Build MVC Applications with Connectivity to Google Translate Data

Jerod Johnson
Jerod Johnson
Director, Technology Evangelism
This article shows how to use only the Entity Framework and the CData ADO.NET provider to access Google Translate from an ASP.NET MVC application.

In this article, we will guide you through the process of utilizing wizards within Visual Studio to seamlessly integrate the CData ADO.NET Provider for Google Translate into a basic MVC (Model, View, Controller) project.

Create the Entity Framework Model

Follow the steps below to save connection properties and map tables to entities in the data model.

  1. Create a new MVC project in Visual Studio. In this example, the project name is MvcAPIApp.
  2. If you are using Entity Framework 6, you will need to take the preliminary step of registering the Google Translate Entity Framework provider for your project. See the "LINQ and Entity Framework" chapter in the help documentation for a guide.

    Note that MVC 3 scaffolding and MVC 4 scaffolding do not support Entity Framework 6. You can use your scaffolding with Entity Framework 6 by upgrading to the latest version of MVC.
  3. To add the .edmx file from the designer, right-click your Models folder and click Add New Item. Select ADO.NET Entity Data Model, name the model, and click Add. In this example, the name of the model is APIModel.
  4. In the Entity Data Model wizard, select the option 'EF Designer from database'. The Entity Data Model wizard is displayed.
  5. Click New Connection. Select CData Google Translate Data Source in the dialog that is displayed.
  6. Specify the required connection string properties.

    Authentication

    Google Cloud Translation API requires OAuth 2.0 authentication to ensure secure access to translation services, datasets, glossaries, and adaptive MT resources. This authentication method allows you to securely connect to your Google Cloud project and manage translation resources with proper authorization.

    OAuth 2.0 Setup and Configuration

    Step 1: Create Google Cloud Project and Enable API

    To set up OAuth authentication:

    1. Visit the Google Cloud Console
    2. Create a new project or select an existing project
    3. Note down your Project ID (required for all API calls)
    4. Navigate to "APIs & Services" > "Library"
    5. Search for and enable the "Cloud Translation API"
    6. Go to "APIs & Services" > "Credentials"
    7. Click "Create Credentials" and select "OAuth Client ID"
    8. Configure the OAuth consent screen if prompted
    9. Select "Desktop application" or "Web application" as appropriate
    10. Set the authorized redirect URI (CallbackURL)
    11. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret for use in your connection

    Required Connection Properties

    • AuthScheme: Set this to OAuth (required)
    • OAuthClientId: Client ID from Google Cloud Console (required)
    • OAuthClientSecret: Client secret from Google Cloud Console (required)
    • CallbackURL: Redirect URI specified in your OAuth application (required)
    • InitiateOAuth: Set to GETANDREFRESH for automatic token management (recommended)
    • ProjectId: Your Google Cloud project ID or project number (required for queries)

    Required OAuth Scopes

    The Google Cloud Translation API Profile requires the following OAuth scope:

    • https://www.googleapis.com/auth/cloud-translation - Full access to Cloud Translation API resources including translation, datasets, glossaries, and adaptive MT

    A typical connection string is below:

    Profile=C:\profiles\GoogleTranslate.apip;AuthScheme=OAuth;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;OAuthClientId=your_client_id;OAuthClientSecret=your_client_secret;CallbackUrl=your_callback_url;
  7. Name the connection and select whether to include sensitive information, such as connection credentials, in the connection string. For simplicity, this example saves sensitive information in Web.config. The connection settings are saved as APIEntities.

  8. Select the views you need. In this example, SupportedLanguages is imported. Also, the option to pluralize object names is deselected in this example. Click Finish to create the .edmx file.
  9. Build your project to complete this step.

Scaffold the Controller and Views

Once you've established the model and completed the project build, you can employ ASP.NET Scaffolding wizards to generate both the controller and the views.

  1. In Solution Explorer, right-click the controllers folder and click Add -> Controller. Select MVC 5 Controller with views, using Entity Framework.
  2. In the Add Controller dialog that is then displayed, select the following options:
    • Model class: Select a table you imported; for example, SupportedLanguages.
    • Data context class: Select your context class.
  3. Leave the default values for the other fields.

You can now access the list of SupportedLanguages records at http://MySite/SupportedLanguages. With every state change the site picks up any data changes.

Ready to get started?

Connect to live data from Google Translate with the API Driver

Connect to Google Translate