bol: how do I (re)authorize ChannelEngine for the bol API?

About this article

This article describes the process to authorize and reauthorize ChannelEngine to connect with your bol account.

Introduction

One of the main changes between the bol v3 (and later versions) API and their previous APIs is the method of authorization. While earlier versions worked with a public and private key system, the new v3 (and later versions) API works with OAuth access delegation. This is a type of authorization used by several other marketplaces, such as eBay and Wish.

How to authorize

To authorize ChannelEngine for the bol API:

1. On the ChannelEngine dashboard, open your bol channel.
2. On the Setup page, navigate to the Advanced settings section and, in the Authorize ChannelEngine field, click Authorize ChannelEngine or Reauthorize ChannelEngine.
   
   
   NB: if you have multiple active bol accounts and connections, you must repeat these steps for every account. Make sure to log out first before you proceed with the next account.
3. The dialog box that pops up should state Doorgaan naar ChannelEngine.
4. Enter your bol account credentials (i.e.: email and password), as if you were logging into the bol back-end. Make sure you are connecting to the correct account if you have multiple bol accounts.

5. You should get a confirmation screen listing your account name, and asking for confirmation to connect ChannelEngine with your bol account. Click Toestaan to proceed.

6. The popup should close and your authorization status on ChannelEngine should change.

7. To revoke access in the future, go to the bol back-end and navigate to Instellingen, API instellingen, Authorized parties.

Reauthorizing

Once the authorization is successful, ChannelEngine receives a specific token that allows it to get short-term OAuth tokens to perform API calls. However, this specific token has an expiration date of exactly one year. As long as you continue to use bol as a marketplace via ChannelEngine, you need to reauthorize it yearly.

You receive notifications once the expiration date is approaching, so make sure to enable these notifications. If you do not reauthorize on time, ChannelEngine loses the permission to perform API calls for your bol account – and the plugin is disabled.

The steps to perform for reauthorization are exactly the same as for the regular authorization.