Connect to eBay Data in JRuby

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

Configure a JDBC Connection to eBay 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 eBay\lib).

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

If you will be accessing your own account, you can generate an OAuthAccessToken from your developer account dashboard. You can also allow other users to securely access their own accounts.

Both of these methods require you to create an application key set to obtain values for the following connection properties: AppId, CertId, DevId, and SiteId.

The user consent flow additionally requires the RuName and CallbackURL.

See the "Getting Started" chapter in 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 eBay JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

java -jar cdata.jdbc.ebay.jar

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

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for eBay:

jdbc:ebay:AppId=MyAppId;CertId=MyCertId;DevId=MyDevId;SiteId=MySiteId;RuName=MyRuName;CallbackURL=http://localhost:33333;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;

Create a JRuby App with Connectivity to eBay Data

Create a new Ruby file (for example: EbaySelect.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 eBay 2018/lib/cdata.jdbc.ebay.jar'

url = "jdbc:ebay:AppId=MyAppId;CertId=MyCertId;DevId=MyDevId;SiteId=MySiteId;RuName=MyRuName;CallbackURL=http://localhost:33333;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT Title, HitCount FROM ItemListing")
while (rs.next) do
 puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end

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

jruby -S EbaySelect.rb

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