Rapidly Develop Webflow-Driven Apps with Active Query Builder

Jerod Johnson
Jerod Johnson
Director, Technology Evangelism
Leverage the Active Query Builder SQL interface and .NET data access to create data-driven WinForms and ASP.NET apps backed by Webflow.

Write standard .NET to expose Webflow data through an SQL interface: Active Query Builder helps developers write SQL interfaces; the CData ODBC Driver for Webflow enables standards-based access to Webflow. This integration uses the Microsoft ADO.NET Provider for ODBC as a bridge between the ODBC Driver and the Active Query Builder objects to build a visual SQL composer.

Connect to Webflow 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.

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

Use SQL to Interact with Webflow

Follow the steps below to create a WinForms visual query builder.

  1. Open Active Query Builder for .NET WinForms.
  2. In the new Windows Forms project go to the "File" menu and click "Connect..."
  3. Under Database Connections, click "Add..."
  4. Set your desired Connection Name (e.g. CData Webflow), set Connection Type to "ODBC" and locate your previously configured DSN in the "User/System" DSN dropdown.
  5. Click "OK" to save the new connection.
  6. Back in the Database Connection wizard, select the newly created connection and click "OK."
  7. Click "File" > "New Query" to create a QueryBuilder

You can now build queries visually: Double-click a table in the Columns Pane Area and an entity/relationship diagram is displayed in the Query Building Area. Columns that you select in the diagram are added to the query.

Ready to get started?

Connect to live data from Webflow with the API Driver

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