Connect to Helpscout Data in JRuby

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

Configure a JDBC Connection to Helpscout 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 Helpscout\lib).

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

Helpscout API Profile Settings

Generate an API key in Help Scout by going to Your Profile > Authentication > Generate an API Key.

Built-in Connection String Designer

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

jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\Helpscout.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_key';

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

url = "jdbc:api:Profile=C:\profiles\Helpscout.apip;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_key';"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT Id, Number FROM Categories")
while (rs.next) do
  puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end

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

jruby -S APISelect.rb

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