SwiftyPSCore is a pure Swift PowerSchool API client. The goal is to simplify the process of communicating with the PowerSchool Student Information System API by handling authentication and decoding, allowing you to focus on using the data, not retrieving it.
SwiftyPSCore is not endorsed, sponsored, or affilitated with PowerSchool in any way. Swift and the Swift logo are trademarks of Apple Inc.
Before using SwiftyPSCore in your application, you will first need to create and install a Plugin XML file for your PowerSchool server. Information about creating the plugin file can be found on the PowerSchool Developer Support site. We have created an example plugin (PSDataAccessPlugin) that you can use as is, or modify as you see fit. Once you have installed the plugin, you will be provided a client ID and client secret that you will use for authenticating with the PowerSchool server.
To include SwiftyPSCore in a Swift Package Manager package, add it to the dependencies
attribute defined in your Package.swift
file. For example:
dependencies: [
.package(url: "https://github.com/dougonecent/SwiftyPSCore.git", from: "1.0.0-beta6")
]
Set environment variables for your base URL, client ID, and client secret. Then, in your code, fetch the environment variables and instantiate a client:
if let baseURL = ProcessInfo.processInfo.environment["BASE_URL"],
let clientID = ProcessInfo.processInfo.environment["CLIENT_ID"],
let clientSecret = ProcessInfo.processInfo.environment["CLIENT_SECRET"] {
let client = SwiftyPSCore(baseURL, clientID: clientID, clientSecret: clientSecret)
}
Now you can use your client to retrieve many different resources. Below are a few examples:
if let sections = try await client.sectionsForSchool(schoolID) {
// sections: [Section]
} else {
// no sections found
}
if let students = try await client.studentsInDistrict() {
// students: [Student]
} else {
// no students found
}
PowerQueries are a feature that allows for the creation of custom API endpoints. SwiftyPSCore only includes core endpoints and PowerQueries provided directly by PowerSchool. To add additional core PowerQueries to SwiftyPSCore, you will need to modify the plugin file (PSDataAccessPlugin) with the proper <access-request> elements.
If you are interested in creating your own, custom PowerQueries, see our companion package, SwiftyPSCustomQueries, and the corresponding plugin, SwiftyPSCustomQueriesPlugin.
Using a PowerQuery endpoint works just like any other endpoint:
if let enrollments = try await client.enrollmentsForSections([testSection.sectionDCID]) {
// enrollments: [StudentItem]
} else {
// error: Error
}
If you have a feature or idea you would like to see added to SwiftyPSCore, please create an issue explaining your idea with as much detail as possible.
If you come across a bug, please create an issue explaining the bug with as much detail as possible.
The PowerSchool API provides access to a lot of information and, unfortunately, we don't have time to research and implement every endpoint. We've tried to make it as easy as possible for you to extend the library and contribute your changes. The basics for adding a new endpoint are:
- Fork this repository and clone it to your development machine.
- Create a new model based on the JSON response expected through the PowerSchool API. You can find this information on the PowerSchool Developer Support site.
- Add a test to the
ModelTests.swift
file with an example of the JSON response to ensure the model is decoded properly. - Add a new function to the
SwiftyPSCoreEndpoints.swift
file for your endpoint. You can simply copy one that is already there and change thepath
and the model type to match the expected response.
Please feel free to open a pull request with any additional endpoints you create. We would love to have as many of the endpoints covered as possible.
We strive to keep the code as clean as possible and follow standard Swift coding conventions, mainly the Swift API Design Guidelines and the raywenderlich.com Swift Style Guide. Please run any code changes through SwiftLint before submitting a pull request.
We provide the files needed to test your endpoints against a sandbox PowerSchool server, but you'll have to do a little setup on your end.
- Duplicate the file
testing_parameters.sample.json
and name ittesting_parameters.json
. This is a JSON file to hold the values you will be testing against and is decoded when theEndpointTests
file is run. - Add the
testing_parameters.json
file to your Xcode project, including it in theSwiftyPSCoreTests
target. - Modify the
TestingParameters.swift
model to included any additional parameters you would like to use in your tests. - Add any new testing functions to the
EndpointTests.swift
file.
SwiftyPSCore is released under an MIT license. See LICENSE for more information.