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Get the Report →Build BambooHR-Connected Web Apps in Servoy
Use Servoy Developer to easily connect to BambooHR data and build web apps with connectivity to live BambooHR data.
Servoy is a rapid application development and deployment platform. When paired with the CData API Driver for JDBC, users can build BambooHR-connected apps that work with live BambooHR data. This article describes how to connect to BambooHR from Servoy and build a simple web app to display and search BambooHR data.
With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live BambooHR data. When you issue complex SQL queries to BambooHR, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to BambooHR and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations). Its built-in dynamic metadata querying lets you work with BambooHR data using native data types.
Connect to BambooHR in Servoy Developer
To build BambooHR-connected apps, you need to first create a data provider in Servoy Developer using the CData API Driver for JDBC.
- Install the JDBC Driver.
- Copy the JDBC Driver JAR file. (cdata.jdbc.api.jar) to the /application_server/drivers/ directory in the installation directory for Servoy.
- Open Servoy Developer.
- In the Solution Explorer, right-click Database Server (under Resources) and choose "Connect to existing database" -> "empty."
- Name the server.
- Click to show the advanced server settings.
Set the URL, for example: jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\BambooHR.apip;ProfileSettings='Domain=acmeinc;APIKey=your_api_key';
Built-In Connection String Designer
For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the BambooHR JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.
java -jar cdata.jdbc.api.jar
Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.
Start by setting the Profile connection property to the location of the BambooHR Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\bamboohr.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for BambooHR (see below).
BambooHR API Profile Settings
In order to authenticate to BambooHR, you'll need to provide your API Key. To generate an API key, log in and click your name in the upper right-hand corner of any page to get to the user context menu. If you have sufficient permissions, there will be an "API Keys" option in that menu to go to the page, where you can create a new API Key. Additionally, you will need to set the Domain, found in the domain name of your BambooHR account. For example if your BambooHR account is acmeinc.bamboohr.com, then the Domain should be 'acmeinc'. Set both the API Key and Domain in the ProfileSettings property to connect.
- Select the Driver class you just copied, for example, cdata.jdbc.api.APIDriver
Build a BambooHR-Connected Web App
Once you have configured the connection to BambooHR in the Servoy Developer resources, you are ready to build apps with access to live BambooHR data.
Create a New Solution
- In the Server Explorer, right-click "All solutions" and select "Create new solution."
- Name the solution.
- Select the checkbox to include the "search" module.
- Click "Finish."
Create a New Form
Right-click "Forms" and select "Create new form."
- Name the form.
- Select a Datasource.
- Set the type (e.g., Simple) and click "Finish."
Add a Data Grid to the Form
- Drag a Data Grid component (from Servoy NG-Grids) onto the form.
Drag a column component onto the Data Grid and set the "dataprovider" property for each column component to a column from the BambooHR "table" (e.g., Id from the Employees table).
Continue adding columns as desired.
Add Searching to the App
Note that the "svySearch" extension is required to add search functionality (included by default when you create a new solution). If you did not add the extension when you created the solution or you are modifying an existing solution, you can add the search module by right-clicking Modules (in the solution) and selecting "Add Module." Select "svySearch" and click "OK."
- Drag a Text Field component onto the Form.
- Right-click the Form and select "Open in Script Editor."
- Create a new variable (JavaScript) to hold the search value:
var searchText = '';
- Back on the Form, in the Text Field properties:
- Set the "dataprovider" property to the Form variable you just created.
- Double-click to add a method for the onAction event.
- Click to create the method in "Form," name the method (e.g., onEnter), and click "Create private."
- Click "OK & Show."
- Add the following JavaScript to the JavaScript file to use the Servoy framework to implement searching bound data based on the text in the Text Field:
var search = scopes.svySearch.createSimpleSearch(foundset).setSearchText(searchText); search.setSearchAllColumns(); search.loadRecords(foundset);
Save and Launch the App
Save the form and JavaScript file, then click Run -> Launch NGClient to start the web app.
Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData API Driver for JDBC and start building BambooHR-connected apps with Servoy. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.