trjhtr

Below is an class to act as API Layer for the Freshservice APIs.
Here's their docs:
https://api.freshservice.com/

Aside from some much needed comments, what issues do you see with the implementation? I know it could probably use more comments throughout, but what else do you see?

Some of the objects used are "HelpdeskTicket", "Note", "Agent",
Each of those have accompaning "Root" objects which are tailored to the Json based on how the "HelpdeskTicket" for instance is housed in the Response to a GET, PUT, or POST Request. Source of "HelpdeskTicket" is provided at the bottom to help demonstrate that. I'm a little bit new to using JSON.NET (newtonsoft) so would appreciate some feedback on that style of creating "Root" objects like that -- is that the right way to go? What's the best way to deal with the different types of Json responses, each having in how they house the main entity data you are trying to get to?

 Public Class FreshserviceAPI
 Implements IFreshserviceAPI


 Public Sub New(portalURL As String, username As String, password As String)
 Me.PortalURL = portalURL
 Me.UserName = username
 Me.Password = password
 End Sub

 Public Property PortalURL As String = "" Implements IFreshserviceAPI.PortalURL
 Public Property UserName As String = "" Implements IFreshserviceAPI.UserName
 Public Property Password As String = "" Implements IFreshserviceAPI.Password


 Public Function GetTicket(id As Long) As HelpdeskTicket Implements IFreshserviceAPI.GetTicket

 Dim ticket As HelpdeskTicket = Nothing

 Dim ticketResourceURL As String = $"Me.PortalURL.TrimEnd("/"c)/helpdesk/tickets/id.json"
 Dim response As HttpWebResponse = HttpUtil.SubmitHttpRequest(ticketResourceURL,
 method:=HttpMethod.Get,
 basicAuthUser:=Me.UserName,
 basicAuthPassword:=Me.Password)
 If response IsNot Nothing Then
 ticket = GetItemFromResponse(response, Function(root As TicketResponseRoot)
 Return root.helpdesk_ticket
 End Function)
 End If

 Return ticket

 End Function

 Public Function CreateTicket(ticket As HelpdeskTicket) As HelpdeskTicket Implements IFreshserviceAPI.CreateTicket

 Dim createdTicket As HelpdeskTicket = Nothing

 Dim ticketResourceURL As String = $"Me.PortalURL.TrimEnd("/"c)/helpdesk/tickets.json"
 Dim response As HttpWebResponse = HttpUtil.SubmitHttpRequest(ticketResourceURL,
 method:=HttpMethod.Post,
 basicAuthUser:=Me.UserName,
 basicAuthPassword:=Me.Password,
 requestBodyContent:=ticket.ToPostJson)

 If response IsNot Nothing Then
 createdTicket = GetItemFromResponse(response, Function(root As TicketPostResponseRoot)
 Return root.item.helpdesk_ticket
 End Function)
 End If

 Return createdTicket

 End Function

 Public Function UpdateTicket(ticket As HelpdeskTicket, id As Long) As HelpdeskTicket Implements IFreshserviceAPI.UpdateTicket

 Dim updatedTicket As HelpdeskTicket = Nothing

 Dim ticketResourceURL As String = $"Me.PortalURL.TrimEnd("/"c)/helpdesk/tickets/id.json"
 Dim response As HttpWebResponse = HttpUtil.SubmitHttpRequest(ticketResourceURL,
 method:=HttpMethod.Put,
 basicAuthUser:=Me.UserName,
 basicAuthPassword:=Me.Password,
 requestBodyContent:=ticket.ToPostJson)



 If response IsNot Nothing Then
 updatedTicket = GetItemFromResponse(response, Function(root As TicketPutttResponseRoot)
 Return root.ticket
 End Function)
 End If



 Return updatedTicket

 End Function

 Public Function GetNote(id As Long) As Note Implements IFreshserviceAPI.GetNote

 Throw New NotImplementedException()

 End Function

 Public Function CreateNote(note As Note, ticketID As Long) As Note Implements IFreshserviceAPI.CreateNote

 Dim createdNote As Note = Nothing

 Dim noteResourceURL As String = $"Me.PortalURL.TrimEnd("/"c)/helpdesk/tickets/ticketID/conversations/note.json"
 Dim response As HttpWebResponse = HttpUtil.SubmitHttpRequest(noteResourceURL,
 method:=HttpMethod.Post,
 basicAuthUser:=Me.UserName,
 basicAuthPassword:=Me.Password,
 requestBodyContent:=note.ToPostJson())
 If response IsNot Nothing Then
 createdNote = GetItemFromResponse(response, Function(root As NoteResponseRoot)
 Return root.note
 End Function)
 End If

 Return createdNote

 End Function


 Public Function CreateNoteWithAttachment(noteBody As String, attachment As Attachment, ticketID As Long) As Attachment Implements IFreshserviceAPI.CreateNoteWithAttachment

 Dim createdAttachment As Attachment = Nothing

 Dim responseJson As String = ""

 Using client = New HttpClient()
 Dim basicAuthCreds As String = Convert.ToBase64String(ASCIIEncoding.ASCII.GetBytes(UserName & ":" & Password))
 client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Authorization = New Headers.AuthenticationHeaderValue("Basic", basicAuthCreds)
 Using formData = New MultipartFormDataContent()

 formData.Add(New StringContent(noteBody), name:="helpdesk_note[body]")

 formData.Add(New ByteArrayContent(attachment.file_data),
 name:="helpdesk_note[attachments][resource]",
 fileName:=attachment.content_file_name)

 Dim noteResourceURL As String = $"Me.PortalURL.TrimEnd("/"c)/helpdesk/tickets/ticketID/conversations/note.json"
 HttpUtil.SetSslProtocal()
 Dim response = client.PostAsync(noteResourceURL, formData).Result
 If response.IsSuccessStatusCode Then
 Using streamReader As New StreamReader(response.Content.ReadAsStreamAsync().Result)
 responseJson = streamReader.ReadToEnd()
 End Using
 End If
 End Using
 End Using

 If Not String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(responseJson) Then
 Dim noteRoot = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(Of NoteResponseRoot)(responseJson)
 If noteRoot IsNot Nothing Then
 Dim createdNote As Note = noteRoot.note
 If createdNote IsNot Nothing Then
 If createdNote.attachments?.Any() Then
 attachment = createdNote.attachments.First()
 End If
 End If
 End If
 End If

 Return attachment

 End Function


 Public Function FindAgentUser(emailAddress As String) As User Implements IFreshserviceAPI.FindAgentUser

 Dim user As User = Nothing


 If String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(emailAddress) Then
 '//Fresh will pull ALL agents if you pass a blank email address
 '//we don't want that.
 Return Nothing
 End If

 Dim usersResourceURL As String = $"Me.PortalURL.TrimEnd("/"c)/agents.json?query=WebUtility.UrlEncode("email is " & emailAddress)"
 Dim response As HttpWebResponse = HttpUtil.SubmitHttpRequest(usersResourceURL,
 basicAuthUser:=Me.UserName,
 basicAuthPassword:=Me.Password,
 method:=HttpMethod.Get)
 If response IsNot Nothing Then

 user = GetItemFromResponse(response, Function(agentItems As List(Of AgentListItem))
 If agentItems?.Any() Then
 Dim agent = agentItems.First()
 If agent IsNot Nothing Then
 Return If(agent Is Nothing, Nothing, agent.agent.user)
 End If
 End If
 Return Nothing
 End Function)

 End If


 Return user

 End Function




 Private Function GetItemFromResponse(Of ItemType, ItemRootType)(response As HttpWebResponse,
 itemExtractor As Func(Of ItemRootType, ItemType)) As ItemType

 Dim item As ItemType = Nothing

 Dim responseBodyJSON As String = ""
 Using streamReader As New StreamReader(response.GetResponseStream())
 responseBodyJSON = streamReader.ReadToEnd()
 Dim jsonRoot As ItemRootType = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(Of ItemRootType)(responseBodyJSON)
 item = itemExtractor(jsonRoot)
 End Using

 Return item

 End Function

Here's the source of "HelpdeskTicket.vb"

 Public Class HelpdeskTicket


 <JsonProperty("email")>
 Public Property RequesterEmail As String

 Public Property category As Object

 Public Property cc_email As CcEmail

 <JsonConverter(GetType(IsoDateTimeConverter))>
 Public Property created_at As DateTime?

 Public Property deleted As Boolean?

 Public Property department_id_value As Object

 Public Property display_id As Integer?

 <JsonConverter(GetType(IsoDateTimeConverter))>
 Public Property due_by As DateTime?

 Public Property email_config_id As Object

 <JsonConverter(GetType(IsoDateTimeConverter))>
 Public Property frDueBy As DateTime?

 Public Property fr_escalated As Boolean?

 Public Property group_id As Object

 Public Property id As Long?

 Public Property impact As Integer?

 Public Property isescalated As Boolean?

 Public Property item_category As Object

 Public Property notes As List(Of NoteResponseRoot)

 Public Property owner_id As Object

 Public Property priority As Integer?

 Public Property requester_id As Long?

 Public Property responder_id As Object

 Public Property source As Integer?

 Public Property spam As Boolean?

 Public Property status As Integer?

 Public Property sub_category As Object

 Public Property subject As String

 Public Property ticket_type As String

 Public Property to_email As Object

 <JsonConverter(GetType(IsoDateTimeConverter))>
 Public Property updated_at As DateTime?

 Public Property urgency As Integer?

 Public Property description As String

 Public Property description_html As String

 Public Property status_name As String

 Public Property requester_status_name As String

 Public Property priority_name As String

 Public Property source_name As String

 Public Property requester_name As String

 Public Property responder_name As String

 Public Property to_emails As Object

 Public Property department_name As Object

 Public Property assoc_problem_id As Object

 Public Property assoc_change_id As Object

 Public Property assoc_change_cause_id As Object

 Public Property assoc_asset_id As Object

 Public Property urgency_name As String

 Public Property impact_name As String

 Public Property attachments As List(Of Object)

 Public Property custom_field As Dictionary(Of String, Object)

 Public Property tags As List(Of Object)
End Class


Public Class CcEmail

 Public Property cc_emails As List(Of String)

 Public Property fwd_emails As List(Of Object)

 Public Property reply_cc As List(Of String)

 Public Property tkt_cc As List(Of String)
End Class


Public Class TicketResponseRoot

 Public Property helpdesk_ticket As HelpdeskTicket
End Class

Public Class TicketPostResponseRoot

 Public Property redirect As Object

 Public Property item As TicketResponseRoot

End Class

Public Class TicketPutttResponseRoot

 Public Property ticket As HelpdeskTicket

End Class

HttpUtil is a utility class used to submit HTTP requests. Please not the use of HttpApiException. That's a custom exception that was created to give us the capability to capture the request that was used in the event of an HTTP error (in addition to the response), so that we can log the request body elsewhere in the application upon API errors. Here's HttpUtil:

Imports System.IO
Imports System.Net
Imports System.Net.Http
Imports System.Security.Authentication
Imports System.Text

Namespace HttpUtils

 Public Class HttpUtil

 Public Shared Function SubmitHttpRequest(resourceURL As String,
 method As HttpMethod,
 basicAuthUser As String,
 basicAuthPassword As String,
 Optional requestBodyContent As String = Nothing) As HttpWebResponse

 Dim httpWebrequest As HttpWebRequest = WebRequest.Create(resourceURL)
 httpWebrequest.Method = method.Method
 httpWebrequest.Accept = "application/json"
 httpWebrequest.ContentType = "application/json"
 httpWebrequest.Timeout = 25000
 Dim basicAuthCreds As String = Convert.ToBase64String(ASCIIEncoding.ASCII.GetBytes(basicAuthUser & ":" & basicAuthPassword))
 httpWebrequest.Headers.Add("Authorization", "Basic " + basicAuthCreds)


 If requestBodyContent IsNot Nothing Then
 Using writer As New StreamWriter(httpWebrequest.GetRequestStream())
 writer.Write(requestBodyContent)
 End Using
 End If


 Dim httpResponse As HttpWebResponse = Nothing
 Try
 SetSslProtocal()
 httpResponse = httpWebrequest.GetResponse()
 Catch WebEx As WebException
 Throw New HttpApiException(requestBody:=requestBodyContent,
 message:=$"HttpUtil.SubmitHttpRequest -- HTTP Error occurred at DateTime.Now.ToString(), see inner exception for details",
 innerException:=WebEx)
 End Try

 Return httpResponse

 End Function


 ''' <summary>
 ''' Sets the Security Protocal to avoid error: 
 ''' "Additional information: The underlying connection was closed: An unexpected error occurred on a send.
 ''' (Authentication failed because remote party has closed the transport stream)
 ''' See: https://stackoverflow.com/a/47517067/614263
 ''' </summary>
 Public Shared Sub SetSslProtocal()
 Const _Tls12 As SslProtocols = DirectCast(&HC00, SslProtocols)
 Const Tls12 As SecurityProtocolType = DirectCast(_Tls12, 
 SecurityProtocolType)
 ServicePointManager.SecurityProtocol = Tls12
 End Sub


 End Class


End Namespace

thank you!