Create Dynamic ServiceNow Grids Using the Infragistics XamDataGrid

Using Infragistics WPF UI controls, you can build contemporary applications reminiscent of Microsoft Office for both desktop and touch-based devices. When coupled with the CData ADO.NET Provider for ServiceNow, you gain the capability to construct interactive grids, charts, and various other visual elements while directly accessing real-time data from ServiceNow data. This article will guide you through the process of creating a dynamic grid within Visual Studio using the Infragistics XamDataGrid control.

Getting Started

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You will need to install the Infragistics WPF UI components to continue. Download a free trial here: https://www.infragistics.com/products/wpf.

Create a WPF Project

Open VisualStudio and create a new WPF project.

Add a TextBox for passing a SQL query to the CData ADO.NET Provider and a Button for executing the query.

👁 Adding a TextBox and Button to the App.

The XAML at this stage is as follows:

< Window
 xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
 xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
 xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
 xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
 xmlns:local="clr-namespace:CDataXamDataGridGroupingListApp"
 xmlns:igWPF="http://schemas.infragistics.com/xaml/wpf" x:Class="CDataXamDataGridGroupingListApp.MainWindow"
 mc:Ignorable="d"
 Title="MainWindow" Height="450" Width="800">
 < Grid>
 < TextBox x:Name="textBox" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Height="44" TextWrapping="Wrap" Text="TextBox" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="682" Margin="10,10,0,0"/>
 < Button x:Name="button" Content="Execute" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="697,10,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="85" Height="44"/>
 < /Grid>
< /Window>

Add and Configure a XamDataGrid

After adding the initial controls, add a XamDataGrid to the App. The component will appear in the Visual Studio toolbox.

👁 Adding the XamDataGrid to the App.

Arrange the component on the designer so that it is below the TextBox & Button and linked to the boundaries of the app.

👁 XamDataGrid Placement.

Once the XamDataGrid is placed, edit the XAML to set the XamDataGrid DataSource attribute to "{Binding}" and set the FieldSettings AllowRecordFiltering and AllowSummaries attributes to "true." Next, add an empty method as the Click event handler for the Button component. The XAML at this stage is as follows:

< Window
 xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
 xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
 xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
 xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
 xmlns:local="clr-namespace:CDataXamDataGridGroupingListApp"
 xmlns:igWPF="http://schemas.infragistics.com/xaml/wpf" x:Class="CDataXamDataGridGroupingListApp.MainWindow"
 mc:Ignorable="d"
 Title="MainWindow" Height="450" Width="800">
 < Grid>
 < TextBox x:Name="textBox" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Height="44" TextWrapping="Wrap" Text="TextBox" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="682" Margin="10,10,0,0"/>
 < Button x:Name="button" Content="Execute" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="697,10,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="85" Click="Button_Click" Height="44"/>

 < igWPF:XamDataGrid Margin="10,59,10,10" DataSource="{Binding}">
 < igWPF:XamDataGrid.FieldSettings>
 < igWPF:FieldSettings AllowSummaries="True" AllowRecordFiltering="True"/>
 < /igWPF:XamDataGrid.FieldSettings>
 < /igWPF:XamDataGrid>

 < /Grid>
< /Window>

Connect to and Query ServiceNow

The last step in building our WPG App with a dynamic DataGrid is connecting to and querying live ServiceNow data. First add a reference to the CData ADO.NET Provider to the project (typically found in C:\Program Files\CData[product_name]\lib).

👁 Adding the CData ADO.NET Provider as a Reference (Salesforce is shown.)

Next, add the Provider to the namespace, along with the standard Data library:

using System.Data.CData.ServiceNow;
using System.Data;

Finally, add the code to connect to ServiceNow and query using the text from the TextBox to the Click event handler.

ServiceNow uses the OAuth 2.0 authentication standard. To authenticate using OAuth, register an OAuth app with ServiceNow to obtain the OAuthClientId and OAuthClientSecret connection properties. In addition to the OAuth values, specify the Instance, Username, and Password connection properties.

See the "Getting Started" chapter in the help documentation for a guide on connecting to ServiceNow.

private void Button_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
 //connecting to ServiceNow
 string connString = "OAuthClientId=MyOAuthClientId;OAuthClientSecret=MyOAuthClientSecret;Username=MyUsername;Password=MyPassword;URL=https://myinstance12345.service-now-com;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;";
 using (var conn = new ServiceNowConnection(connString))
 {
 //using the query from the TextBox
 var dataAdapter = new ServiceNowDataAdapter(textBox.Text, conn);
 var table = new DataTable();
 dataAdapter.Fill(table);
 
 //passing the DataRowCollection to the DataContext
 // for use in the XamDataGrid
 this.DataContext = table.Rows;
 }
}

Run the Application

With the app fully configured, we are ready to display ServiceNow data in our XamDataGrid. When you click "Execute," the app connects to ServiceNow and submits the SQL query through the CData ADO.NET Provider.

👁 Querying ServiceNow Data

Live ServiceNow data is displayed in the grid.

👁 Displying ServiceNow Data (Salesforce is shown)

Group the data by dragging and dropping a column name into the header.

👁 Grouping ServiceNow Data (Salesforce is shown)

As you add groupings and filters, the underlying SQL query is submitted directly to ServiceNow, making it possible to drill down into live ServiceNow data to find only the specific information you need.

👁 Grouped and filtered ServiceNow Data (Salesforce is shown)

Free Trial & More Information

At this point, you have created a dynamic WPF App with access to live ServiceNow data. For more information, visit the CData ADO.NET Provider page. Download a free, 30-day trial and start working live ServiceNow data in apps built using the Infragistics UI controls today.