Connect to ShipStation 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 ADO.NET Provider for ShipStation can be used with standard ADO.NET interfaces, such as LINQ and Entity Framework, to interact with live ShipStation 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 ShipStation using standard SQL queries.

Install the CData ADO.NET Provider for ShipStation

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

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

Create a ShipStation-Connected Blazor App

Start by creating a Blazor project that references the CData ADO.NET Provider for ShipStation

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.ShipStation.dll, typically located at C:\Program Files\CData\CData ADO.NET Provider for ShipStation\lib etstandard2.0).
👁 Reference ADO.NET for ShipStation .dll in the Blazor app.

SELECT ShipStation Data from the Blazor App

1. Open the Index.razor file from the Project page.
2. In a ShipStationConnection object, set the connection string:

   Use the BASIC Authentication standard to connect.

   1. Login to your ShipStation account
   2. Click on the settings icon in the upper right corner. A column menu will show up on the left
   3. Click Account -> API Settings
   4. On the API Settings page, note the API Key and API Secret.

   Authenticating to ShipStation

   • APIKey: Set this to the API key from the API settings page.
   • APISecret: Set this to the Secret key from the API settings page.

   For example: APIKey='YourAPIKey';APISecret='YourAPISecret'

3. The code below creates a simple Blazor app for displaying ShipStation data, using standard SQL to query ShipStation just like SQL Server.

    @page "/"
    @using System.Data;
    @using System.Data.CData.ShipStation;
    
    <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
    
    Welcome to your Data app.
    
    <div class="row">
    <div class="col-12">
    
    @using (ShipStationConnection connection = new ShipStationConnection(
    "APIKey='YourAPIKey';APISecret='YourAPISecret'"))
    {
    var sql = "SELECT Id, Color FROM Tags WHERE CustomerId = '1368175'";
    var results = new DataTable();
    
    ShipStationDataAdapter dataAdapter = new ShipStationDataAdapter(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 ShipStation data as an HTML table in the Blazor app. 👁 Query ShipStation from Blazor app.
   

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