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

Install the CData ADO.NET Provider for Square

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

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

Create a Square-Connected Blazor App

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

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

SELECT Square Data from the Blazor App

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

   Square uses the OAuth authentication standard. To authenticate using OAuth, register an app with Square to obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL. See the "Getting Started" chapter of the help documentation for a guide to using OAuth.

   Additionally, you must specify the LocationId. You can retrieve the Ids for your Locations by querying the Locations table. Alternatively, you can set the LocationId in the search criteria of your query.

   For example: OAuthClientId=MyAppId;OAuthClientSecret=MyAppSecret;CallbackURL=http://localhost:33333;LocationId=MyDefaultLocation;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;

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

    @page "/"
    @using System.Data;
    @using System.Data.CData.Square;
    
    <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
    
    Welcome to your Data app.
    
    <div class="row">
    <div class="col-12">
    
    @using (SquareConnection connection = new SquareConnection(
    "OAuthClientId=MyAppId;OAuthClientSecret=MyAppSecret;CallbackURL=http://localhost:33333;LocationId=MyDefaultLocation;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;"))
    {
    var sql = "SELECT Reason, RefundedMoneyAmount FROM Refunds";
    var results = new DataTable();
    
    SquareDataAdapter dataAdapter = new SquareDataAdapter(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 Square data as an HTML table in the Blazor app. 👁 Query Square from Blazor app.
   

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