Connect to FreshBooks 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 FreshBooks 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 FreshBooks using standard SQL queries.

Install the CData API Driver for ADO.NET

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

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

Create a FreshBooks-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 FreshBooks .dll in the Blazor app.

SELECT FreshBooks 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 FreshBooks Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\FreshBooks.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for FreshBooks (see below).

   FreshBooks API Profile Settings

   Register an OAuth application in your FreshBooks Developer Dashboard to obtain a Client ID and Client Secret, and configure the redirect URI to match your application's callback URL.

   For example: Profile=C:\profiles\FreshBooks.apip;Authscheme=OAuth;OAuthClientId=your_client_id;OAuthClientSecret=your_client_secret;CallbackUrl=your_callback_url;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;

3. The code below creates a simple Blazor app for displaying FreshBooks data, using standard SQL to query FreshBooks 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\FreshBooks.apip;Authscheme=OAuth;OAuthClientId=your_client_id;OAuthClientSecret=your_client_secret;CallbackUrl=your_callback_url;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;"))
    {
    var sql = "SELECT Id, InvoiceNumber FROM Invoices WHERE AccountId = 'your_account_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 FreshBooks data as an HTML table in the Blazor app. 👁 Query FreshBooks from Blazor app.
   

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