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

Install the CData ADO.NET Provider for Box

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

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

Create a Box-Connected Blazor App

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

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

SELECT Box Data from the Blazor App

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

   Box uses the OAuth standard to authenticate. To authenticate to Box, you will need to obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL by registering an app. See the "Getting Started" chapter of the help documentation for a guide to using OAuth.

   For example: OAuthClientId=MyOAuthClientId;OAuthClientSecret=MyOAuthClientSecret;CallbackURL=http://localhost:33333;

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

         @page "/"
         @using System.Data;
         @using System.Data.CData.Box;
         
         <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
         
         Welcome to your Data app.
         
         <div class="row">
             <div class="col-12">
         
                 @using (BoxConnection connection = new BoxConnection(
                   "OAuthClientId=MyOAuthClientId;OAuthClientSecret=MyOAuthClientSecret;CallbackURL=http://localhost:33333;"))
                 {
                     var sql = "SELECT Name, Size FROM Files";
                     var results = new DataTable();
         
                     BoxDataAdapter dataAdapter = new BoxDataAdapter(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 Box data as an HTML table in the Blazor app.

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