Build Apps with Live IBM Cloud Object Storage data in Adalo using CData Connect AI

Adalo is a no-code platform used to build custom mobile and web applications without needing programming skills. It allows users to design interfaces, manage databases, and integrate functionality through simple drag-and-drop tools, making app development accessible and efficient. When combined with CData Connect AI, it provides access to IBM Cloud Object Storage data to build custom applications and more.

This article explains how to use CData Connect AI to create a live connection to IBM Cloud Object Storage and how to connect and access live IBM Cloud Object Storage data from the Adalo platform.

Configure IBM Cloud Object Storage connectivity for Adalo in CData Connect AI

To work with IBM Cloud Object Storage data in Adalo, we need to connect to IBM Cloud Object Storage from Connect AI, provide user access to the connection, and create OData endpoints for the IBM Cloud Object Storage data.

Connect to IBM Cloud Object Storage from Connect AI

CData Connect AI uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.

1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection

2. Select "IBM Cloud Object Storage" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to IBM Cloud Object Storage.

   Register a New Instance of Cloud Object Storage

   If you do not already have Cloud Object Storage in your IBM Cloud account, follow the procedure below to install an instance of SQL Query in your account:

   1. Log in to your IBM Cloud account.
   2. Navigate to the page, choose a name for your instance and click Create. You will be redirected to the instance of Cloud Object Storage you just created.

   Connecting using OAuth Authentication

   There are certain connection properties you need to set before you can connect. You can obtain these as follows:

   API Key

   To connect with IBM Cloud Object Storage, you need an API Key. You can obtain this as follows:

   1. Log in to your IBM Cloud account.
   2. Navigate to the Platform API Keys page.
   3. On the middle-right corner click "Create an IBM Cloud API Key" to create a new API Key.
   4. In the pop-up window, specify the API Key name and click "Create". Note the API Key as you can never access it again from the dashboard.

   Cloud Object Storage CRN

   If you have multiple accounts, specify the CloudObjectStorageCRN explicitly. To find the appropriate value, you can:

   • Query the Services view. This will list your IBM Cloud Object Storage instances along with the CRN for each.
   • Locate the CRN directly in IBM Cloud. To do so, navigate to your IBM Cloud Dashboard. In the Resource List, Under Storage, select your Cloud Object Storage resource to get its CRN.

   Connecting to Data

   You can now set the following to connect to data:

   • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
   • ApiKey: Set this to your API key which was noted during setup.
   • CloudObjectStorageCRN (Optional): Set this to the cloud object storage CRN you want to work with. While the connector attempts to retrieve this automatically, specifying this explicitly is recommended if you have more than Cloud Object Storage account.

   When you connect, the connector completes the OAuth process.

   1. Extracts the access token and authenticates requests.
   2. Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation to be persisted across connections.
   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add IBM Cloud Object Storage Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

Add a Personal Access Token

When connecting to Connect AI through the REST API, Workspaces, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.

1. Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the settings page.
2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
3. Give the PAT a name and click Create.
4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

Configure IBM Cloud Object Storage Endpoints for Adalo

After connecting to IBM Cloud Object Storage, create a workspace for your desired table(s).

1. Navigate to the Workspaces page and click Add to create a new Workspace (or select an existing workspace).
2. Click Add to add new assets to the Workspace.
3. Select the IBM Cloud Object Storage connection (e.g. IBMCloudObjectStorage1) and click Next.
4. Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Confirm.
5. Make note of the OData Service URL for your workspace, e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}

With the connection, PAT, and Workspace configured, you are ready to connect to IBM Cloud Object Storage data from Adalo.

Build a custom app with Adalo

After configuring CData Connect AI, you can begin developing the Adalo app using IBM Cloud Object Storage data.

1. Click on CREATE NEW APP.
2. Select Desktop Web App and click on Next.
3. You can choose any template, but for testing purposes, we've chosen a Blank template.
4. Finally, add an app name and choose a color scheme, and your app is ready to go!

Registering external collections

Adalo uses a data structure called Collection to manage app data and offers a feature called External Collections with APIs, which lets you seamlessly integrate Collection with external APIs. Use this feature to connect to Connect AI.

1. After creating an app, you first need to register a Collection, which is a definition for handling data within the Adalo app. There are two types of Collections: Database Collections, which are like Adalo's own internal database, and External Collections, which allow access to external APIs. In this case, we will access an external API, registering it as an External Collection.
2. On the External Collections registration screen, click on ADD COLLECTION to enter the collection name (any name of your choice), and provide the API base URL endpoint (OData endpoint registered on Connect AI). Make sure to add "/(table)" to the OData URL to access the specific endpoint. (Refer to the image given for reference)
3. In order to authenticate, you need a base64 authorization header comprising your username and PAT, joined by a colon. For example, [email protected]:MY_PAT. You can use a scripting tool, web tool, or other application to create this header.

   Using Postman to generate the Authorization header

   1. Open the Postman application. Enter the OData URL mentioned in the previous step for a GET request on Postman. Click on the Authorization tab and select Auth Type as "Basic Auth". Enter the Username and Password as follows and click on Send:
      • Username: Connect AI Username
      • Password: PAT generated on Connect AI
      
   2. Go to the Headers tab and copy/save the value of the Authorization key.
4. Back in Adalo, click on ADD ITEM and select Header.
5. Enter the details in the Header section as follows:
   • Name: "Authorization"
   • Value: Authorization key value copied in the previous step
   
6. Select Done and click on Next.
7. Select Get All and enter "value" in the Results Key section. Click on Done and Next.
8. Now, to test the API setup, click on RUN TEST. If you finally see the message and response shown below, the creation of External Collections is complete.

Creating a list screen

After configuring CData Connect AI, you can now begin developing the app on Adalo using IBM Cloud Object Storage data.

1. First, click the + button in the upper right corner of the Adalo screen to display the list screen, then drag and drop "Simple List" onto the screen.
2. Once the layout is complete as shown below, link the External Collections definition you created earlier to What is this a list of?
3. Click on "Add Magic Text" button (as shown) to add the "Title" and "Subtitle" to the data items you want to obtain.
4. Now, click on View App in the top right corner of the screen and select Staging Preview.
5. You can now view the IBM Cloud Object Storage data in the app created on Adalo.

Live connections to IBM Cloud Object Storage data from cloud applications

Adalo now allows you to connect to live IBM Cloud Object Storage data directly, allowing you to create more connections and apps without duplicating IBM Cloud Object Storage data.

To get real-time data access to over 100 SaaS, big data, and NoSQL sources directly from your cloud applications, visit CData Connect AI.