Visualize Webflow Data in TIBCO Spotfire through OData

OData is a major protocol enabling real-time communication among cloud-based, mobile, and other online applications. The CData API Server provides Webflow data to OData consumers like TIBCO Spotfire. This article shows how to use the API Server and Spotfire's built-in support for OData to access Webflow data in real time.

Set Up the API Server

If you have not already done so, download the CData API Server. Once you have installed the API Server, follow the steps below to begin producing secure Webflow OData services:

Connect to Webflow

To work with Webflow data from TIBCO Spotfire, we start by creating and configuring a Webflow connection. Follow the steps below to configure the API Server to connect to Webflow data:

1. First, navigate to the Connections page.
2. Click Add Connection and then search for and select the Webflow connection.
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Webflow.

   Authentication

   Webflow uses OAuth 2.0 authentication to ensure secure access to sites, CMS collections, e-commerce data, and other resources. This authentication method allows you to securely connect to your Webflow workspace and manage resources with proper authorization.

   OAuth 2.0 Setup and Configuration

   Step 1: Create a Webflow OAuth Application

   To set up OAuth authentication:

   1. Visit the Webflow Developer Portal
   2. Navigate to "Apps & Integrations" in your Webflow account
   3. Click "Register an App" to create a new OAuth application
   4. Configure the application name, description, and redirect URI (CallbackURL)
   5. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret for use in your connection

   Required Connection Properties

   • AuthScheme: Set this to OAuth (required)
   • OAuthClientId: Client ID from your Webflow OAuth application (required)
   • OAuthClientSecret: Client secret from your Webflow OAuth application (required)
   • CallbackURL: Redirect URI specified in your OAuth application (required)
   • InitiateOAuth: Set to GETANDREFRESH for automatic token management (recommended)

   Required OAuth Scopes

   The Webflow API Profile requires the following OAuth scopes:

   • sites:read - Read access to site information and configuration
   • pages:read - Read access to site pages
   • cms:read - Read access to CMS collections and items
   • forms:read - Read access to forms and form submissions
   • assets:read - Read access to media assets and folders
   • ecommerce:read - Read access to products, orders, and inventory
   • authorized_user:read - Read access to the authorized user
   
4. After configuring the connection, click Save & Test to confirm a successful connection.

Configure API Server Users

Next, create a user to access your Webflow data through the API Server. You can add and configure users on the Users page. Follow the steps below to configure and create a user:

1. On the Users page, click Add User to open the Add User dialog.
2. Next, set the Role, Username, and Privileges properties and then click Add User.
3. An Authtoken is then generated for the user. You can find the Authtoken and other information for each user on the Users page:

Creating API Endpoints for Webflow

Having created a user, you are ready to create API endpoints for the Webflow tables:

1. First, navigate to the API page and then click Add Table .
2. Select the connection you wish to access and click Next.
3. With the connection selected, create endpoints by selecting each table and then clicking Confirm.

Gather the OData Url

Having configured a connection to Webflow data, created a user, and added resources to the API Server, you now have an easily accessible REST API based on the OData protocol for those resources. From the API page in API Server, you can view and copy the API Endpoints for the API:

Create Data Visualizations on External Webflow Data

1. Open Spotfire and click Add Data Tables -> OData.
2. In the OData Connection dialog, enter the following information:
   • Service URL: Enter the API Server's OData endpoint. For example:

     http://localhost:8080/api.rsc

   • Authentication Method: Select Username and Password.
   • Username: Enter the username of an API Server user. You can create API users on the Security tab of the administration console.
   • Password: Enter the authtoken of an API Server user.
   
3. Select the tables and columns you want to add to the dashboard. This example uses Sites.
4. If you want to work with the live data, click the Keep Data Table External option. This option enables your dashboards to reflect changes to the data in real time.

   If you want to load the data into memory and process the data locally, click the Import Data Table option. This option is better for offline use or if a slow network connection is making your dashboard less interactive.

5. After adding tables, the Recommended Visualizations wizard is displayed. When you select a table, Spotfire uses the column data types to detect number, time, and category columns. This example uses in the Numbers section and in the Categories section.

After adding several visualizations in the Recommended Visualizations wizard, you can make other modifications to the dashboard. For example, you can apply a filter: After clicking the Filter button, the available filters for each query are displayed in the Filters pane.