Connect to Clarifai 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 Clarifai 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 Clarifai using standard SQL queries.

Install the CData API Driver for ADO.NET

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

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

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

   Clarifai API Profile Settings

   Clarifai uses Personal Access Tokens (PATs) for authentication. To obtain a PAT:

   1. Log in to your Clarifai account at https://clarifai.com.
   2. Navigate to your profile settings and select Security.
   3. Click Create Personal Access Token.
   4. Select the required scopes and click Create Token.
   5. Copy the generated token (it will only be shown once).

   After obtaining your Personal Access Token, set the following connection properties:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.

   Set the following in the ProfileSettings connection property:

   • APIKey: Set this to your Clarifai Personal Access Token (PAT).

   For example: Profile=C:\profiles\Clarifai.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_personal_access_token';

3. The code below creates a simple Blazor app for displaying Clarifai data, using standard SQL to query Clarifai 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\Clarifai.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_personal_access_token';"))
                 {
                     var sql = "SELECT Id, Name FROM Apps WHERE UserId = 'my-user-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 Clarifai data as an HTML table in the Blazor app.

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