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

Install the CData ADO.NET Provider for xBase

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

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

Create a xBase-Connected Blazor App

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

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

SELECT xBase Data from the Blazor App

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

   The DataSource property must be set to the name of the folder that contains the .dbf files. Specify the IncludeFiles property to work with xBase table files having extensions that differ from .dbf. Specify multiple extensions in a comma-separated list.

   For example: DataSource=MyDBFFilesFolder;

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

         @page "/"
         @using System.Data;
         @using System.Data.CData.xBase;
         
         <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
         
         Welcome to your Data app.
         
         <div class="row">
             <div class="col-12">
         
                 @using (xBaseConnection connection = new xBaseConnection(
                   "DataSource=MyDBFFilesFolder;"))
                 {
                     var sql = "SELECT Company, SUM(Total) FROM Invoices GROUP BY ContactName";
                     var results = new DataTable();
         
                     xBaseDataAdapter dataAdapter = new xBaseDataAdapter(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 xBase data as an HTML table in the Blazor app.

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