Connecting to HelpScout

To authenticate to HelpScout, you can use either token authentication, or OAuth-based authentication. Use Token authentication to access the Docs API, or OAuth authentication to connect to the Mailbox 2.0 API.

Using Token authentication for Docs API

To authenticate to the HelpScout Docs API, you'll need to provide an API Key. You can manage your API keys under 'Person Icon' > 'Your Profile' > 'Authentication' > 'Generate an API Key'. Each API Key is associated with a Help Scout user. After generating an API Key, set the API Key to this value in the ProfileSettings connection property.

Example Connection String

Profile=C:\profiles\HelpScout.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=my_api_key';

Using OAuth Authentication for Mailbox API 2.0

In order to authenticate to the HelpScout Mailbox API, you'll first need to register an OAuth application for your account. To do so, go to 'Your Profile' > 'My Apps' > 'Select App' > 'Create My App', where you can provide a name and callback URL for your app. Your app will then be assigned an App ID and App Secret. After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

• AuthScheme: Set this to OAuth.
• OAuthClientId: Set this to your app's App ID
• OAuthClientSecret: Set this to your app's App Secret
• CallbackURL: Set this to the CallbackURl provider for your app
• InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to manage the process to obtain the OAuthAccessToken.

Example connection string

Profile=C:\profiles\HelpScout.apip;Authscheme=OAuth;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;OAuthClientId=your_app_id;OAuthClientSecret=your_app_secret;CallbackUrl=your_callback_url;

Connection Properties

The connection string properties are the various options that can be used to establish a connection. This section provides a complete list of the options you can configure in the connection string for this provider.