# Quickstart

From nothing to a read invoice. You need an Ocost account as its owner or accountant; the examples use `$OCOST_KEY` for your key.

## 1. Sign up

Sign up at `https://app.ocost.io/auth/sign-up`, or sign in. Files you send show in **Files** like any upload, and Ocost files, books and matches them.

## 2. Make a key

1. Open **[Settings › API](/settings/api)**.
2. Choose **Make key**, name it after its user ("Odoo production"), keep all three scopes, choose **Make key**.
3. Choose **Copy key**. It starts with `ocost_sk_` and is shown once.

```bash
export OCOST_KEY="ocost_sk_…"
```

## 3. Send a PDF

`POST /public/v1/files` takes the file as `multipart/form-data` in `file`; `external_ref` is your own id, echoed back.

```bash
curl -sS https://api.ocost.io/public/v1/files \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OCOST_KEY" \
  -F "file=@invoice.pdf" \
  -F "external_ref=account.move,42"
```

```python
import os

import requests

API = "https://api.ocost.io/public/v1"
auth = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['OCOST_KEY']}"}

with open("invoice.pdf", "rb") as f:
    sent = requests.post(
        f"{API}/files",
        headers=auth,
        files={"file": ("invoice.pdf", f, "application/pdf")},
        data={"external_ref": "account.move,42"},
        timeout=30,
    )
sent.raise_for_status()
file = sent.json()
```

```javascript
import { readFile } from 'node:fs/promises';

const API = 'https://api.ocost.io/public/v1';
const auth = { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.OCOST_KEY}` };

const form = new FormData();
form.append(
  'file',
  new Blob([await readFile('invoice.pdf')], { type: 'application/pdf' }),
  'invoice.pdf',
);
form.append('external_ref', 'account.move,42');
const sent = await fetch(`${API}/files`, { method: 'POST', headers: auth, body: form });
let file = await sent.json();
```

The answer is `202 Accepted`:

```json
{
  "id": "01a1b08c-6e3a-7562-8f4a-7924722667b1",
  "name": "invoice.pdf",
  "status": "received",
  "reason": null,
  "external_ref": "account.move,42",
  "documents": [],
  "sha256": "0edd5593…"
}
```

The same bytes again answer `200 OK` with the same file, counted once. `X-Ocost-Documents-Left` is what your plan has left this month.

## 4. Poll until it is read

`GET /public/v1/files/{file_id}` answers the file as it is now. Poll every few seconds while `status` is `received` or `reading` (most PDFs take under a minute), then less often.

```bash
curl -sS https://api.ocost.io/public/v1/files/$FILE_ID \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OCOST_KEY"
```

```python
import time

for wait in [2, 2, 3, 5, 5, 10, 10, 15, 30, 30]:
    file = requests.get(f"{API}/files/{file['id']}", headers=auth, timeout=15).json()
    if file["status"] not in ("received", "reading"):
        break
    time.sleep(wait)
```

```javascript
while (file.status === 'received' || file.status === 'reading') {
  await new Promise((done) => setTimeout(done, 3000));
  file = await (await fetch(`${API}/files/${file.id}`, { headers: auth })).json();
}
```

Then `documents` lists what it holds; `not_read` and `failed` carry a `reason` ([Files and statuses](https://app.ocost.io/developers/en/files.md)).

## 5. Read the document

`GET /public/v1/files/{file_id}/document` answers its first document as `ocost.document.v1`, each value with where it was read and how sure Ocost is ([The document schema](https://app.ocost.io/developers/en/document.md)). `GET /public/v1/documents/{document_id}` answers any other.

```bash
curl -sS https://api.ocost.io/public/v1/files/$FILE_ID/document \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OCOST_KEY"
```

```python
document = requests.get(
    f"{API}/files/{file['id']}/document", headers=auth, timeout=15
).json()
print(document["number"], document["totals"]["gross"], document["currency"])
```

```javascript
const document = await (
  await fetch(`${API}/files/${file.id}/document`, { headers: auth })
).json();
console.log(document.number, document.totals.gross, document.currency);
```

## 6. Search

`GET /public/v1/search` finds documents by words and by meaning.

```bash
curl -sS -G https://api.ocost.io/public/v1/search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OCOST_KEY" \
  --data-urlencode "q=office chairs" \
  --data-urlencode "kind=invoice"
```

```python
found = requests.get(
    f"{API}/search", headers=auth, params={"q": "office chairs", "kind": "invoice"}, timeout=15
).json()
for r in found["results"]:
    print(r["number"], r["seller"], r["issue_date"])
```

```javascript
const params = new URLSearchParams({ q: 'office chairs', kind: 'invoice' });
const found = await (await fetch(`${API}/search?${params}`, { headers: auth })).json();
for (const r of found.results) console.log(r.number, r.seller, r.issue_date);
```

## Next

- Statuses and reasons: [Files and statuses](https://app.ocost.io/developers/en/files.md)
- Every field: [The document schema](https://app.ocost.io/developers/en/document.md)
- Vendor bills in Odoo: [Connecting Odoo](https://app.ocost.io/developers/en/odoo.md)
- Every route: [API reference](https://app.ocost.io/developers/openapi.json)