Connect to Google Sheets 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 Google Spreadsheets can be used with standard ADO.NET interfaces, such as LINQ and Entity Framework, to interact with live Google Sheets 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 Google Sheets using standard SQL queries.

Install the CData ADO.NET Provider for Google Spreadsheets

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

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

Create a Google Sheets-Connected Blazor App

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

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

SELECT Google Sheets Data from the Blazor App

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

   You can connect to a spreadsheet by providing authentication to Google and then setting the Spreadsheet connection property to the name or feed link of the spreadsheet. If you want to view a list of information about the spreadsheets in your Google Drive, execute a query to the Spreadsheets view after you authenticate.

   ClientLogin (username/password authentication) has been officially deprecated since April 20, 2012 and is now no longer available. Instead, use the OAuth 2.0 authentication standard. To access Google APIs on behalf on individual users, you can use the embedded credentials or you can register your own OAuth app.

   OAuth also enables you to use a service account to connect on behalf of users in a Google Apps domain. To authenticate with a service account, you will need to register an application to obtain the OAuth JWT values.

   See the Getting Started chapter in the help documentation to connect to Google Sheets from different types of accounts: Google accounts, Google Apps accounts, and accounts using two-step verification.

   For example: Spreadsheet=MySheet;

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

         @page "/"
         @using System.Data;
         @using System.Data.CData.GoogleSheets;
         
         <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
         
         Welcome to your Data app.
         
         <div class="row">
             <div class="col-12">
         
                 @using (GoogleSheetsConnection connection = new GoogleSheetsConnection(
                   "Spreadsheet=MySheet;"))
                 {
                     var sql = "SELECT Shipcountry, SUM(OrderPrice) FROM Orders GROUP BY Shipcountry";
                     var results = new DataTable();
         
                     GoogleSheetsDataAdapter dataAdapter = new GoogleSheetsDataAdapter(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 Google Sheets data as an HTML table in the Blazor app.

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