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

Install the CData ADO.NET Provider for PayPal

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

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

Create a PayPal-Connected Blazor App

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

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

SELECT PayPal Data from the Blazor App

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

   The provider surfaces tables from two PayPal APIs. The APIs use different authentication methods.

   • The REST API uses the OAuth standard. To authenticate to the REST API, you will need to set the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL properties.
   • The Classic API requires Signature API credentials. To authenticate to the Classic API, you will need to obtain an API username, password, and signature.

   See the "Getting Started" chapter of the help documentation for a guide to obtaining the necessary API credentials.

   To select the API you want to work with, you can set the Schema property to REST or SOAP. By default the SOAP schema will be used.

   For testing purposes you can set UseSandbox to true and use sandbox credentials.

   For example: Schema=SOAP;Username=sandbox-facilitator_api1.test.com;Password=xyz123;Signature=zx2127;

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

         @page "/"
         @using System.Data;
         @using System.Data.CData.PayPal;
         
         <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
         
         Welcome to your Data app.
         
         <div class="row">
             <div class="col-12">
         
                 @using (PayPalConnection connection = new PayPalConnection(
                   "Schema=SOAP;Username=sandbox-facilitator_api1.test.com;Password=xyz123;Signature=zx2127;"))
                 {
                     var sql = "SELECT Date, GrossAmount FROM Transactions";
                     var results = new DataTable();
         
                     PayPalDataAdapter dataAdapter = new PayPalDataAdapter(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 PayPal data as an HTML table in the Blazor app.

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