Lovable and Harvest integration: Step-by-Step Guide 2025

 

Prerequisites for Harvest Integration

 

• Have a valid Harvest account with API access enabled.
• Obtain your Harvest Account ID and Personal Access Token from the Harvest dashboard.
• Make sure your Lovable project already has a TypeScript configuration.

 

Adding Dependencies Without a Terminal

 

• Since Lovable does not have a terminal, you need to add dependencies by editing your package management file (normally package.json).
• Locate your package.json file in your project root. If you do not have one, create a new file named package.json in the project root.
• Add or modify the dependencies section to include axios. For example:

{
  "name": "lovable-project",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "dependencies": {
    "axios": "^0.21.1"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    // Add your dev dependencies here, if any
  }
}

• If your project uses a package loader that automatically includes these dependencies, saving the file will install them for you.

 

Creating the Harvest Service File

 

• In your Lovable project directory, create a new file named HarvestService.ts. A common place is in a services folder. If such a folder does not exist, create one at the project root.
• This file will encapsulate all API calls to Harvest.

 

Implementing the Harvest Service

 

• Open HarvestService.ts and add the following TypeScript code. This code uses axios to perform API requests to Harvest. Replace the placeholders for the account ID and token with your actual credentials or environment variables.

import axios, { AxiosInstance } from 'axios';

interface HarvestConfig {
  accountId: string;
  accessToken: string;
  baseUrl?: string;
}

export class HarvestService {
  private client: AxiosInstance;

  constructor(private config: HarvestConfig) {
    this.client = axios.create({
      baseURL: config.baseUrl || 'https://api.harvestapp.com/v2',
      headers: {
        'Authorization': Bearer ${config.accessToken},
        'Harvest-Account-Id': config.accountId,
        'User-Agent': 'LovableApp ([email protected])'
      }
    });
  }

  // Example method to fetch projects from Harvest
  async getProjects(): Promise {
    try {
      const response = await this.client.get('/projects');
      return response.data;
    } catch (error) {
      throw new Error(Failed to fetch projects: ${error});
    }
  }

  // Example method to create a new time entry in Harvest
  async createTimeEntry(data: any): Promise {
    try {
      const response = await this.client.post('/time_entries', data);
      return response.data;
    } catch (error) {
      throw new Error(Failed to create time entry: ${error});
    }
  }
}

• This code sets up an axios client with the Harvest API base URL and includes the required headers.
• You can create additional methods in the HarvestService class to interact with other Harvest endpoints as needed.

 

Configuring Environment Variables

 

• For security, store your Harvest credentials outside of your source code. In Lovable, create a new configuration file if not already present. For example, create a file named config.ts in your project's root (or in a config folder).
• Add the following code snippet to config.ts to export your Harvest configuration. Replace the placeholder text with your actual credentials.

// config.ts
export const HARVEST_CONFIG = {
  accountId: 'YOURHARVESTACCOUNT_ID',
  accessToken: 'YOURPERSONALACCESS_TOKEN',
  baseUrl: 'https://api.harvestapp.com/v2' // default URL; modify if necessary
};

• Ensure that your Lovable project loads this configuration before using the HarvestService.

 

Integrating HarvestService into Your Lovable Project

 

• Open the TypeScript file where you want to integrate Harvest functionality, for example, a component or a service manager file.
• Import both the HarvestService and the Harvest configuration from config.ts:

import { HarvestService } from './services/HarvestService';
import { HARVEST_CONFIG } from './config';

// Initialize the Harvest service
const harvestService = new HarvestService(HARVEST_CONFIG);

// Example usage: fetching projects and logging them
harvestService.getProjects()
  .then(data => {
    console.log('Harvest Projects:', data);
  })
  .catch(error => {
    console.error(error);
  });

• Add the above initialization and method invocation at the appropriate location in your application logic where you need to work with Harvest data.
• For example, if you have a dashboard component that displays Harvest projects, insert the code within the component’s initialization logic.

 

Testing the Integration

 

• After inserting the code snippets, save all files.
• Trigger your Lovable project’s execution—if it automatically reloads, you should see the output from the Harvest API in the console or as part of your application UI.
• If your project logs errors, check the console for troubleshooting details related to API calls or configuration issues.

 

Final Adjustments

 

• Review the HarvestService methods and add additional functions (such as updating a project or deleting a time entry) based on the Harvest API documentation.
• Ensure all sensitive data is properly secured and not exposed in the source code by moving them to secured environment configuration when possible.