To help you get started with using the Meraki Dashboard API in a sandbox environment, I'll provide you with a project structure and an example script that you can use as a template. This project folder will include a sample Python script, a configuration for environment variables, and instructions for running the script.

### Project Folder Structure

```
automation-scripts/
├── README.md
├── scripts/
│   ├── clientcount.py
│   ├── get_license.py
│   └── inventorycsv.py
├── requirements.txt
└── setup_env.sh
```

### README.md


# Meraki Dashboard API Automation Scripts

This project contains Python scripts for automating tasks with the Meraki Dashboard API.

## Prerequisites

- Python 3.x
- Meraki API Key
- Required Python packages (listed in `requirements.txt`)

## Setup

1. Clone this repository.
2. Install the required Python packages:

    ```sh
    pip install -r requirements.txt
    ```

3. Set up your environment variables by sourcing the `setup_env.sh` file:

    ```sh
    source setup_env.sh
    ```

## Running Scripts

### Get Client Count

```sh
python scripts/clientcount.py -k $MERAKI_DASHBOARD_API_KEY -o "DeLab"
```

### Get License Information

```sh
python scripts/get_license.py -k $MERAKI_DASHBOARD_API_KEY -o "DeLab"
```

### Get Inventory List

```sh
python scripts/inventorycsv.py -k $MERAKI_DASHBOARD_API_KEY -o "DeLab" -f DeLab_inventory_list.csv
```

## Notes

Make sure to check each script's usage information in the header of the script.


### requirements.txt

```txt
requests
pyyaml
pymongo
pysnmp
meraki
```

### setup_env.sh

```sh
#!/bin/bash

# Set your Meraki API key here
export MERAKI_DASHBOARD_API_KEY="d03190ff333a3c7feaed89fec5b3b2529f59e8ec"
```

### scripts/clientcount.py

```python
import requests
import argparse

def get_client_count(api_key, org_name):
    base_url = 'https://api.meraki.com/api/v1'
    headers = {
        'Authorization': f'Bearer {api_key}'
    }

    # Get the list of organizations
    orgs_response = requests.get(f'{base_url}/organizations', headers=headers)
    orgs = orgs_response.json()

    # Find the organization ID for the given name
    org_id = None
    for org in orgs:
        if org['name'] == org_name:
            org_id = org['id']
            break

    if org_id is None:
        print(f'Organization {org_name} not found')
        return

    # Get the list of networks in the organization
    networks_response = requests.get(f'{base_url}/organizations/{org_id}/networks', headers=headers)
    networks = networks_response.json()

    # Count the number of unique clients across all networks
    unique_clients = set()
    for network in networks:
        network_id = network['id']
        clients_response = requests.get(f'{base_url}/networks/{network_id}/clients', headers=headers)
        clients = clients_response.json()
        for client in clients:
            unique_clients.add(client['mac'])

    print(f'Total unique client MAC addresses across all WLAN APs: {len(unique_clients)}')

if __name__ == '__main__':
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Get client count for a Meraki organization')
    parser.add_argument('-k', '--api_key', required=True, help='Meraki API key')
    parser.add_argument('-o', '--org_name', required=True, help='Meraki organization name')
    args = parser.parse_args()
    get_client_count(args.api_key, args.org_name)
```

### scripts/get_license.py

```python
import requests
import argparse

def get_license_info(api_key, org_name):
    base_url = 'https://api.meraki.com/api/v1'
    headers = {
        'Authorization': f'Bearer {api_key}'
    }

    # Get the list of organizations
    orgs_response = requests.get(f'{base_url}/organizations', headers=headers)
    orgs = orgs_response.json()

    # Find the organization ID for the given name
    org_id = None
    for org in orgs:
        if org['name'] == org_name:
            org_id = org['id']
            break

    if org_id is None:
        print(f'Organization {org_name} not found')
        return

    # Get the license information for the organization
    license_response = requests.get(f'{base_url}/organizations/{org_id}/licenses', headers=headers)
    license_info = license_response.json()

    print(f'License info for organization "{org_name}" (ID: {org_id})')
    print(f'Status: {license_info["status"]}')
    print(f'Expiration date: {license_info["expirationDate"]}')
    print('Licensed device counts:')
    for license in license_info['licenses']:
        print(f'{license["productType"]}:\t{license["total"]}')

if __name__ == '__main__':
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Get license info for a Meraki organization')
    parser.add_argument('-k', '--api_key', required=True, help='Meraki API key')
    parser.add_argument('-o', '--org_name', required=True, help='Meraki organization name')
    args = parser.parse_args()
    get_license_info(args.api_key, args.org_name)
```

### scripts/inventorycsv.py

```python
import requests
import csv
import argparse

def get_inventory(api_key, org_name, filename):
    base_url = 'https://api.meraki.com/api/v1'
    headers = {
        'Authorization': f'Bearer {api_key}'
    }

    # Get the list of organizations
    orgs_response = requests.get(f'{base_url}/organizations', headers=headers)
    orgs = orgs_response.json()

    # Find the organization ID for the given name
    org_id = None
    for org in orgs:
        if org['name'] == org_name:
            org_id = org['id']
            break

    if org_id is None:
        print(f'Organization {org_name} not found')
        return

    # Get the inventory for the organization
    inventory_response = requests.get(f'{base_url}/organizations/{org_id}/inventory/devices', headers=headers)
    inventory = inventory_response.json()

    # Write the inventory to a CSV file
    with open(filename, 'w', newline='') as csvfile:
        fieldnames = ['serial', 'model', 'networkId', 'mac', 'claimedAt']
        writer = csv.DictWriter(csvfile, fieldnames=fieldnames)

        writer.writeheader()
        for device in inventory:
            writer.writerow(device)

    print(f'Inventory for organization "{org_name}" saved to {filename}')

if __name__ == '__main__':
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Get inventory for a Meraki organization')
    parser.add_argument('-k', '--api_key', required=True, help='Meraki API key')
    parser.add_argument('-o', '--org_name', required=True, help='Meraki organization name')
    parser.add_argument('-f', '--filename', required=True, help='Output CSV file')
    args = parser.parse_args()
    get_inventory(args.api_key, args.org_name, args.filename)
```

### Instructions for Running the Project

1. **Clone the repository:**

```sh
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/automation-scripts.git
cd automation-scripts
```

2. **Install required Python packages:**

```sh
pip install -r requirements.txt
```

3. **Set up environment variables:**

```sh
source setup_env.sh
```

4. **Run the scripts:**

- **Get client count:**

  ```sh
  python scripts/clientcount.py -k $MERAKI_DASHBOARD_API_KEY -o "DeLab"
  ```

- **Get license information:**

  ```sh
  python scripts/get_license.py -k $MERAKI_DASHBOARD_API_KEY -o "DeLab"
  ```

- **Get inventory list:**

  ```sh
  python scripts/inventorycsv.py -k $MERAKI_DASHBOARD_API_KEY -o "DeLab" -f DeLab_inventory_list.csv
  ```

This setup should give you a good starting point for working with the Meraki Dashboard API in a sandbox environment. If you have any further questions or need additional examples, feel free to ask!

---

Certainly! Let's add the retry mechanism to the `get_license.py` and `inventorycsv.py` scripts as well.

### Updated `get_license.py` Script with Retry Mechanism

```python
import requests
import argparse
import time

def get_license_info(api_key, org_name):
    base_url = 'https://api.meraki.com/api/v1'
    headers = {
        'Authorization': f'Bearer {api_key}'
    }

    def make_request(url):
        retries = 5
        for i in range(retries):
            response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
            if response.status_code == 200:
                return response.json()
            elif response.status_code == 429:
                print(f"API rate limit exceeded. Retrying in {2 ** i} seconds...")
                time.sleep(2 ** i)
            else:
                print(f"Error: {response.status_code} - {response.text}")
                return None
        return None

    # Get the list of organizations
    orgs = make_request(f'{base_url}/organizations')
    if orgs is None:
        return

    # Find the organization ID for the given name
    org_id = None
    for org in orgs:
        if org['name'] == org_name:
            org_id = org['id']
            break

    if org_id is None:
        print(f'Organization {org_name} not found')
        return

    # Get the license information for the organization
    license_info = make_request(f'{base_url}/organizations/{org_id}/licenses')
    if license_info is None:
        return

    print(f'License info for organization "{org_name}" (ID: {org_id})')
    print(f'Status: {license_info["status"]}')
    print(f'Expiration date: {license_info["expirationDate"]}')
    print('Licensed device counts:')
    for license in license_info['licenses']:
        print(f'{license["productType"]}:\t{license["total"]}')

if __name__ == '__main__':
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Get license info for a Meraki organization')
    parser.add_argument('-k', '--api_key', required=True, help='Meraki API key')
    parser.add_argument('-o', '--org_name', required=True, help='Meraki organization name')
    args = parser.parse_args()
    get_license_info(args.api_key, args.org_name)
```

### Updated `inventorycsv.py` Script with Retry Mechanism

```python
import requests
import csv
import argparse
import time

def get_inventory(api_key, org_name, filename):
    base_url = 'https://api.meraki.com/api/v1'
    headers = {
        'Authorization': f'Bearer {api_key}'
    }

    def make_request(url):
        retries = 5
        for i in range(retries):
            response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
            if response.status_code == 200:
                return response.json()
            elif response.status_code == 429:
                print(f"API rate limit exceeded. Retrying in {2 ** i} seconds...")
                time.sleep(2 ** i)
            else:
                print(f"Error: {response.status_code} - {response.text}")
                return None
        return None

    # Get the list of organizations
    orgs = make_request(f'{base_url}/organizations')
    if orgs is None:
        return

    # Find the organization ID for the given name
    org_id = None
    for org in orgs:
        if org['name'] == org_name:
            org_id = org['id']
            break

    if org_id is None:
        print(f'Organization {org_name} not found')
        return

    # Get the inventory for the organization
    inventory = make_request(f'{base_url}/organizations/{org_id}/inventory/devices')
    if inventory is None:
        return

    # Write the inventory to a CSV file
    with open(filename, 'w', newline='') as csvfile:
        fieldnames = ['serial', 'model', 'networkId', 'mac', 'claimedAt']
        writer = csv.DictWriter(csvfile, fieldnames=fieldnames)

        writer.writeheader()
        for device in inventory:
            writer.writerow(device)

    print(f'Inventory for organization "{org_name}" saved to {filename}')

if __name__ == '__main__':
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Get inventory for a Meraki organization')
    parser.add_argument('-k', '--api_key', required=True, help='Meraki API key')
    parser.add_argument('-o', '--org_name', required=True, help='Meraki organization name')
    parser.add_argument('-f', '--filename', required=True, help='Output CSV file')
    args = parser.parse_args()
    get_inventory(args.api_key, args.org_name, args.filename)
```

### Steps to Run the Updated Scripts

1. **Ensure your conda environment is activated:**

    ```sh
    conda activate meraki_env
    ```

2. **Run the updated scripts with the appropriate arguments:**

- **Get client count:**

    ```sh
    python scripts/clientcount.py -k $MERAKI_DASHBOARD_API_KEY -o "DeLab"
    ```

- **Get license information:**

    ```sh
    python scripts/get_license.py -k $MERAKI_DASHBOARD_API_KEY -o "DeLab"
    ```

- **Get inventory list:**

    ```sh
    python scripts/inventorycsv.py -k $MERAKI_DASHBOARD_API_KEY -o "DeLab" -f DeLab_inventory_list.csv
    ```

By adding the retry mechanism to these scripts, you can handle API rate limits more gracefully and ensure that your scripts can complete their tasks even when faced with temporary API restrictions. If you encounter any other issues or have further questions, please let me know!

---

The error message indicates that the API rate limit has been exceeded for your organization. This means that the Meraki API has received too many requests in a short period of time. To handle this, you can implement a retry mechanism with exponential backoff to wait before retrying the request.

Here is the updated `clientcount.py` script with a retry mechanism:

### Updated `clientcount.py` with Retry Mechanism

```python
import requests
import argparse
import time
import json

def get_client_count(api_key, org_name):
    base_url = 'https://api.meraki.com/api/v1'
    headers = {
        'Authorization': f'Bearer {api_key}'
    }

    def make_request(url):
        retries = 5
        for i in range(retries):
            response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
            if response.status_code == 200:
                return response.json()
            elif response.status_code == 429:
                print(f"API rate limit exceeded. Retrying in {2 ** i} seconds...")
                time.sleep(2 ** i)
            else:
                print(f"Error: {response.status_code} - {response.text}")
                return None
        return None

    # Get the list of organizations
    orgs = make_request(f'{base_url}/organizations')
    if orgs is None:
        return

    # Find the organization ID for the given name
    org_id = None
    for org in orgs:
        if org['name'] == org_name:
            org_id = org['id']
            break

    if org_id is None:
        print(f'Organization {org_name} not found')
        return

    # Get the list of networks in the organization
    networks = make_request(f'{base_url}/organizations/{org_id}/networks')
    if networks is None:
        return

    # Count the number of unique clients across all networks
    unique_clients = set()
    for network in networks:
        network_id = network['id']
        clients = make_request(f'{base_url}/networks/{network_id}/clients')
        if clients is None:
            continue
        for client in clients:
            unique_clients.add(client['mac'])

    print(f'Total unique client MAC addresses across all WLAN APs: {len(unique_clients)}')

if __name__ == '__main__':
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Get client count for a Meraki organization')
    parser.add_argument('-k', '--api_key', required=True, help='Meraki API key')
    parser.add_argument('-o', '--org_name', required=True, help='Meraki organization name')
    args = parser.parse_args()
    get_client_count(args.api_key, args.org_name)
```

### Explanation of Changes

- **Retry Mechanism**: The `make_request` function implements retries with exponential backoff for handling rate limit errors (HTTP 429).
- **Modularized API Requests**: The `make_request` function is used to handle all API requests, ensuring consistent error handling and retry logic.

### Steps to Run the Updated Script

1. **Ensure your conda environment is activated:**

    ```sh
    conda activate meraki_env
    ```

2. **Run the updated script with the appropriate arguments:**

    ```sh
    python scripts/clientcount.py -k $MERAKI_DASHBOARD_API_KEY -o "DeLab"
    ```

This script should now handle API rate limits more gracefully by retrying failed requests with exponential backoff. If you continue to encounter issues, please provide the specific error message for further assistance.

---

Meraki's custom payload templates for webhooks offer a powerful way to integrate directly with any REST API service by shaping the webhook body and headers as needed. This can significantly simplify and reduce the cost of integrating Meraki alerts with third-party services. Here are some brainstorming ideas and concepts to explore:

### 1. Direct Integration with Third-Party APIs

**Use Case:** Integrate Meraki alerts directly with a third-party event logging service without the need for an intermediary service.

**Example:**

**Webhook Configuration:**

```json
{
  "name": "Event Logger",
  "url": "https://someservice.com/api/events",
  "sharedSecret": "00sOmEAuthToKen000",
  "payloadTemplate": {
     "payloadTemplateId": "wpt_00003",
     "name": "logservice"
  }
}
```

**Headers Template (headers.liquid):**

```liquid
{ 
   "Authorization": "Bearer {{sharedSecret}}"
}
```

**Body Template (body.liquid):**

```liquid
{
   "summary": "{{alertType}}",
   "severity": "{{alertLevel}}",
   "details": "{{networkUrl}}"
}
```

### 2. Advanced Data Transformation with Liquid Templates

Leverage the Liquid template language to format and transform data within the webhook payload. This includes using variables, filters, and accessing nested properties.

**Example:**

**Body Template with Liquid Filters (body.liquid):**

```liquid
{
   "summary": "{{alertType}}",
   "severity": "{{alertLevel}}",
   "details": "{{alertData | jsonify}}",
   "timestamp": "{{occurredAt | date: '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'}}"
}
```

### 3. Simplifying Complex Integrations

Use custom payload templates to send structured data to services like Splunk, Datadog, or custom logging systems.

**Example:**

**Splunk Integration:**

**Headers Template:**

```liquid
{ 
   "Authorization": "Splunk {{sharedSecret}}"
}
```

**Body Template:**

```liquid
{
   "event": {
     "summary": "{{alertType}}",
     "severity": "{{alertLevel}}",
     "details": "{{alertData | json_markdown}}"
   },
   "source": "Meraki",
   "sourcetype": "_json"
}
```

### 4. Automated Incident Response

Trigger automated incident responses by integrating Meraki webhooks with incident management tools like PagerDuty or ServiceNow.

**Example:**

**PagerDuty Integration:**

**Headers Template:**

```liquid
{ 
   "Content-Type": "application/json",
   "Authorization": "Token token={{sharedSecret}}"
}
```

**Body Template:**

```liquid
{
   "payload": {
     "summary": "{{alertType}} detected on {{networkName}}",
     "severity": "{{alertLevel | downcase}}",
     "source": "{{deviceName}}",
     "component": "{{deviceModel}}",
     "group": "{{networkName}}",
     "class": "{{alertType}}",
     "custom_details": {
       "details": "{{alertData | json_markdown}}"
     }
   },
   "routing_key": "{{pagerDutyRoutingKey}}",
   "event_action": "trigger",
   "client": "Meraki",
   "client_url": "{{networkUrl}}"
}
```

### 5. Monitoring and Alert Enrichment

Enrich alerts with additional contextual information before sending them to monitoring systems.

**Example:**

**Enriched Alert Template:**

```liquid
{
   "summary": "{{alertType}}",
   "severity": "{{alertLevel}}",
   "details": "{{alertData | jsonify}}",
   "device": {
     "name": "{{deviceName}}",
     "model": "{{deviceModel}}",
     "mac": "{{deviceMac}}"
   },
   "network": {
     "name": "{{networkName}}",
     "url": "{{networkUrl}}"
   },
   "occurred_at": "{{occurredAt | date: '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'}}"
}
```

### 6. Data Validation and Testing

Use tools like Webhook.site, JSON Validator, and the Meraki Webhook Payload Builder to validate and test your webhook configurations and payloads.

**Example Workflow:**

1. **Create a Webhook Receiver:**
   - Use Webhook.site to generate a unique URL for testing webhooks.
   - Configure your Meraki webhook to send data to this URL.

2. **Validate JSON:**
   - Use JSON Validator to ensure your payload templates are producing valid JSON.

3. **Build and Test Templates:**
   - Use the Meraki Webhook Payload Builder to create and test your templates.

### Resources and Tools

- **[Liquid Docs](https://shopify.github.io/liquid/)**: Comprehensive documentation for the Liquid template language.
- **[Webhook.site](https://webhook.site/)**: A tool to test and inspect HTTP requests.
- **[JSON Formatter](https://jsonformatter.curiousconcept.com)**: Online utility to validate JSON.
- **[Postman](https://www.postman.com/)**: Manage Meraki API webhook related endpoints.

### Summary

By using Meraki's custom payload templates, you can streamline the integration process with third-party services, enrich your alerts with additional context, and reduce the need for intermediary services. The Liquid template language provides powerful tools to format and transform data, making it easy to meet the requirements of any REST API service. This approach not only simplifies the integration but also enhances the flexibility and scalability of your network monitoring and incident response processes.

If you have specific use cases or need more detailed examples, feel free to ask!