Build IBM Cloud Object Storage-Connected Web Apps in Servoy

Servoy is a rapid application development and deployment platform. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for IBM Cloud Object Storage, users can build IBM Cloud Object Storage-connected apps that work with live IBM Cloud Object Storage data. This article describes how to connect to IBM Cloud Object Storage from Servoy and build a simple web app to display and search IBM Cloud Object Storage data.

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live IBM Cloud Object Storage data. When you issue complex SQL queries to IBM Cloud Object Storage, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to IBM Cloud Object Storage and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations). Its built-in dynamic metadata querying lets you work with IBM Cloud Object Storage data using native data types.

Connect to IBM Cloud Object Storage in Servoy Developer

To build IBM Cloud Object Storage-connected apps, you need to first create a data provider in Servoy Developer using the CData JDBC Driver for IBM Cloud Object Storage.

1. Install the JDBC Driver.
2. Copy the JDBC Driver JAR file. (cdata.jdbc.ibmcloudobjectstorage.jar) to the /application_server/drivers/ directory in the installation directory for Servoy.
3. Open Servoy Developer.
4. In the Solution Explorer, right-click Database Server (under Resources) and choose "Connect to existing database" -> "empty."
   1. Name the server.
   2. Click to show the advanced server settings.

      • Set the URL, for example: jdbc:ibmcloudobjectstorage:ApiKey=myApiKey;CloudObjectStorageCRN=MyInstanceCRN;Region=myRegion;OAuthClientId=MyOAuthClientId;OAuthClientSecret=myOAuthClientSecret;

        Built-In Connection String Designer

        For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the IBM Cloud Object Storage JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

        java -jar cdata.jdbc.ibmcloudobjectstorage.jar

        Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

        Register a New Instance of Cloud Object Storage

        If you do not already have Cloud Object Storage in your IBM Cloud account, follow the procedure below to install an instance of SQL Query in your account:

        1. Log in to your IBM Cloud account.
        2. Navigate to the page, choose a name for your instance and click Create. You will be redirected to the instance of Cloud Object Storage you just created.

        Connecting using OAuth Authentication

        There are certain connection properties you need to set before you can connect. You can obtain these as follows:

        API Key

        To connect with IBM Cloud Object Storage, you need an API Key. You can obtain this as follows:

        1. Log in to your IBM Cloud account.
        2. Navigate to the Platform API Keys page.
        3. On the middle-right corner click "Create an IBM Cloud API Key" to create a new API Key.
        4. In the pop-up window, specify the API Key name and click "Create". Note the API Key as you can never access it again from the dashboard.

        Cloud Object Storage CRN

        If you have multiple accounts, you will need to specify the CloudObjectStorageCRN explicitly. To find the appropriate value, you can:

        • Query the Services view. This will list your IBM Cloud Object Storage instances along with the CRN for each.
        • Locate the CRN directly in IBM Cloud. To do so, navigate to your IBM Cloud Dashboard. In the Resource List, Under Storage, select your Cloud Object Storage resource to get its CRN.

        Connecting to Data

        You can now set the following to connect to data:

        • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
        • ApiKey: Set this to your API key which was noted during setup.
        • CloudObjectStorageCRN (Optional): Set this to the cloud object storage CRN you want to work with. While the connector attempts to retrieve this automatically, specifying this explicitly is recommended if you have more than Cloud Object Storage account.

        When you connect, the connector completes the OAuth process.

        1. Extracts the access token and authenticates requests.
        2. Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation to be persisted across connections.
      • Select the Driver class you just copied, for example, cdata.jdbc.ibmcloudobjectstorage.IBMCloudObjectStorageDriver

Build a IBM Cloud Object Storage-Connected Web App

Once you have configured the connection to IBM Cloud Object Storage in the Servoy Developer resources, you are ready to build apps with access to live IBM Cloud Object Storage data.

Create a New Solution

1. In the Server Explorer, right-click "All solutions" and select "Create new solution."
2. Name the solution.
3. Select the checkbox to include the "search" module.
4. Click "Finish."

Create a New Form

Right-click "Forms" and select "Create new form."

1. Name the form.
2. Select a Datasource.
3. Set the type (e.g., Simple) and click "Finish."

Add a Data Grid to the Form

1. Drag a Data Grid component (from Servoy NG-Grids) onto the form.

2. Drag a column component onto the Data Grid and set the "dataprovider" property for each column component to a column from the IBM Cloud Object Storage "table" (e.g., Key from the Objects table).

   Continue adding columns as desired.

Add Searching to the App

Note that the "svySearch" extension is required to add search functionality (included by default when you create a new solution). If you did not add the extension when you created the solution or you are modifying an existing solution, you can add the search module by right-clicking Modules (in the solution) and selecting "Add Module." Select "svySearch" and click "OK."

1. Drag a Text Field component onto the Form.
2. Right-click the Form and select "Open in Script Editor."
3. Create a new variable (JavaScript) to hold the search value:

   var searchText = '';
   

4. Back on the Form, in the Text Field properties:
   1. Set the "dataprovider" property to the Form variable you just created.
   2. Double-click to add a method for the onAction event.
   3. Click to create the method in "Form," name the method (e.g., onEnter), and click "Create private."
   4. Click "OK & Show."
5. Add the following JavaScript to the JavaScript file to use the Servoy framework to implement searching bound data based on the text in the Text Field:

   var search = scopes.svySearch.createSimpleSearch(foundset).setSearchText(searchText);
   search.setSearchAllColumns();
   search.loadRecords(foundset);
   

Save and Launch the App

Save the form and JavaScript file, then click Run -> Launch NGClient to start the web app.

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for IBM Cloud Object Storage and start building IBM Cloud Object Storage-connected apps with Servoy. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.