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

Install the CData ADO.NET Provider for Zoho Inventory

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

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

Create a Zoho Inventory-Connected Blazor App

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

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

SELECT Zoho Inventory Data from the Blazor App

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

   In order to connect to Zoho Inventory, set the following connection properties:

   • OrganizationId: set this to the ID associated with your specific Zoho Inventory organization
   • InitiateOAuth: set the to "GETANDREFRESH"
   • AccountsServer (Optional): set this full Account Server URL (only when manually refreshing the OAuth token)

   The connectors use OAuth to authenticate with Zoho Inventory. For more information, refer to the Getting Started section of the Help documentation.

   For example: OrganizationId=YourOrganizationId;AccountsServer=YourAccountServerURL;

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

         @page "/"
         @using System.Data;
         @using System.Data.CData.ZohoInventory;
         
         <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
         
         Welcome to your Data app.
         
         <div class="row">
             <div class="col-12">
         
                 @using (ZohoInventoryConnection connection = new ZohoInventoryConnection(
                   "OrganizationId=YourOrganizationId;AccountsServer=YourAccountServerURL;"))
                 {
                     var sql = "SELECT Id, CustomerName FROM Contacts WHERE FirstName = 'Katherine'";
                     var results = new DataTable();
         
                     ZohoInventoryDataAdapter dataAdapter = new ZohoInventoryDataAdapter(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 Zoho Inventory data as an HTML table in the Blazor app.

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