External Integrations Module

Overview

The External Integrations Module is responsible for connecting PDeck with various third-party services, allowing seamless data synchronization and enhancing the overall functionality of the platform. This module enables users to import tasks, events, and other relevant information from external sources, keeping their PDeck workspace up-to-date and comprehensive.

Key Responsibilities

Manage connections to external services (e.g., Google Calendar, Trello, Jira, Slack)
Handle authentication and authorization for external services
Fetch and sync data from integrated services
Transform external data into PDeck's internal format
Manage webhooks for real-time updates from external services
Provide a framework for easily adding new integrations

Technology Stack

Node.js for the core implementation
OAuth 2.0 for authentication with external services
Bull for managing background jobs and queues
Redis for caching and rate limiting
Express.js for webhook endpoints

Implementation Guidelines

1. Setting Up the External Integrations Module

Create a new module for managing external integrations:

// services/externalIntegrationsService.js
const axios = require('axios')
const Bull = require('bull')
const redis = require('redis')
const { promisify } = require('util')
 
class ExternalIntegrationsService {
  constructor() {
    this.syncQueue = new Bull('external-sync')
    this.redisClient = redis.createClient(process.env.REDIS_URL)
    this.getAsync = promisify(this.redisClient.get).bind(this.redisClient)
    this.setAsync = promisify(this.redisClient.set).bind(this.redisClient)
    this.setupSyncProcessor()
  }
 
  setupSyncProcessor() {
    this.syncQueue.process(async (job) => {
      const { userId, integrationType } = job.data
      await this.syncData(userId, integrationType)
    })
  }
 
  // ... (other methods)
}
 
module.exports = new ExternalIntegrationsService()

2. Implementing OAuth 2.0 Authentication

Create methods to handle OAuth 2.0 authentication flow:

class ExternalIntegrationsService {
  // ... (previous code)
 
  getAuthUrl(integrationType) {
    const config = this.getIntegrationConfig(integrationType)
    return `${config.authUrl}?client_id=${config.clientId}&redirect_uri=${config.redirectUri}&response_type=code&scope=${config.scope}`
  }
 
  async handleAuthCallback(integrationType, code, userId) {
    const config = this.getIntegrationConfig(integrationType)
    const tokenResponse = await axios.post(config.tokenUrl, {
      client_id: config.clientId,
      client_secret: config.clientSecret,
      code,
      grant_type: 'authorization_code',
      redirect_uri: config.redirectUri
    })
 
    const { access_token, refresh_token, expires_in } = tokenResponse.data
    await this.saveTokens(userId, integrationType, access_token, refresh_token, expires_in)
    return true
  }
 
  async refreshToken(userId, integrationType) {
    const config = this.getIntegrationConfig(integrationType)
    const { refresh_token } = await this.getTokens(userId, integrationType)
 
    const tokenResponse = await axios.post(config.tokenUrl, {
      client_id: config.clientId,
      client_secret: config.clientSecret,
      refresh_token,
      grant_type: 'refresh_token'
    })
 
    const { access_token, expires_in } = tokenResponse.data
    await this.updateTokens(userId, integrationType, access_token, expires_in)
    return access_token
  }
 
  getIntegrationConfig(integrationType) {
    // Return configuration for the specified integration type
    // This could be stored in a database or configuration file
  }
 
  async saveTokens(userId, integrationType, accessToken, refreshToken, expiresIn) {
    // Save tokens to the database
  }
 
  async getTokens(userId, integrationType) {
    // Retrieve tokens from the database
  }
 
  async updateTokens(userId, integrationType, accessToken, expiresIn) {
    // Update tokens in the database
  }
}

3. Implementing Data Synchronization

Create methods to sync data from external services:

class ExternalIntegrationsService {
  // ... (previous code)
 
  async syncData(userId, integrationType) {
    const accessToken = await this.getValidAccessToken(userId, integrationType)
    const data = await this.fetchDataFromExternalService(integrationType, accessToken)
    const transformedData = this.transformData(integrationType, data)
    await this.saveDataToPDeck(userId, integrationType, transformedData)
  }
 
  async getValidAccessToken(userId, integrationType) {
    let { access_token, expires_at } = await this.getTokens(userId, integrationType)
    if (new Date() >= new Date(expires_at)) {
      access_token = await this.refreshToken(userId, integrationType)
    }
    return access_token
  }
 
  async fetchDataFromExternalService(integrationType, accessToken) {
    const config = this.getIntegrationConfig(integrationType)
    const response = await axios.get(config.dataUrl, {
      headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${accessToken}` }
    })
    return response.data
  }
 
  transformData(integrationType, data) {
    // Transform data based on integration type
    // This method should be implemented for each integration type
  }
 
  async saveDataToPDeck(userId, integrationType, data) {
    // Save transformed data to PDeck's internal storage
    // This might involve creating tasks, updating the knowledge graph, etc.
  }
 
  scheduleSyncJob(userId, integrationType) {
    return this.syncQueue.add({ userId, integrationType }, {
      repeat: { cron: '0 */2 * * *' } // Run every 2 hours
    })
  }
}

4. Implementing Webhook Handlers

Create webhook handlers for real-time updates:

// routes/webhooks.js
const express = require('express')
const router = express.Router()
const externalIntegrationsService = require('../services/externalIntegrationsService')
 
router.post('/:integrationType', async (req, res) => {
  const { integrationType } = req.params
  const { userId } = req.query // Assume userId is passed as a query parameter
  await externalIntegrationsService.handleWebhook(integrationType, userId, req.body)
  res.sendStatus(200)
})
 
module.exports = router
 
// In externalIntegrationsService.js
class ExternalIntegrationsService {
  // ... (previous code)
 
  async handleWebhook(integrationType, userId, data) {
    const transformedData = this.transformWebhookData(integrationType, data)
    await this.processWebhookData(userId, integrationType, transformedData)
  }
 
  transformWebhookData(integrationType, data) {
    // Transform webhook data based on integration type
  }
 
  async processWebhookData(userId, integrationType, data) {
    // Process the webhook data
    // This might involve updating tasks, the knowledge graph, etc.
  }
}

5. Implementing a Plugin System for New Integrations

Create a plugin system to easily add new integrations:

class ExternalIntegrationsService {
  // ... (previous code)
 
  constructor() {
    // ... (previous initialization)
    this.integrations = {}
    this.loadIntegrations()
  }
 
  loadIntegrations() {
    const integrationFiles = fs.readdirSync(path.join(__dirname, 'integrations'))
    integrationFiles.forEach(file => {
      const integration = require(`./integrations/${file}`)
      this.integrations[integration.type] = integration
    })
  }
 
  getIntegration(integrationType) {
    const integration = this.integrations[integrationType]
    if (!integration) {
      throw new Error(`Integration ${integrationType} not found`)
    }
    return integration
  }
 
  async syncData(userId, integrationType) {
    const integration = this.getIntegration(integrationType)
    const accessToken = await this.getValidAccessToken(userId, integrationType)
    const data = await integration.fetchData(accessToken)
    const transformedData = integration.transformData(data)
    await this.saveDataToPDeck(userId, integrationType, transformedData)
  }
}
 
// Example integration file: integrations/googleCalendar.js
module.exports = {
  type: 'googleCalendar',
  config: {
    authUrl: 'https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/v2/auth',
    tokenUrl: 'https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token',
    scope: 'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/calendar.readonly',
    // ... other config options
  },
  async fetchData(accessToken) {
    // Implement Google Calendar-specific data fetching
  },
  transformData(data) {
    // Implement Google Calendar-specific data transformation
  },
  transformWebhookData(data) {
    // Implement Google Calendar-specific webhook data transformation
  }
}

Best Practices

Use secure storage for OAuth tokens and other sensitive information.
Implement proper error handling and retry mechanisms for API calls to external services.
Use rate limiting to respect API quotas of external services.
Implement logging for all integration activities for debugging and auditing purposes.
Use background jobs for time-consuming sync operations to avoid blocking the main application thread.
Implement proper validation for webhook payloads to ensure security.
Use a consistent data format across different integrations to simplify internal processing.

Next Steps

Implement specific integrations for popular services (e.g., Google Calendar, Trello, Jira, Slack).
Develop a user interface for managing integrations and viewing sync status.
Implement a system to handle conflicts when data from multiple sources contradicts.
Create a dashboard for monitoring the health and performance of integrations.
Implement error notification system for failed syncs or authentications.
Develop a testing framework for integrations to ensure reliability.
Create comprehensive documentation for each integration and the process of adding new ones.

Backend Services Data Integration and Parsing