Connect to Browse AI 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 Browse AI 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 Browse AI using standard SQL queries.

Install the CData API Driver for ADO.NET

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

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

Create a Browse AI-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 Browse AI 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 BrowseAI Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\BrowseAI.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for BrowseAI (see below).

   BrowseAI API Profile Settings

   BrowseAI is a web scraping and automation platform that allows you to train robots to extract and monitor data from websites. Authentication is performed using an API key that is sent as a Bearer token in the Authorization header.

   The BrowseAI API key has the format {userId}:{apiKey}, where both parts are UUIDs separated by a colon. This full string is provided as a single value in the BrowseAI dashboard.

   To obtain your API key:

   1. Log in to your BrowseAI account at https://app.browse.ai
   2. Navigate to Settings in the dashboard
   3. Locate the API section
   4. Copy the full API key string displayed (format: userId:apiKey)

   After obtaining your API key, set the following connection properties:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.

   Set the following in the ProfileSettings connection property:

   • APIKey: Set this to your BrowseAI API key (format: userId:apiKey).

   For example: Profile=C:\profiles\BrowseAI.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_user_id:your_api_key';

3. The code below creates a simple Blazor app for displaying Browse AI data, using standard SQL to query Browse AI 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\BrowseAI.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_user_id:your_api_key';"))
           {
               var sql = "SELECT Id, Status FROM RobotTasks WHERE RobotId = 'your-robot-id'";
               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 Browse AI data as an HTML table in the Blazor app.

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