SMS API Guide

Home

  1. Overview
  2. Basic SMS API Knowledge
  3. SMS API Rules, Regulations, Compliance
  4. How to Integrate an SMS API?
  5. Choosing the Best SMS API Provider
  6. Creating Your First SMS API Campaign
  7. Measuring Your SMS Campaign’s Success
  8. Helpful SMS API Resources

How To Easily Integrate An SMS API Into Your Business

Mass marketing and bulk texting using an SMS API or web service is quickly becoming of the major components of marketing and communication strategies. SMS texting is quick, effective, and affordable, no matter what size your company is or what services you provide.

If you’re interested in using an SMS API to boost your business, the first step is integrating that API into your website, CRM, or other application. The integration process requires coding which, while it may sound daunting, can be completed in just a few hours.

Keep reading to learn about the SMS API integration process, whether or not you’ll need a developer, which coding languages you can use, and what to look out for.

Integrating An SMS API

Integrating an SMS API is a fairly straightforward process. Developers or programmers should be able to integrate the API in just a few hours. APIs offer documentation that clearly outlines the integration process.

But in case you want to learn more before signing up for an SMS API service, we outline all of the steps here. Below is the basic SMS API integration process. In later sections, we’ll go over the steps to integrate an API using a specific coding language, such as C# or Java.

Basic SMS API Integration Process

The specific SMS API integration process will depend on which coding language you use and whether you’re connecting the API to your company’s website, CRM, or other application. However, there are several steps that are the same across every integration process.

Below, we cover the basic SMS API integration process:

Step 1: Sign Up for an Account

Create your account here. When you complete the request form, make sure to fill it out completely. Include your name, company, phone number, email address, website, which service you’re interested in (SMS Notify!), and how you heard about us.

Try out our API in real time and see how it measures up against your company’s needs. You can also request a demonstration to see how the SMS API works.

Step 2: Request a License Key

When filling out the request form for your account, click the checkbox for a trial key. A trial key will allow you to interact with the API software.

Step 3: Integrate the SMS API

There are several different ways to integrate your SMS API. This may be in the form of adding a service reference to your project, calling the SMS Notify! method, or creating the request code. Alternatively, you may need to use one of the integration methods above and call the SMS Notify! method afterward.

Step 4: Evaluate the SMS API

After you’ve completed the previous step, you’ll need to review the code and ensure it’s correct.

Do I Need A Developer?

In order to integrate a programmable SMS API, you’ll need a software developer or programmer to integrate the API and write the code that communicates with the API. To integrate the SMS API, your developer or programmer will need to connect it to your company’s website, CRM, or other application.

It should take less than one day to write the code that connects with the SMS API. That means you should be able to create your account, get your license key, integrate the API, and start sending mass text messages within 24 hours.

Things To Look Out For

When integrating an SMS service API, make sure to watch out for the following components. Components like unicode, auto responses, and special characters are supported by most SMS APIs, but aren’t automatically turned on. Other components, such as international texting, are supported but not under all circumstances.

  • Unicode – Set the IsUnicode parameter to ‘true’ to use Unicode.
  • Auto Responses – Use a postback URL to set up automatic responses.
  • Special Characters/ Emojis – Set the IsUnicode parameter to ‘true’ when using the SendMessage method.
  • Media – To send pictures, videos, and other media, specify the desired files with the ‘Attachments’ parameter when using the SendMessage method.
  • International Numbers – Global long codes are available with International Extended SMS. International numbers support two-way messaging in select countries.
  • Multiple Recipients – The ‘To’ parameter accepts multiple recipient phone numbers when using the SendMessage method.

Make sure to check all of the available features for your SMS API. As you integrate the API, take steps to turn these features on.

If you’re worried about a more specific issue, consult with your developer or programmer. If you encounter a problem that your developer or programmer can’t solve, contact your SMS API provider directly. The best API providers have teams available during business hours and staff available for off-hour technical emergencies.

What Coding Languages Should I Use?

There are several different coding languages you can use to integrate an SMS API, including C#, VB.NET, VBScript, PHP, PHP with cURL, Ruby, and Java. Which SMS API you choose will determine which coding languages you can use. In turn, there are different integration processes depending on which compatible coding language you move forward with.

We cover the SMS API integration processes for all of these coding languages below. Review all of them to learn about your integration options or skip to the coding language you want to use.

Keep in mind, these processes pick up after the basic integration steps we covered in earlier sections. Before you start these processes, you should have already created an account and requested (and received) your license key.

C# SMS API Integration Process

Once you have a license key, there are only two remaining steps to integrate an SMS texting API using C#.

1. Add a Service Reference to Your Project

In order to call the SMS API, you’ll need to add a service reference into your Visual Studio C# project.

a. To do this, open Visual Studio and navigate to the ‘Project’ tab. Then, click ‘Add Service Reference.’

b. On the screen that follows, type in the URL for the SMS API service in the ‘Address’ field. For SMS Notify!, the URL is https://messaging.esendex.us/messaging.svc?wsdl. Then, click the ‘Go’ button.

c. Once the SMS API service has been successfully contact, the service should appear in the URL. A message confirming the service was found should also appear.

    If necessary, change the Namespace to better reflect your project.

At this point, the service should appear in your project’s service references.

2. Call the SMS Notify! Method

Create an instance of IsmsClient and call the desired method.

VB.NET SMS API Integration Process

The steps to integrate an SMS web service using VB.NET are the same as the steps to integrate an API using C#.

1. Add a Service Reference to Your Project

Add a service reference into your Visual Studio project.

a. Open Visual Studio and navigate to the ‘Project’ tab. Then, click ‘Add Service Reference.’

b. Type in the URL for the SMS API service in the ‘Address’ field (https://messaging.esendex.us/messaging.svc?wsdl). Then, click the ‘Go’ button.

c. Once the SMS API service has been successfully contact, the service should appear in the URL along with a message confirming the service was found.

    If necessary, change the Namespace to better reflect your project.

At this point, the service should appear in your project’s service references.

2. Call the SMS Notify! Method

Create an instance of IsmsClient and call the desired method.

VBScript SMS API Integration Process

To integrate an SMS API using VBScript, you’ll need the Notepad application. Then, follow the steps below:

  1. Call the SMS Notify! Method – Create the request code for your SMS API method using Notepad. Make sure to save the document as a .vbs file.
  2. Review the File – Click on the file and open the project you just created in the earlier step. Review the results and ensure they’re correct.

PHP SMS API Integration Process

The SMS API integration process using PHP is fairly straightforward. Follow the steps below:

  1. Create the Request Code – Using Notepad++, start a new project. Navigate to the ‘Language’ tab, select ‘P,’ and then select ‘PHP’ from the options. Add the request code for the SMS Notify! method of the API. Save the file once you’ve added the request code, ensuring the file type is .php.
  2. Call the SMS Notify! Method – In your browser, navigate to your web development server. Click on the project folder and select the project you just created in the earlier step. Review the results and ensure they’re correct.

PHP With cURL SMS API Integration Process

Integrating an SMS text API using PHP with cURL is the same process as the integration process using PHP. Follow the steps below to start your project:

  1. Create the Request Code – Using Notepad++, start a new project. Navigate to the ‘Language’ tab, select ‘P,’ and then select ‘PHP.’ Add the request code for the SMS Notify! method of the API. Save the file using the .php file type.
  2. Call the SMS Notify! Method – In your browser, navigate to your web development server. Click on the project folder and select the project you just created in the earlier step. Review the results and ensure they’re correct.

Ruby SMS API Integration Process

Follow the steps below to integrate an SMS API using Ruby.

  1. Call the SMS Notify! Method – Create the request code for your SMS API method using Notepad. Make sure to save the document as a .rb file.
  2. Review the File – Click on the file and open the project you just created in the earlier step. Review the results and ensure they’re correct.

Java SMS API Integration Process

To integrate an SMS API into your website, application, or CMS, follow the steps below:

1. Create the Request Code

a. Using NetBeans, create a new project. Under the ‘File’ tab, select ‘New Project.’ Then, under the ‘Categories’ column, select ‘Java’ and ‘Java Applications.’ Name your project and select your project location and project folder. Ensure the ‘Create Main Class’ checkbox is selected.

b. Expand your project. Click ‘SimpleSMSSend,’ ‘Source Packages,’ ‘Default Packages,’ and then ‘SimpleSMSSend.java.’ The file should open within the IDE.

c. Add the request code for the SimpleSMSSend method of the API.

2. Call the SMS Notify! Method

a. In your browser, navigate to your web development service and click on the project you just created in the earlier step.

b. Review the results and ensure they’re correct.

Where Can I Get Help?

If you need help with integrating your SMS API or have questions about the process, you can contact our support team. We’re available from 9:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST. You can contact us via live chat, phone, or email. Additionally, we offer 24/7 support for technical emergencies.

You may also be able to find answers to your questions by reviewing our documentation. We have quick start guides for the coding languages mentioned above and general and technical FAQs.

Let’s start sending, together.

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