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DataBind Charts to Square Data


Use the standard ADO.NET procedures for databinding to provide bidirectional access to Square data from controls in the Visual Studio toolbox. This article demonstrates a graphical approach using wizards in Visual Studio, as well as how to databind with only a few lines of code.

DataBinding facilitates two-way interaction with data through UI controls. Using the CData ADO.NET Provider for Square streamlines the process of binding Square data to Windows Forms and Web controls within Visual Studio. In this article, we will demonstrate using wizards to establish a binding between Square data and a chart that dynamically updates. Additionally, the code walk-through section will guide you through the creation of a chart using just 10 lines of code.

DataBind to a Chart

DataBinding consists of three steps: Instantiate the control, configure the data source, and databind.

Configure the Connection and Select Database Objects

To create a chart control and establish a connection to Square, follow the steps outlined below using the Data Source Configuration Wizard. Within the wizard, you'll have the option to choose the specific Square entities you wish to bind to.

  1. In a Windows Forms project, drag and drop a Chart control from the toolbox to the form. In the Data section of the Chart properties, select DataSource and then select Add Project Data Source from the menu.
  2. In the Data Source Configuration Wizard that appears, select Database -> Dataset.
  3. In the Choose Your Data Connection step, click New Connection.

  4. In the Add Connection dialog, click Change to select the CData Square Data Source.

    Below is a typical connection string:

    OAuthClientId=MyAppId;OAuthClientSecret=MyAppSecret;CallbackURL=http://localhost:33333;LocationId=MyDefaultLocation;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH

    Square uses the OAuth authentication standard. To authenticate using OAuth, you will need to register an app with Square to obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL. See the "Getting Started" chapter of the help documentation for a guide to using OAuth.

    Additionally, you must specify the LocationId. You can retrieve the Ids for your Locations by querying the Locations table. Alternatively, you can set the LocationId in the search criteria of your query.

    When you configure the connection, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

  5. Choose the database objects you want to work with. This example uses the Refunds table.

DataBind

After adding the data source and selecting database objects, you can bind the objects to the chart. This example assigns the x-axis to Reason and the y-axis to RefundedMoneyAmount.

  1. In the Chart properties, click the button in the Series property to open the Series Collection Editor.
  2. In the Series properties, select the columns you want for the x- and y-axes: Select columns from the menu in the XValueMember and YValueMember properties.

The chart is now databound to the Square data. Run the chart to display the current data.

Code Walk-through

DataBinding to Square data requires only a few lines of code and can be completed in three easy steps.

  1. Connect to Square.
  2. Create the SquareDataAdapter to execute the query and create a DataSet to be filled with its results.
  3. DataBind the result set to the chart.

Below is the complete code:

SquareConnection conn = new SquareConnection("OAuthClientId=MyAppId;OAuthClientSecret=MyAppSecret;CallbackURL=http://localhost:33333;LocationId=MyDefaultLocation;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH"); SquareCommand comm = new SquareCommand("SELECT Reason, RefundedMoneyAmount FROM Refunds", conn); SquareDataAdapter da = new SquareDataAdapter(comm); DataSet dataset = new DataSet(); da.Fill(dataset); chart1.DataSource = dataset; chart1.Series[0].XValueMember = "Reason"; chart1.Series[0].YValueMembers = "RefundedMoneyAmount"; // Insert code for additional chart formatting here. chart1.DataBind();