Connect to Canny Data in JRuby

JRuby is a high-performance, stable, fully threaded Java implementation of the Ruby programming language. The CData JDBC Driver for Canny makes it easy to integrate connectivity to live Canny data in JRuby. This article shows how to create a simple JRuby app that connects to Canny data, executes a query, and displays the results.

Configure a JDBC Connection to Canny Data

Before creating the app, note the installation location for the JAR file for the JDBC Driver (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Canny\lib).

JRuby natively supports JDBC, so you can easily connect to Canny and execute SQL queries. Initialize the JDBC connection with the getConnection function of the java.sql.DriverManager class.

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

Canny API Profile Settings

Canny uses a secret API key to control access to the API. The API key is sent as a JSON body parameter named 'apiKey' in every HTTP POST request to the Canny API endpoints.

To authenticate with the Canny API, you need your company-level secret API key. You can find this key in your Canny account under Settings > API.

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

• AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.
• APIKey: Set this to your Canny company-level secret API key from the Settings > API page in your Canny dashboard.

Built-in Connection String Designer

For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Canny 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.

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for Canny:

jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\Canny.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your-canny-api-key';

Create a JRuby App with Connectivity to Canny Data

Create a new Ruby file (for example: APISelect.rb) and open it in a text editor. Copy the following code into your file:

require 'java'
require 'rubygems'
require 'C:/Program Files/CData/CData JDBC Driver for Canny 2018/lib/cdata.jdbc.api.jar'

url = "jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\Canny.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your-canny-api-key';"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT Id, Name FROM Boards")
while (rs.next) do
  puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end

With the file completed, you are ready to display your Canny data with JRuby. To do so, simply run your file from the command line:

jruby -S APISelect.rb

Writing SQL-92 queries to Canny allows you to quickly and easily incorporate Canny data into your own JRuby applications. Download a free trial today!