Navigating the Developers Page
OVERVIEW
The Developers page in Loop offers a place for you and your developers to easily manage your existing API Keys and Webhooks or add new ones.
Only merchants on the Loop Plus plan or merchants with the Integrations add-on will have access to the Developers page. If you are a merchant on a Loop Basic or Loop Pro plan and would like to use the API or Webhooks tools available through Loop, email us at accountmanagers@loopreturns.com for more information on upgrading.
Webhooks
Webhooks are HTTP callbacks processed and sent by Loop to a pre-defined URL. They allow your application to receive information from Loop without having to reach out to Loop via an API call. Each webhook has a Response, which defines the information payload, and an event which determines the event that will trigger the request to be sent from Loop.
Creating a Webhook
After selecting the “Create webhook” option from the Developers page, you’ll see three fields that you’ll need to fill.
First you will choose the event. This is where you choose the point during the return process where your callback is triggered. Your event options will be:
- Return created - fires a webhook when a return is created
- Return updated - fires a webhook when a return is updated
- Label created - fires a webhook when a shipping label is created
- Label updated - fires a webhook when a shipping label is updated
- Restock requested - fires a webhook when an item is restocked in Shopify using a webhook
Next you’ll select the corresponding response, meaning the information that you want sent as a notification to the chosen URL when the event is triggered. Your response options will be:
- Return
- Label
- Restock
*Important Note* There are certain combinations that will not yield results. For example, If you set up a webhook with a response of "Label" and an event of "Return create", there will be no payload available since a return is created before the label is created
The last step is to paste in the URL where the notifications will be sent.
Finish by clicking Add and you’ll see your newly added webhook there in the Webhooks portion of the developers page. Your chosen settings will also be easily visible there.
The 'Webhook Secret' that you'll see at the bottom of the window is the code that will serve as Loop's "digital signature" for our webhooks so that the receiver can verify that it definitely came from Loop. Usage is optional as webhooks will work without the need to check the signature, but it is highly recommended that you use these.
Testing Webhooks
Once your new Webhooks is added and displayed on your developers page, you will have the ability to click in and edit/test your settings before actually activating it.
Clicking ‘send test’ will send one test webhook so you can see that the actions are happening as you intend, or you can switch testing mode on, which will fire your Webhooks continuously but will prevent deactivation due to errors for 72 hours. Click 'activate' to turn on the webhook once you have confirmed it is set up properly.
You will always have the option to turn off your webhook temporarily by clicking 'Deactivate', or delete the webhook altogether by clicking the small trashcan icon from the main view in the Developers page.
*Important Note* Loop will automatically deactivate webhooks if they fail ten times in a row. Webhooks could fail as a result of a number of things. If the receiving API is down, if the endpoint is set up incorrectly, if the wrong response is being sent, or if it times out/doesn't respond at all.
API Keys
API keys are used to read and manipulate returns data from your Loop instance. API keys are shop specific and are tightly scoped to determine what actions a key is authorized to perform. A single key may have as many scopes as you wish and scopes can be managed here in the Developers page.
Generating API Keys
When generating new API keys, you’ll have the option to choose from the follow four scopes (endpoints): Return, Order, Cart or Report. You can choose any combination of the different scopes to be included in the same API key.
Returns - authorizes a key to be used when making calls to the Returns API endpoints.
Orders - allows an API key to be used when making calls that relate to Loops block and allow lists using the Listings API endpoints.
Carts - allows an API key to be used with the Cart API. These calls relate to Loop's On Store features
Reports - allows a key be used when making calls related to the Loop warehouse ASN report
Developer Tools - authorizes a key to be used for the Programmatic Webhooks API
Similar to the webhooks, all of your API keys will be displayed on your Developers page so you can easily keep track of the different keys you have set up and easily manage them or delete them as needed. You will also see a “last used” field where you can see the last time that API key was used.
Click here for more technical documentation on Loop’s API