DataBind Charts to AfterShip Data

DataBinding facilitates two-way interaction with data through UI controls. Using the CData ADO.NET Provider for AfterShip streamlines the process of binding AfterShip data to Windows Forms and Web controls within Visual Studio. In this article, we will demonstrate using wizards to establish a binding between AfterShip data and a chart that dynamically updates. Additionally, the code walk-through section will guide you through the creation of a chart using just 10 lines of code.

Binding Data to a Chart

DataBinding to a Chart consists of three steps: Instantiate the control, configure the data source, and databind.

Configure the Connection and Select Database Objects

To create a chart control and establish a connection to AfterShip, follow the steps outlined below using the Data Source Configuration Wizard. Within the wizard, you'll have the option to choose the specific AfterShip entities you wish to bind to.

1. In a Windows Forms project, drag and drop a Chart control from the toolbox to the form. In the Data section of the Chart properties, select DataSource and then select Add Project Data Source from the menu.
2. In the Data Source Configuration Wizard that appears, select Database -> Dataset.
3. In the Choose Your Data Connection step, click New Connection.

4. In the Add Connection dialog, click Change to select the CData AfterShip Data Source.

   Below is a typical connection string:

   Profile=C:\profiles\Aftership.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_key';

   Start by setting the Profile connection property to the location of the AfterShip Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\Aftership.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for AfterShip (see below).

   AfterShip API Profile Settings

   Obtain your API key from the AfterShip account management panel by navigating to My Account > Settings > API Keys.

   When you configure the connection, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

   
5. Choose the database objects you want to work with. This example uses the AllCouriers table.

DataBind

After adding the data source and selecting database objects, you can bind the objects to the chart. This example assigns the x-axis to Slug and the y-axis to Name.

1. In the Chart properties, click the button in the Series property to open the Series Collection Editor.
2. In the Series properties, select the columns you want for the x- and y-axes: Select columns from the menu in the XValueMember and YValueMember properties.

The chart is now databound to the AfterShip data. Run the chart to display the current data.

Code Walk-through

DataBinding to AfterShip data requires only a few lines of code and can be completed in three easy steps.

1. Connect to AfterShip.
2. Create the APIDataAdapter to execute the query and create a DataSet to be filled with its results.
3. DataBind the result set to the chart.

Below is the complete code:

APIConnection conn = new APIConnection("Profile=C:\profiles\Aftership.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_key';");
APICommand comm = new APICommand("SELECT Slug, Name FROM AllCouriers WHERE Name = 'FedEx'", conn);
APIDataAdapter da = new APIDataAdapter(comm);
DataSet dataset = new DataSet();
da.Fill(dataset);

chart1.DataSource = dataset;  
chart1.Series[0].XValueMember = "Slug";
chart1.Series[0].YValueMembers = "Name";
// Insert code for additional chart formatting here.
chart1.DataBind();