How to Integrate Retool with Quora Ads

Quora Ads API access is gated behind a partner program approval. If you haven't applied yet, visit quora.com/business/advertising-api and submit your application. Once approved, Quora provides your API credentials: a client_id and client_secret for OAuth 2.0 authentication. To obtain an access token, Quora uses OAuth 2.0 client credentials flow. Make a POST request to Quora's token endpoint with your credentials. The simplest way to do this in Retool is to create a temporary JavaScript query that makes the token exchange request: The response includes an access_token (Bearer token) and expires_in (token lifetime in seconds). Store the access_token as a Retool configuration variable named QUORA_ADS_ACCESS_TOKEN. Note: Quora Ads access tokens expire periodically. You'll need to refresh them by re-running the OAuth flow. For long-running dashboards, build a Retool Workflow that runs on a schedule to refresh the token before expiration and updates the configuration variable automatically. If your Quora Ads API access uses a simpler long-lived API key (check your API documentation, as the exact authentication method may vary by partner tier), configure it as a Bearer token directly without the OAuth exchange step.

1// JavaScript query — Quora Ads OAuth token exchange
2// Run this temporarily to get your access token
3const response = await fetch('https://www.quora.com/oauth/token', {
4  method: 'POST',
5  headers: {
6    'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded'
7  },
8  body: new URLSearchParams({
9    grant_type: 'client_credentials',
10    client_id: 'YOUR_CLIENT_ID',
11    client_secret: 'YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET'
12  }).toString()
13});
14
15const tokenData = await response.json();
16// Store tokenData.access_token as QUORA_ADS_ACCESS_TOKEN
17// configuration variable in Retool Settings
18return {
19  access_token: tokenData.access_token,
20  expires_in: tokenData.expires_in,
21  token_type: tokenData.token_type
22};

Go to the Resources tab in your Retool instance and click Add Resource. Select REST API from the resource type list. Name the resource 'Quora Ads API'. In the Base URL field, enter https://www.quora.com/api/v1. This is Quora Ads' API v1 base URL. Confirm the correct base URL with your Quora API documentation, as the endpoint structure may vary based on your API tier and region. For authentication, select Bearer Token from the Authentication dropdown. In the Token field, use {{ retoolContext.configVars.QUORA_ADS_ACCESS_TOKEN }} to reference the configuration variable storing your access token. Add the following default headers: - key: Content-Type, value: application/json - key: Accept, value: application/json Your Quora Ads account ID will be needed in many endpoint paths. Store it as a configuration variable: Settings → Configuration Variables → create QUORA_ADS_ACCOUNT_ID as a non-secret variable. Reference it in queries as {{ retoolContext.configVars.QUORA_ADS_ACCOUNT_ID }}. Click Save Changes. Create a test query (GET, /accounts/{{ retoolContext.configVars.QUORA_ADS_ACCOUNT_ID }}) to verify the connection returns your account details.

Create queries to fetch Quora Ads campaigns and their performance data. The Quora Ads API separates campaign structure (hierarchy and settings) from reporting data (metrics for a date range). Create a query named getCampaigns. Set Method to GET. Path = /accounts/{{ retoolContext.configVars.QUORA_ADS_ACCOUNT_ID }}/campaigns. Add URL parameters: - key = status, value = {{ dropdown_status.value || 'all' }} - key = limit, value = 100 This returns the campaign list with configuration details. For performance metrics, you need a separate reporting query. Create a query named getCampaignReport. Set Method to GET. Path = /accounts/{{ retoolContext.configVars.QUORA_ADS_ACCOUNT_ID }}/reports/campaigns. Add URL parameters: - key = start_date, value = {{ dateRange.start }} - key = end_date, value = {{ dateRange.end }} - key = fields, value = impressions,clicks,spend,conversions,ctr,cpc,cpm - key = granularity, value = DAILY (for trend data) or TOTAL (for summary) Bind the campaigns list to a Table component. Bind the report data to a separate Table showing metrics. Create a JavaScript transformer that joins campaigns with their metrics by campaign ID: The joined dataset powers a single Table showing both campaign names (from the campaigns endpoint) and performance metrics (from the reporting endpoint).

1// JavaScript query — join campaign list with performance metrics
2const campaigns = getCampaigns.data?.campaigns || getCampaigns.data?.data || [];
3const metrics = getCampaignReport.data?.data || getCampaignReport.data?.results || [];
4
5// Build metrics lookup map by campaign ID
6const metricsMap = {};
7metrics.forEach(m => {
8  const id = m.campaign_id || m.id;
9  if (id) metricsMap[id] = m;
10});
11
12// Join campaigns with their metrics
13return campaigns.map(campaign => {
14  const id = campaign.id;
15  const m = metricsMap[id] || {};
16  const spend = parseFloat(m.spend || 0);
17  const clicks = parseInt(m.clicks || 0);
18  const impressions = parseInt(m.impressions || 0);
19  const conversions = parseInt(m.conversions || 0);
20
21  return {
22    id,
23    name: campaign.name || `Campaign ${id}`,
24    status: campaign.status || 'UNKNOWN',
25    objective: campaign.objective || 'N/A',
26    spend: `$${spend.toFixed(2)}`,
27    impressions: impressions.toLocaleString(),
28    clicks: clicks.toLocaleString(),
29    ctr: impressions > 0
30      ? ((clicks / impressions) * 100).toFixed(2) + '%'
31      : '0.00%',
32    cpc: clicks > 0
33      ? `$${(spend / clicks).toFixed(2)}`
34      : 'N/A',
35    conversions,
36    cpa: conversions > 0
37      ? `$${(spend / conversions).toFixed(2)}`
38      : 'N/A'
39  };
40});

Create a drill-down view showing ad set performance within a selected campaign, with a focus on question targeting metrics that are unique to Quora's Q&A format. Create a query named getAdSets. Set Method to GET. Path = /accounts/{{ retoolContext.configVars.QUORA_ADS_ACCOUNT_ID }}/campaigns/{{ table_campaigns.selectedRow.id }}/adsets. This runs when a campaign row is clicked. Create a query named getAdSetReport for ad set metrics. Similar structure to getCampaignReport but targeting ad sets: Path = /accounts/{{ retoolContext.configVars.QUORA_ADS_ACCOUNT_ID }}/reports/adsets. Add URL parameters: start_date, end_date, campaign_id = {{ table_campaigns.selectedRow.id }}, fields = impressions,clicks,spend,conversions,ctr,cpc. For question targeting details, if the ad set uses question targeting, create a query named getAdSetTargeting (GET, /accounts/.../adsets/{{ table_adsets.selectedRow.id }}/targeting). This returns the question IDs or topic targeting configured for the ad set. Build the layout as a two-panel view: campaigns table on the left, ad sets table on the right that loads when a campaign is selected. When an ad set is selected, show its targeting configuration and a metrics breakdown below. Add a Chart component showing the selected ad set's daily performance trend: x-axis = date, y-axis series = clicks and impressions. This helps identify which days the Quora audience engagement is strongest. For budget optimization decisions, add a computed column showing cost-per-click relative to the ad set's bid amount, highlighting ad sets where actual CPC significantly exceeds the target bid.

1// JavaScript transformer — format ad set list with performance indicators
2const adsets = data?.adsets || data?.data || [];
3return adsets.map(adset => {
4  const spend = parseFloat(adset.spend || 0);
5  const clicks = parseInt(adset.clicks || 0);
6  const impressions = parseInt(adset.impressions || 0);
7  const bid = parseFloat(adset.bid_amount || adset.bid || 0);
8
9  const actualCpc = clicks > 0 ? spend / clicks : 0;
10  const cpcVsBid = bid > 0 && actualCpc > 0
11    ? ((actualCpc / bid) * 100).toFixed(0) + '% of bid'
12    : 'N/A';
13
14  return {
15    id: adset.id,
16    name: adset.name || `Ad Set ${adset.id}`,
17    status: adset.status || 'UNKNOWN',
18    targeting_type: adset.targeting_type || 'N/A',
19    bid_amount: bid > 0 ? `$${bid.toFixed(2)}` : 'N/A',
20    spend: `$${spend.toFixed(2)}`,
21    impressions: impressions.toLocaleString(),
22    clicks: clicks.toLocaleString(),
23    ctr: impressions > 0
24      ? ((clicks / impressions) * 100).toFixed(2) + '%'
25      : '0.00%',
26    actual_cpc: actualCpc > 0 ? `$${actualCpc.toFixed(2)}` : 'N/A',
27    cpc_vs_bid: cpcVsBid
28  };
29});

Build a cross-channel comparison dashboard that combines Quora Ads data with other advertising platforms in the same Retool app. Add additional REST API Resources for Google Ads and Facebook Ads (or LinkedIn Ads) following each platform's respective authentication setup. Create separate reporting queries for each platform, all parameterized with the same dateRange component: - quoraReport (already configured) - googleAdsReport (REST API Resource for Google Ads) - facebookAdsReport (REST API Resource for Facebook Ads) Create a JavaScript query named buildCrossChannelSummary that waits for all three platform queries to complete and normalizes their data into a common schema: Bind the cross-channel summary to a Table with columns for channel, spend, impressions, clicks, CTR, CPC, and conversions. Add a Bar chart showing spend allocation by channel. Add stat cards at the top of the dashboard showing total cross-channel spend, blended CPC, and total conversions — computed from the combined data. For conversion attribution, include a column showing the conversion rate per platform and highlight channels where Quora's intent-based traffic converts at a higher rate than its share of clicks would suggest — this is often Quora's competitive advantage in B2B advertising. RapidDev's team can help design a comprehensive multi-platform reporting solution that normalizes metrics across ad platforms with different attribution models and API response structures.

1// JavaScript query — normalize cross-channel ad data
2const quora = quoraReport.data?.data?.[0] || {};
3const google = googleAdsReport.data?.results?.[0] || {};
4const facebook = facebookAdsReport.data?.data?.[0] || {};
5
6function normalize(channel, raw, spendKey, clicksKey, impressionsKey, conversionsKey) {
7  const spend = parseFloat(raw[spendKey] || 0);
8  const clicks = parseInt(raw[clicksKey] || 0);
9  const impressions = parseInt(raw[impressionsKey] || 0);
10  const conversions = parseInt(raw[conversionsKey] || 0);
11
12  return {
13    channel,
14    spend: spend.toFixed(2),
15    spend_formatted: `$${spend.toLocaleString('en-US', { minimumFractionDigits: 2 })}`,
16    impressions,
17    clicks,
18    ctr: impressions > 0 ? ((clicks / impressions) * 100).toFixed(2) + '%' : '0%',
19    cpc: clicks > 0 ? `$${(spend / clicks).toFixed(2)}` : 'N/A',
20    conversions,
21    cpa: conversions > 0 ? `$${(spend / conversions).toFixed(2)}` : 'N/A',
22    conv_rate: clicks > 0 ? ((conversions / clicks) * 100).toFixed(2) + '%' : '0%'
23  };
24}
25
26return [
27  normalize('Quora Ads', quora, 'spend', 'clicks', 'impressions', 'conversions'),
28  normalize('Google Ads', google, 'cost', 'clicks', 'impressions', 'conversions'),
29  normalize('Facebook Ads', facebook, 'spend', 'clicks', 'impressions', 'actions')
30];