Simple API Part 2 – Building a Deep Work Logger with Flask, Slack and Google Docs

A developer created a Deep Work logger app using Flask, Google Docs, and Slack, and deployed it on Heroku, aiming to track deep work sessions efficiently across both desktop and mobile platforms. The app utilizes the Slack API and Slash Commands to log work sessions, with the command "/dw" allowing users to log time and activities directly from Slack into a Google Doc via the Flask-based API. The developer shared insights on the process, including setting up the Google API, securing the application with HTTP Basic Auth, and handling Slack’s payloads in Flask. The project faced challenges such as deployment issues on Heroku and slow response times with the gspread library, leading to a switch to pygsheets for improved performance. The experience highlighted the importance of experimenting with different tools, debugging effectively, and leveraging community feedback to overcome obstacles.