Connect to ClickTime Data in JRuby

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

Configure a JDBC Connection to ClickTime 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 ClickTime\lib).

JRuby natively supports JDBC, so you can easily connect to ClickTime 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 ClickTime Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\Clicktime.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for ClickTime (see below).

ClickTime API Profile Settings

Log into ClickTime, navigate to My Preferences, select the Authentication Token tab, and copy your API token.

Built-in Connection String Designer

For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the ClickTime 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 ClickTime:

jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\Clicktime.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_token';

Create a JRuby App with Connectivity to ClickTime 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 ClickTime 2018/lib/cdata.jdbc.api.jar'

url = "jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\Clicktime.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_token';"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT EstHours, Job FROM Allocations")
while (rs.next) do
  puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end

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

jruby -S APISelect.rb

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