPal:

use PayPal\Api\PartnerReferrals;
use PayPal\Api\RequestHeader;

// Create Request Headers
$requestHeaders = new RequestHeader();
$requestHeaders->setPartnerAttributionId('PARTNER_ID');

// Build the Partner Referral Payload
$partnerReferrals = new PartnerReferrals();
$partnerReferrals->setTrackingId('TRACKING_ID');
$partnerReferrals->setClientName('CLIENT_NAME');

// ... Add additional payload details here ...

try {
    $response = $partnerReferrals->create($apiContext, $requestHeaders);
    echo "Partner Referral Created Successfully! ID: " . $response->getReferralId();
} catch (Exception $ex) {
    echo "Failed to create Partner Referral: " . $ex->getMessage();
}

Handling Responses and Errors

• Check the API response after creating a partner referral. A successful request will return the referral ID, which you can use for tracking purposes.

 

• Implement error handling using try-catch blocks to manage failures gracefully:

try {
    //... API request code
} catch (\PayPal\Exception\PayPalConnectionException $ex) {
    echo "Connection Error: " . $ex->getData();
} catch (Exception $ex) {
    echo "Error occurred: " . $ex->getMessage();
}

Continuing Development and Testing

• Conduct testing in the PayPal sandbox environment to ensure your implementation is functional before moving to production.

 

• Log the API responses for audit and troubleshooting, especially when handling sensitive partner data.

 

• Further develop by exploring PayPal's comprehensive SDK documentation to understand additional features or other services you can integrate.