Connect to FreeAgent Data in JRuby

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

Configure a JDBC Connection to FreeAgent 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 FreeAgent\lib).

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

FreeAgent API Profile Settings

Register an OAuth application via the FreeAgent Developer Dashboard to obtain your Client ID and Client Secret.

Built-in Connection String Designer

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

jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\FreeAgent.apip;Authscheme=OAuth;OAuthClientId=your_client_id;OAuthClientSecret=your_client_secret;CallbackUrl=your_callback_url;

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

url = "jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\FreeAgent.apip;Authscheme=OAuth;OAuthClientId=your_client_id;OAuthClientSecret=your_client_secret;CallbackUrl=your_callback_url;"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT Id, Url FROM BankAccounts")
while (rs.next) do
  puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end

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

jruby -S APISelect.rb

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