Build Outlook-Connected Web Apps in Servoy

Servoy is a rapid application development and deployment platform. When paired with the CData API Driver for JDBC, users can build Outlook-connected apps that work with live Outlook data. This article describes how to connect to Outlook from Servoy and build a simple web app to display and search Outlook data.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Outlook data. When you issue complex SQL queries to Outlook, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Outlook and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations). Its built-in dynamic metadata querying lets you work with Outlook data using native data types.

Connect to Outlook in Servoy Developer

To build Outlook-connected apps, you need to first create a data provider in Servoy Developer using the CData API Driver for JDBC.

1. Install the JDBC Driver.
2. Copy the JDBC Driver JAR file. (cdata.jdbc.api.jar) to the /application_server/drivers/ directory in the installation directory for Servoy.
3. Open Servoy Developer.
4. In the Solution Explorer, right-click Database Server (under Resources) and choose "Connect to existing database" -> "empty."
   1. Name the server.
   2. Click to show the advanced server settings.

      • Set the URL, for example: jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\Outlook.apip;AuthScheme=OAuth;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;OAuthClientId=your_client_id;OAuthClientSecret=your_client_secret;TenantId=your_tenant_id;CallbackUrl=http://localhost:33333;

        Built-In Connection String Designer

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

        				java -jar cdata.jdbc.api.jar
        				

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

        Using OAuth Authentication

        Microsoft Graph API uses OAuth 2.0 for authentication. You must register an application in the Microsoft Azure Portal to obtain OAuth credentials (Client ID and Client Secret).

        Obtaining OAuth Credentials

        1. Log in to the Azure Portal.
        2. Navigate to Azure Active Directory > App registrations.
        3. Click New registration to create a new application.
        4. Enter an application name and select the appropriate account types.
        5. Set the Redirect URI to your application's callback URL (e.g., http://localhost:33333 for desktop apps).
        6. Click Register to create the application.
        7. On the application overview page, copy the Application (client) ID - this is your OAuthClientId.
        8. Navigate to Certificates & secrets and create a new client secret.
        9. Copy the client secret value - this is your OAuthClientSecret.
        10. Navigate to API permissions and add the required Microsoft Graph API permissions:
            • Mail.Read - For accessing email messages
            • Contacts.Read - For accessing contacts
            • Calendars.Read - For accessing calendar events
            • Tasks.Read - For accessing To Do tasks
            • offline_access - For obtaining refresh tokens
        11. Click Grant admin consent to grant these permissions.

        Connecting with OAuth

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

        • AuthScheme: Set this to OAuth.
        • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. The CData API Profile for Outlook will automatically walk through the OAuth process in order to obtain the access token.
        • OAuthClientId: Set this to the Application (client) ID from Azure Portal.
        • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the client secret value from Azure Portal.
        • TenantId: Set this to your Azure AD tenant identifier (GUID or domain name like 'contoso.onmicrosoft.com').
        • CallbackURL: Set this to the Redirect URI you specified in your app registration (e.g., http://localhost:33333 for desktop apps).

        Example connection string

        Profile=C:\profiles\Outlook.apip;AuthScheme=OAuth;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;OAuthClientId=your_client_id;OAuthClientSecret=your_client_secret;TenantId=your_tenant_id;CallbackUrl=http://localhost:33333;
        

        👁 Using the built-in connection string designer to generate a JDBC URL (Salesforce is shown.)
        
      • Select the Driver class you just copied, for example, cdata.jdbc.api.APIDriver
   👁 Connecting to data through the JDBC Driver (Salesforce is shown).
   

Build a Outlook-Connected Web App

Once you have configured the connection to Outlook in the Servoy Developer resources, you are ready to build apps with access to live Outlook data.

Create a New Solution

1. In the Server Explorer, right-click "All solutions" and select "Create new solution."
2. Name the solution.
3. Select the checkbox to include the "search" module.
4. Click "Finish."

Create a New Form

Right-click "Forms" and select "Create new form."

1. Name the form.
2. Select a Datasource.
3. Set the type (e.g., Simple) and click "Finish."

Add a Data Grid to the Form

1. Drag a Data Grid component (from Servoy NG-Grids) onto the form.

2. Drag a column component onto the Data Grid and set the "dataprovider" property for each column component to a column from the Outlook "table" (e.g., from the CalendarGroupCalendars table).

   Continue adding columns as desired.

Add Searching to the App

Note that the "svySearch" extension is required to add search functionality (included by default when you create a new solution). If you did not add the extension when you created the solution or you are modifying an existing solution, you can add the search module by right-clicking Modules (in the solution) and selecting "Add Module." Select "svySearch" and click "OK."

1. Drag a Text Field component onto the Form.
2. Right-click the Form and select "Open in Script Editor."
3. Create a new variable (JavaScript) to hold the search value:

   var searchText = '';
   

4. Back on the Form, in the Text Field properties:
   1. Set the "dataprovider" property to the Form variable you just created.
   2. Double-click to add a method for the onAction event.
   3. Click to create the method in "Form," name the method (e.g., onEnter), and click "Create private."
   4. Click "OK & Show."
5. Add the following JavaScript to the JavaScript file to use the Servoy framework to implement searching bound data based on the text in the Text Field:

   var search = scopes.svySearch.createSimpleSearch(foundset).setSearchText(searchText);
   search.setSearchAllColumns();
   search.loadRecords(foundset);
   

Save and Launch the App

Save the form and JavaScript file, then click Run -> Launch NGClient to start the web app.

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData API Driver for JDBC and start building Outlook-connected apps with Servoy. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.