Build a Simple VCL Application for Paddle Data

Embarcadero RAD Studio provides a development environment for Delphi and C++Builder applications. With the CData ODBC Driver for Paddle, you gain access to live Paddle data within RAD Studio, abstracting the data into tables, views, and stored procedures that can be used to retrieve Paddle data. This article will walk through connecting to Paddle and creating a simple VCL application with the Form Designer.

Create a Connection to Paddle Data

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

Using API Key Authentication

Paddle uses API key authentication. To obtain an API key:

1. Sign in to your Paddle account at https://vendors.paddle.com
2. Navigate to Developer Tools > Authentication
3. Click "Generate API Key"
4. Assign the appropriate permissions for the data you wish to access
5. Copy the generated key (sandbox keys begin with pdl_sdbx_apikey_; production keys begin with pdl_live_apikey_)

After obtaining your API key, set the following connection properties:

• AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.

• APIKey: Set this to your Paddle API key.

Example Connection String

Profile=C:\profiles\Paddle.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings="APIKey=your_api_key";

Connecting to Paddle

Once the authentication is configured, you can connect to Paddle and query data from any of the available tables such as Products, Customers, Subscriptions, and Transactions.

You can then follow the steps below to use the Data Explorer to create a FireDAC connection to Paddle data.

1. In a new VCL Forms application, expand the FireDAC node in the Data Explorer.
2. Right-click the ODBC Data Source node in the Data Explorer.
3. Click Add New Connection.
4. Enter a name for the connection.
5. In the FireDAC Connection Editor that appears, set the DataSource property to the name of the ODBC DSN for Paddle.

Create VCL Applications with Connectivity to Paddle Data

Follow the procedure below to start executing queries to Paddle data from a simple VCL application that displays the results of a query in a grid.

1. Drop a TFDConnection component onto the form and set the following properties:

   • ConnectionDefName: Select the FireDAC connection to Paddle data.
   • Connected: Select True from the menu and, in the dialog that appears, enter your credentials.

2. Drop a TFDQuery component onto the form and set the properties below:

   • Connection: Set this property to the TFDConnection component, if this component is not already specified.

   • SQL: Click the button in the SQL property and enter a query. For example:

     SELECT ,  FROM Products WHERE  = ''
     

   • Active: Set this property to true.

3. Drop a TDataSource component onto the form and set the following property:

   • DataSet: In the menu for this property, select the name of the TFDQuery component.

4. Drop a TDBGrid control onto the form and set the following property:

   • DataSource: Select the name of the TDataSource.
5. Drop a TFDGUIxWaitCursor onto the form — this is required to avoid a run-time error.

You now have an executable application that displays the results of the SQL Query set in the TFDQuery object.

Related Articles

Below you can find other articles for using the CData ODBC Driver with RAD Studio, Delphi, and C++ Builder.

• DataBind Controls to Paddle Data in C++Builder
• DataBind Controls to Paddle Data in Delphi
• Viewing Paddle Data in RAD Studio Data Explorer