Connect to Google Contacts Data in JRuby

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

Configure a JDBC Connection to Google Contacts 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 Google Contacts\lib).

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

You can connect to Google APIs on behalf of individual users or on behalf of a domain. Google uses the OAuth authentication standard. See the "Getting Started" section of the help documentation for a guide.

Built-in Connection String Designer

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

java -jar cdata.jdbc.googlecontacts.jar

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

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for Google Contacts:

jdbc:googlecontacts:

Create a JRuby App with Connectivity to Google Contacts Data

Create a new Ruby file (for example: GoogleContactsSelect.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 Google Contacts 2018/lib/cdata.jdbc.googlecontacts.jar'

url = "jdbc:googlecontacts:"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT Summary, StartDateTime FROM Friends")
while (rs.next) do
 puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end

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

jruby -S GoogleContactsSelect.rb

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