You've heard the term "API" thrown around. Maybe your IT team mentioned it. Maybe a vendor asked if you wanted to "integrate via API." It sounds technical, and it is - but the concept is simpler than it seems, and understanding it can unlock a lot of value from your TrueContext investment.
Let's break it down in plain language.
What Is an API?
API stands for Application Programming Interface. That's a mouthful, so here's a better way to think about it: an API is a way for two software systems to talk to each other.
When you log into the TrueContext web portal and view a form submission, you're looking at data. That data lives in TrueContext's systems. The portal is one way to access it - a visual interface designed for humans.
An API is another way to access that same data, but it's designed for software. Instead of clicking buttons and reading screens, a program sends a request and gets structured data back. No browser required.
Think of it like a restaurant. The dining room is for customers - you sit down, read a menu, place an order with a server. The kitchen has a different entrance for suppliers delivering ingredients. Same restaurant, same food, but different ways to interact depending on who you are and what you need.
The API is the supplier entrance. It's how other systems get what they need without going through the front door.
What Can You Do With the TrueContext API?
The TrueContext API gives programmatic access to most of what you can do in the platform. That includes retrieving form submissions and their data, accessing form templates and their field structures, managing data sources (the lists that power your dropdowns), working with users and groups, and configuring destinations that send data to other systems.
If you've ever wished you could automatically pull inspection data into a report, sync form submissions to your ERP without manual exports, or build a custom dashboard showing field activity - the API is how that happens.
Why Should You Care?
If you're not a developer, you might wonder why this matters to you. Here's the thing: the API is often what makes your other tools work together.
When TrueContext sends data to Salesforce, that happens through APIs. When your IT team builds a Power BI dashboard showing form completion rates, they're pulling data through the API. When a third-party system updates a data source so your field teams see current inventory levels, that's the API at work.
Understanding that the API exists - even if you never write a line of code yourself - helps you have better conversations with your technical team. Instead of "can we get this data somewhere else?" you can ask "can we use the API to push this to our system?" That's a more specific question, and it often gets you a faster answer.
Who Actually Uses the API?
Typically, the people writing code against the API are developers or technically-minded admins. But the people who benefit are much broader: operations managers who get automated reports, field supervisors who see real-time dashboards, finance teams who receive data in their systems without waiting for manual uploads.
Some TrueContext customers use the API extensively, with custom integrations touching every form. Others use it indirectly, through pre-built connectors and destinations that handle the technical details behind the scenes. There's no wrong approach - it depends on your needs and resources.
What Does API Data Look Like?
When a system requests data from an API, it doesn't get a pretty web page. It gets structured data, usually in a format called JSON. Here's a simplified example of what a form submission might look like:
{
"formName": "Safety Inspection",
"submittedBy": "jsmith",
"submittedAt": "2025-01-06T14:30:00Z",
"answers": {
"siteLocation": "Building A",
"hazardsFound": "No",
"comments": "All clear."
}
}
It's not designed to be read by humans in a browser - it's designed to be read by software that can then do something useful with it. Store it in a database. Display it on a dashboard. Trigger a workflow.
The Bottom Line
The TrueContext API is the bridge between your mobile forms and everything else. It's what makes integrations possible, automation practical, and your data portable.
You don't need to become a programmer to benefit from it. But knowing it exists - and knowing what it can do - puts you in a better position to get more value from the data your teams collect every day.
If you're curious about what's possible, talk to your IT team or reach out to your TrueContext account manager. Chances are, there's an integration or automation that could make your life easier. The API is how it gets built.
Want to explore further? The TrueContext API documentation provides technical details for developers ready to start building.