Connect to Aha! Data from Blazor Apps

Blazor is a framework for developing modern, client-side web UIs using .NET technology. Instead of coding in JavaScript, developers can use the familiar C# language and .NET libraries to build app UIs.

The CData API Driver for ADO.NET can be used with standard ADO.NET interfaces, such as LINQ and Entity Framework, to interact with live Aha! data. Since Blazor supports .NET Core, developers can use CData ADO.NET Providers in Blazor apps. In this article, we will guide you to build a simple Blazor app that talks to Aha! using standard SQL queries.

Install the CData API Driver for ADO.NET

CData ADO.NET Providers allow users to access Aha! just like they would access SQL Server, using simple SQL queries.

Install the Aha! ADO.NET Data Provider from the CData website or from NuGet. Search NuGet for "Aha! ADO.NET Data Provider."

Create a Aha!-Connected Blazor App

Start by creating a Blazor project that references the CData API Driver for ADO.NET

1. Create a Blazor project on Visual Studio.
👁 Create a Blazor app project.

2. From the Solution Explorer, right click Dependencies, then click Add Project Reference.
3. In the Reference Manager, click the Browse button, and choose the .dll file of the installed ADO.NET Provider (e.g. System.Data.CData.API.dll, typically located at C:\Program Files\CData\CData API Driver for ADO.NET\lib etstandard2.0).
👁 Reference ADO.NET for Aha! .dll in the Blazor app.

SELECT Aha! Data from the Blazor App

1. Open the Index.razor file from the Project page.
2. In a APIConnection object, set the connection string:

   Start by setting the Profile connection property to the location of the Aha! Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\aha.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for Aha! (see below).

   Aha! API Profile Settings

   The Aha! API uses OAuth-based authentication.

   You will first need to register an OAuth app with Aha!. This can be done from your Aha! account under 'Settings' > 'Personal' > 'Developer' > 'OAuth Applications'. Additionally, set the Domain, found in the domain name of your Aha account. For example if your Aha account is acmeinc.aha.io, then the Domain should be 'acmeinc'.

   After setting the following in the connection string, you are ready to connect:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to OAuth.
   • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to manage the process to obtain the OAuthAccessToken.
   • OAuthClientId: Set this to the client_id that is specified in you app settings.
   • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the client_secret that is specified in you app settings.
   • CallbackURL: Set this to the Redirect URI you specified in your app settings.
   • Domain: Set this in the ProfileSettings to your Aha domain.

   For example: Profile=C:\profiles\aha.apip;ProfileSettings='Domain=acmeinc';Authscheme=OAuth;OAuthClientId=your_client_id;OAuthClientSecret=your_client_secret;CallbackUrl=your_callback_url;

3. The code below creates a simple Blazor app for displaying Aha! data, using standard SQL to query Aha! just like SQL Server.

    @page "/"
    @using System.Data;
    @using System.Data.CData.API;
    
    <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
    
    Welcome to your Data app.
    
    <div class="row">
    <div class="col-12">
    
    @using (APIConnection connection = new APIConnection(
    "Profile=C:\profiles\aha.apip;ProfileSettings='Domain=acmeinc';Authscheme=OAuth;OAuthClientId=your_client_id;OAuthClientSecret=your_client_secret;CallbackUrl=your_callback_url;"))
    {
    var sql = "SELECT Id, Name FROM Ideas WHERE AssignedToUserId = 'my_user_id'";
    var results = new DataTable();
    
    APIDataAdapter dataAdapter = new APIDataAdapter(sql, connection);
    dataAdapter.Fill(results);
    
    <table class="table table-bordered">
    <thead class="thead-light">
    <tr>
    @foreach (DataColumn item in results.Rows[0].Table.Columns)
    {
    <th scope="col">@item.ColumnName</th>
    }
    </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
    @foreach (DataRow row in results.Rows)
    {
    <tr>
    @foreach (var column in row.ItemArray)
    {
    <td>@column.ToString()</td>
    }
    </tr>
    }
    </tbody>
    </table>
    }
    </div>
    </div>
    

4. Rebuild and run the project. The ADO.NET Provider renders Aha! data as an HTML table in the Blazor app. 👁 Query Aha! from Blazor app.
   

   At this point, you have a Aha!-connected Blazor app, capable of working with live Aha! data just like you would work with a SQL Server instance. Download a free, 30-day trial and start working with live Aha! data in your Blazor apps today.