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hidma API (beta)
Connect hidma to your own systems, such as a client database, a reporting tool or an internal script, so that information does not have to be typed in twice.
Firm plan only
The hidma API is only available to firms on the Firm plan. If you are on the Solo or Team plan and would like to use it, contact support@hidma.com about moving to the Firm plan.
Beta
The hidma API is in beta. It covers a small set of records for now, and more will be added over the coming releases. We would welcome your feedback while it grows.
What is an API?
An API is a way for two pieces of software to talk to each other without a person in between. Instead of someone exporting a spreadsheet from hidma and typing it into another system, the other system asks hidma for the information directly, or sends new information in.
You do not need to use the API to use hidma. It is for firms that want hidma to work alongside other software they already have.
What you could use it for
- Reporting. Pull clients, projects and logged time into Power BI, Excel or a dashboard, so reports are always up to date.
- Keeping client lists in step. When a new client is added to your CRM or onboarding system, add them to hidma automatically, and keep their details up to date.
- Logging time from other tools. Send time from a timer app, a calendar or an internal tool straight into hidma timesheets.
- Checking work. Read a list of projects and jobs to check that nothing has been missed.
- Matching people. Look up your users by email, so time sent from another system lands on the right person.
What the beta covers
| Area | What a connected tool can do |
|---|---|
| Clients | See the list of clients, view one client, add a client and update a client |
| Projects | See the list of projects and view one project |
| Jobs | See the list of jobs and view one job |
| Timesheets | See weekly timesheets, and see, add, change and delete individual time entries |
| Users | See the list of users and view one user (name, email, job title, team and whether they are active) |
Bills and payments are not available through the API yet.
How it works, in short
- You create an application in Settings › API Access. An application stands for one tool you want to connect, such as "Power BI reports".
- You choose what it can see and change. For each area you pick No access, Read only or Read and write.
- hidma gives you a client ID and a client secret. Together these are like a username and password for that tool.
- Your tool, or your developer, uses them to connect. The tool swaps the ID and secret for a short-lived pass (an access token) and then asks hidma for what it needs.
Access is given to an application, not to a person. The application belongs to your firm, so it keeps working when a member of staff leaves, and you can switch it off at any time without affecting anyone's login.
The pages in this section
- Setting up API access: create an application, choose its access, copy its details, and turn it off, replace its secret or delete it.
- Connecting to the API: a plain-English guide for whoever is connecting the tool: tokens, limits, time entries and what the error messages mean.
The full technical reference, listing every call with examples you can try, opens from the API documentation button in Settings › API Access. You need to be signed in to hidma to view it.
Keeping your data safe
- Give each tool its own application, so you can switch one off without breaking the others.
- Only give each application the access it needs. A reporting tool usually only needs Read only.
- Treat the client secret like a password. Do not send it by email or chat, or put it in a shared spreadsheet.
- If you think a secret has been seen by someone who should not have it, open the application and click Create new secret. The old one stops working straight away.
Changes are real
Anything a connected tool adds, changes or deletes through the API is added, changed or deleted in your hidma account, exactly as if someone had done it in hidma.