Author: Bernardo Lares
Date: 2026-04-23

# API Integrations

#### Bernardo Lares

#### 2026-04-23

## Introduction

`lares` provides convenient wrappers for popular APIs, making it easy to integrate AI services, financial data, and more into your R workflows.

## Credential Management

### Setup Credentials Securely

`lares` uses a YAML configuration file to store credentials:

    library(lares)

Create a `config.yml` file:

    default:
      openai:
        secret_key: "sk-your-openai-key-here"

      gemini:
        api_key: "your-gemini-key-here"

      database:
        server: "localhost"
        database: "mydb"
        uid: "user"
        pwd: "password"

Set the credentials directory (one-time setup):

    # lares will prompt you to set the directory
    creds <- get_credentials("openai")

    # Or specify manually
    creds <- get_credentials("openai", dir = "~/my_credentials")

## ChatGPT Integration

### Basic Usage

    # Simple question
    response <- gpt_ask("Explain linear regression in 2 sentences")

### Structured Prompts

Use `gpt_prompter()` to build better prompts:

    # Create a structured prompt
    prompt <- gpt_prompter(
      instruction = "Classify these items",
      input = c("Dog", "Rose", "Car", "Oak"),
      context = c("Animal", "Plant", "Object"),
      output = "table",
      cols = c("Item", "Category")
    )

    # Send to ChatGPT
    result <- gpt_ask(prompt$prompt)

### Specialized Functions

#### Classification

    # Classify text into categories
    items <- c("Python tutorial", "R package", "Java course", "Statistics book")
    categories <- c("Programming", "Statistics", "Other")

    result <- gpt_classify(items, categories)
    print(result)

#### Data Extraction

    # Extract specific information
    texts <- c(
      "My email is john@example.com",
      "Call me at +1-555-0123",
      "Visit us at 123 Main St, NYC"
    )

    extractions <- c("email", "phone number", "city")

    result <- gpt_extract(texts, extractions)
    print(result)

#### Translation

    # Translate text
    text <- rep("Hello, how are you?", 3)
    languages <- c("Spanish", "French", "German")

    result <- gpt_translate(text, languages)
    print(result)

#### Formatting

    # Standardize date formats
    dates <- c("March 15, 2024", "15/03/2024", "2024-03-15")
    format_spec <- "ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD)"

    result <- gpt_format(dates, format = format_spec)
    print(result)

#### Tagging

    # Tag items with multiple labels
    items <- c("Machine learning tutorial", "Data visualization guide")
    tags <- c("AI", "Statistics", "Programming", "Visualization")

    result <- gpt_tag(items, tags)
    print(result)

### View Conversation History

    # See all previous prompts and responses from this session
    history <- gpt_history()
    head(history)

### Advanced Configuration

    # Customize model and parameters
    response <- gpt_ask(
      "Write a haiku about data science",
      model = "gpt-4",
      temperature = 0.9, # More creative (0-2)
      num_retries = 3
    )

## Google Gemini Integration

### Basic Usage

    # Text generation
    response <- gemini_ask(
      "Explain the Central Limit Theorem",
      api_key = get_credentials("gemini")$api_key
    )

### Image Analysis

    # Analyze an image
    response <- gemini_image(
      prompt = "Describe this plot in detail",
      image_path = "path/to/plot.png",
      api_key = get_credentials("gemini")$api_key
    )

## Financial Data: Stocks

### Get Stock Historical Data

    # Fetch Apple stock data
    aapl <- stocks_hist(
      symbols = "AAPL",
      from = Sys.Date() - 90, # Last 90 days
      to = Sys.Date()
    )

    head(aapl, 3)

### Multiple Stocks

    # Compare multiple stocks
    tech_stocks <- stocks_hist(
      symbols = c("AAPL", "GOOGL", "MSFT"),
      from = "2024-01-01"
    )

    head(tech_stocks, 3)

### Stock Quotes

    # Real-time quotes
    quote <- stocks_quote("AAPL")
    print(quote)

### Portfolio Analysis

    # Track a portfolio
    portfolio <- daily_portfolio(
      symbols = c("AAPL", "GOOGL", "TSLA"),
      shares = c(10, 5, 8),
      from = "2024-01-01"
    )

    # Visualize performance
    splot_summary(portfolio)

### Stock Visualizations

    # Growth over time
    splot_growth(tech_stocks, symbols = c("AAPL", "GOOGL"))

    # Returns on investment
    splot_roi(tech_stocks, investment = 10000)

    # Sector performance
    splot_types(tech_stocks)

## Google Sheets Integration

### Read from Google Sheets

    # Read a Google Sheet
    data <- readGS(
      title = "My Spreadsheet",
      sheet = "Sheet1",
      creds = get_credentials("google")
    )

### Write to Google Sheets

    # Write data to Google Sheets
    writeGS(
      data = mtcars,
      title = "My Data",
      sheet = "Cars",
      creds = get_credentials("google")
    )

## Database Queries

### PostgreSQL

    # Query a database
    query <- "SELECT * FROM users WHERE active = TRUE LIMIT 10"
    result <- queryDB(
      query = query,
      from = "my_database_creds"
    )

## Google Trends

### Search Trends Over Time

    # Get trend data
    trends <- gtrends_time(
      keyword = "machine learning",
      from = "2023-01-01",
      to = "2024-01-01"
    )

    head(trends)

### Related Queries

    # Find related search terms
    related <- gtrends_related(
      keyword = "data science",
      categories = c("top", "rising")
    )

## Best Practices

### 1. Secure Your Credentials

    # ❌ DON'T hardcode
    # api_key <- "sk-1234567890"

    # ✅ DO use credential management
    api_key <- get_credentials("openai")$secret_key

### 2. Handle API Errors

    # Wrap in try-catch
    result <- tryCatch(
      {
        gpt_ask("Your question here")
      },
      error = function(e) {
        message("API error: ", e$message)
        NULL
      }
    )

### 3. Rate Limiting

    # Add delays for bulk operations
    items <- c("item1", "item2", "item3")

    results <- lapply(items, function(item) {
      result <- gpt_ask(item)
      Sys.sleep(1) # 1 second delay
      result
    })

### 4. Cache Results

    # Cache expensive API calls
    result <- cache_pipe(
      {
        # This only runs once, then cached and loaded on subsequent calls
        gpt_ask("Expensive query here")
      },
      base = "my_gpt_query"
    )

### 5. Monitor Costs

    # Use cheaper models for simple tasks
    simple_task <- gpt_ask(
      "Summarize: The meeting is at 3pm",
      model = "gpt-3.5-turbo" # Cheaper than gpt-4
    )

    # Use expensive models only when needed
    complex_task <- gpt_ask(
      "Analyze this complex dataset: ...",
      model = "gpt-4"
    )

## Environment Variables

Set global defaults via environment variables:

    # In .Renviron file:
    # LARES_GPT_MODEL=gpt-4
    # LARES_GPT_URL=https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions
    # LARES_GEMINI_API=https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/models/

    # Check current settings
    Sys.getenv(c("LARES_GPT_MODEL", "LARES_GEMINI_API"))
    #>                                            LARES_GPT_MODEL
    #>                                            "gpt-3.5-turbo"
    #>                                           LARES_GEMINI_API
    #> "https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/models/"

## Troubleshooting

### API Key Issues

    # Verify credentials are loaded
    creds <- get_credentials("openai")
    if (is.null(creds$secret_key)) {
      stop("OpenAI API key not found!")
    }

### Network Issues

    # Check internet connection
    if (haveInternet()) {
      message("Connected to internet")
    } else {
      stop("No internet connection")
    }

### Rate Limit Errors

If you hit rate limits: 1. Add `Sys.sleep()` between calls 2. Use batch processing 3. Upgrade your API plan

## Complete Example: Data Analysis with AI

    # 1. Load data
    data(dft)

    # 2. Get AI summary of data structure
    prompt <- sprintf(
      "Summarize this dataset structure: %d rows, columns: %s",
      nrow(dft),
      paste(colnames(dft), collapse = ", ")
    )
    summary <- gpt_ask(prompt)

    # 3. Get stock data
    stocks <- stocks_hist("AAPL", from = Sys.Date() - 30)

    # 4. Cache the analysis
    analysis <- cache_pipe(
      {
        gpt_ask(sprintf(
          "Analyze this stock: Recent high: $%.2f, Low: $%.2f",
          max(stocks$High, na.rm = TRUE),
          min(stocks$Low, na.rm = TRUE)
        ))
      },
      base = "aapl_analysis"
    )

    print(analysis)

## Further Reading

### API Documentation

- OpenAI API Docs: https://platform.openai.com/docs
- Gemini API Docs: https://ai.google.dev/docs
- lares Functions: `?gpt_ask`, `?gemini_ask`, `?stocks_hist`, `?get_credentials`

### Blog Posts & Tutorials

- All lares articles: Author page on R-bloggers
- Package website: https://laresbernardo.github.io/lares/

## Next Steps

- Explore data wrangling (see Data Wrangling vignette)
- Learn machine learning (see Machine Learning vignette)
- Review credential management: `?get_credentials`