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

Install the CData API Driver for ADO.NET

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

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

Create a ApprovalMax-Connected Blazor App

Start by creating a Blazor project that references the CData API Driver for ADO.NET

1. Create a Blazor project on Visual Studio.

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.API.dll, typically located at C:\Program Files\CData\CData API Driver for ADO.NET\lib etstandard2.0).

SELECT ApprovalMax Data from the Blazor App

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

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

   ApprovalMax API Profile Settings

   To authenticate to ApprovalMax and connect to your own data or to allow other users to connect to their data, the ApprovalMax Public API requires the OAuth 2.0 authorization code flow.

   First, you will need to register an OAuth application with ApprovalMax. Sign in to the ApprovalMax Developer Portal (https://developer.approvalmax.com/applications) and create a new application. Your OAuth application will be assigned a Client ID and a Client Secret, and you must register at least one Redirect URI (Callback URL).

   A Premium ApprovalMax subscription (or active trial) is required to use the Public API.

   After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to OAuth.
   • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to manage the process to obtain the OAuthAccessToken.
   • OAuthClientId: Set this to the Client ID that is shown in your application settings on the ApprovalMax Developer Portal.
   • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the Client Secret that is shown in your application settings on the ApprovalMax Developer Portal.
   • CallbackURL: Set this to the Redirect URI that is registered in your application settings.
   • Scope: (Optional) Override the default OAuth scopes. The default value openid offline_access https://www.approvalmax.com/scopes/public_api/read grants read-only access to all tables in this profile and enables refresh tokens. Use the principle of least privilege when narrowing this scope.

   The OAuth Authorization URL is https://identity.approvalmax.com/connect/authorize and the Token URL is https://identity.approvalmax.com/connect/token. Both authorization_code and refresh_token grant types are supported.

   For example: Profile=C:\profiles\ApprovalMax.apip;AuthScheme=OAuth;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;OAuthClientId=your_client_id;OAuthClientSecret=your_client_secret;CallbackURL=your_callback_url;

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

   @page "/"
   @using System.Data;
   @using System.Data.CData.API;
   
   <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
   
   Welcome to your Data app.
   
   <div class="row">
       <div class="col-12">
   
           @using (APIConnection connection = new APIConnection(
             "Profile=C:\profiles\ApprovalMax.apip;AuthScheme=OAuth;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;OAuthClientId=your_client_id;OAuthClientSecret=your_client_secret;CallbackURL=your_callback_url;"))
           {
               var sql = "SELECT UserId, Email FROM UserProfiles WHERE CompanyId = '00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000'";
               var results = new DataTable();
   
               APIDataAdapter dataAdapter = new APIDataAdapter(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 ApprovalMax data as an HTML table in the Blazor app.

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