Connect to Box Data in JRuby

JRuby is a high-performance, stable, fully threaded Java implementation of the Ruby programming language. The CData JDBC Driver for Box makes it easy to integrate connectivity to live Box data in JRuby. This article shows how to create a simple JRuby app that connects to Box data, executes a query, and displays the results.

Configure a JDBC Connection to Box Data

Before creating the app, note the installation location for the JAR file for the JDBC Driver (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Box\lib).

JRuby natively supports JDBC, so you can easily connect to Box and execute SQL queries. Initialize the JDBC connection with the getConnection function of the java.sql.DriverManager class.

Box uses the OAuth standard to authenticate. To authenticate to Box, obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL by registering an app. See the "Getting Started" chapter of the help documentation for a guide to using OAuth.

Built-in Connection String Designer

For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Box JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

java -jar cdata.jdbc.box.jar

Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for Box:

jdbc:box:OAuthClientId=MyOAuthClientId;OAuthClientSecret=MyOAuthClientSecret;CallbackURL=http://localhost:33333;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;

Create a JRuby App with Connectivity to Box Data

Create a new Ruby file (for example: BoxSelect.rb) and open it in a text editor. Copy the following code into your file:

require 'java'
require 'rubygems'
require 'C:/Program Files/CData/CData JDBC Driver for Box 2018/lib/cdata.jdbc.box.jar'

url = "jdbc:box:OAuthClientId=MyOAuthClientId;OAuthClientSecret=MyOAuthClientSecret;CallbackURL=http://localhost:33333;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT Name, Size FROM Files")
while (rs.next) do
 puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end

With the file completed, you are ready to display your Box data with JRuby. To do so, simply run your file from the command line:

jruby -S BoxSelect.rb

Writing SQL-92 queries to Box allows you to quickly and easily incorporate Box data into your own JRuby applications. Download a free trial today!