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How to use SQLAlchemy ORM to access JotForm Data in Python
Create Python applications and scripts that use SQLAlchemy Object-Relational Mappings of JotForm data.
The rich ecosystem of Python modules lets you get to work quickly and integrate your systems effectively. With the CData API Driver for Python and the SQLAlchemy toolkit, you can build JotForm-connected Python applications and scripts. This article shows how to use SQLAlchemy to connect to JotForm data to query JotForm data.
With built-in optimized data processing, the CData Python Connector offers unmatched performance for interacting with live JotForm data in Python. When you issue complex SQL queries from JotForm, the CData Connector pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to JotForm and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations client-side (often SQL functions and JOIN operations).
Connecting to JotForm Data
Connecting to JotForm data looks just like connecting to any relational data source. Create a connection string using the required connection properties. For this article, you will pass the connection string as a parameter to the create_engine function.
Start by setting the Profile connection property to the location of the JotForm Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\JotForm.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for JotForm (see below).
JotForm API Profile Settings
You will need to find your JotForm API Key in order to authenticate. To obtain an API Key, go to 'My Account' > 'API Section' > 'Create a New API Key'. Once you've created your new API Key, you can set it in the ProfileSettings connection property.
Custom Enterprise API Domains
Enterprise customers of JotForm are given custom API domains to connect to, rather than the default 'api.jotform.com' domain. If you are an enterprise JotForm customer, then set Domain to you custom API hostname, such as 'your-domain.com' or 'subdomain.jotform.com', inside the ProfileSettings connection property. Conversely, if you do not have a custom domain and still need to connect to 'api.jotform.com', then leave Domain undefined and set only APIKey.
Follow the procedure below to install SQLAlchemy and start accessing JotForm through Python objects.
Install Required Modules
Use the pip utility to install the SQLAlchemy toolkit and SQLAlchemy ORM package:
pip install sqlalchemy
pip install sqlalchemy.orm
Be sure to import the appropriate modules:
from sqlalchemy import create_engine, String, Column
from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
from sqlalchemy.orm import sessionmaker
Model JotForm Data in Python
You can now connect with a connection string. Use the create_engine function to create an Engine for working with JotForm data.
NOTE: Users should URL encode the any connection string properties that include special characters. For more information, refer to the SQL Alchemy documentation.
engine = create_engine("api:///?Profile=C:\profiles\JotForm.apip&ProfileSettings='APIKey=my_api_key&Domain=my_custom_domain'")
Declare a Mapping Class for JotForm Data
After establishing the connection, declare a mapping class for the table you wish to model in the ORM (in this article, we will model the Forms table). Use the sqlalchemy.ext.declarative.declarative_base function and create a new class with some or all of the fields (columns) defined.
base = declarative_base()
class Forms(base):
__tablename__ = "Forms"
Id = Column(String,primary_key=True)
Title = Column(String)
...
Query JotForm Data
With the mapping class prepared, you can use a session object to query the data source. After binding the Engine to the session, provide the mapping class to the session query method.
Using the query Method
engine = create_engine("api:///?Profile=C:\profiles\JotForm.apip&ProfileSettings='APIKey=my_api_key&Domain=my_custom_domain'")
factory = sessionmaker(bind=engine)
session = factory()
for instance in session.query(Forms).filter_by(Status="ENABLED"):
print("Id: ", instance.Id)
print("Title: ", instance.Title)
print("---------")
Alternatively, you can use the execute method with the appropriate table object. The code below works with an active session.
Using the execute Method
Forms_table = Forms.metadata.tables["Forms"]
for instance in session.execute(Forms_table.select().where(Forms_table.c.Status == "ENABLED")):
print("Id: ", instance.Id)
print("Title: ", instance.Title)
print("---------")
For examples of more complex querying, including JOINs, aggregations, limits, and more, refer to the Help documentation for the extension.
Free Trial & More Information
Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData API Driver for Python to start building Python apps and scripts with connectivity to JotForm data. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.
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