Connect to GitHub 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 ADO.NET Provider for GitHub can be used with standard ADO.NET interfaces, such as LINQ and Entity Framework, to interact with live GitHub 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 GitHub using standard SQL queries.

Install the CData ADO.NET Provider for GitHub

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

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

Create a GitHub-Connected Blazor App

Start by creating a Blazor project that references the CData ADO.NET Provider for GitHub

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.GitHub.dll, typically located at C:\Program Files\CData\CData ADO.NET Provider for GitHub\lib etstandard2.0).

SELECT GitHub Data from the Blazor App

1. Open the Index.razor file from the Project page.
2. In a GitHubConnection object, set the connection string:

   GitHub uses the OAuth 2 authentication standard. To authenticate using OAuth, you will need to create an app to obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL connection properties. See the Getting Started chapter of the CData help documentation for an authentication guide.

   For example: OAuthClientId=MyOAuthClientId;OAuthClientSecret=MyOAuthClientSecret;CallbackURL=http://localhost:portNumber;

3. The code below creates a simple Blazor app for displaying GitHub data, using standard SQL to query GitHub just like SQL Server.

         @page "/"
         @using System.Data;
         @using System.Data.CData.GitHub;
         
         <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
         
         Welcome to your Data app.
         
         <div class="row">
             <div class="col-12">
         
                 @using (GitHubConnection connection = new GitHubConnection(
                   "OAuthClientId=MyOAuthClientId;OAuthClientSecret=MyOAuthClientSecret;CallbackURL=http://localhost:portNumber;"))
                 {
                     var sql = "SELECT Name, Email FROM Users";
                     var results = new DataTable();
         
                     GitHubDataAdapter dataAdapter = new GitHubDataAdapter(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 GitHub data as an HTML table in the Blazor app.

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