Connect to PayPal Data in JRuby

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

Configure a JDBC Connection to PayPal 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 PayPal\lib).

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

The provider surfaces tables from two PayPal APIs. The APIs use different authentication methods.

• The REST API uses the OAuth standard. To authenticate to the REST API, set the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL properties.
• The Classic API requires Signature API credentials. To authenticate to the Classic API, obtain an API username, password, and signature.

See the "Getting Started" chapter of the help documentation for a guide to obtaining the necessary API credentials.

To select the API you want to work with, you can set the Schema property to REST or SOAP. By default the SOAP schema will be used.

For testing purposes you can set UseSandbox to true and use sandbox credentials.

Built-in Connection String Designer

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

java -jar cdata.jdbc.paypal.jar

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

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for PayPal:

jdbc:paypal:Schema=SOAP;Username=sandbox-facilitator_api1.test.com;Password=xyz123;Signature=zx2127;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;

Create a JRuby App with Connectivity to PayPal Data

Create a new Ruby file (for example: PayPalSelect.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 PayPal 2018/lib/cdata.jdbc.paypal.jar'

url = "jdbc:paypal:Schema=SOAP;Username=sandbox-facilitator_api1.test.com;Password=xyz123;Signature=zx2127;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT Date, GrossAmount FROM Transactions")
while (rs.next) do
 puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end

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

jruby -S PayPalSelect.rb

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