Connect to Stack Exchange Data from PowerBuilder via ODBC

The CData ODBC Driver for Stack Exchange can be used from any platform or development technology that supports ODBC, including PowerBuilder. This article shows how to connect to Stack Exchange data and execute queries from the Database Painter and controls such as the DataWindow.

Connect to Stack Exchange as an ODBC Data Source

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.

Start by setting the Profile connection property to the location of the Stack Exchange Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\StackExchange.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for Stack Exchange (see below).

Stack Exchange API Profile Settings

Register an application on StackApps to obtain an API Key. The Site property specifies which Stack Exchange site to query (e.g., stackoverflow).

Create a Profile for the ODBC Driver for Stack Exchange

Follow the steps below to use the Database Painter tool to create a database profile based on an ODBC DSN (data source name) for Stack Exchange. In the Database Painter, you can use wizards and the UI to work with Stack Exchange data.

1. In PowerBuilder, click Tools -> Database Painter.
2. In the Objects window in the Database Painter, right-click the ODBC node and click New Profile.
3. On the Connection tab, enter a name for the profile and select the Stack Exchange DSN in the Data Source menu.
4. To view and modify a table, right-click a table and then click Edit Data -> Grid.

Using Stack Exchange Data with PowerBuilder Controls

You can use standard PowerBuilder objects to connect to ODBC data sources and execute queries. The following example shows how to retrieve Stack Exchange data into a DataWindow. You can add the following code to the open method:

SQLCA.DBMS = "ODBC"
SQLCA.DBParm = "ConnectString='DSN=CData API Source'"
CONNECT USING SQLCA;
dw_answers.SetTransObject(SQLCA);
dw_answers.Retrieve();