Build Okta-Connected Web Apps in Servoy

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

With built-in optimized data processing, the CData JDBC Driver offers unmatched performance for interacting with live Okta data. When you issue complex SQL queries to Okta, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to Okta 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 Okta data using native data types.

Connect to Okta in Servoy Developer

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

1. Install the JDBC Driver.
2. Copy the JDBC Driver JAR file. (cdata.jdbc.okta.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:okta:Domain=dev-44876464.okta.com;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH

        Built-In Connection String Designer

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

        java -jar cdata.jdbc.okta.jar

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

        To connect to Okta, set the Domain connection string property to your Okta domain.

        You will use OAuth to authenticate with Okta, so you need to create a custom OAuth application.

        Creating a Custom OAuth Application

        From your Okta account:

        1. Sign in to your Okta developer edition organization with your administrator account.
        2. In the Admin Console, go to Applications > Applications.
        3. Click Create App Integration.
        4. For the Sign-in method, select OIDC - OpenID Connect.
        5. For Application type, choose Web Application.
        6. Enter a name for your custom application.
        7. Set the Grant Type to Authorization Code. If you want the token to be automatically refreshed, also check Refresh Token.
        8. Set the callback URL:
           • For desktop applications and headless machines, use http://localhost:33333 or another port number of your choice. The URI you set here becomes the CallbackURL property.
           • For web applications, set the callback URL to a trusted redirect URL. This URL is the web location the user returns to with the token that verifies that your application has been granted access.
        9. In the Assignments section, either select Limit access to selected groups and add a group, or skip group assignment for now.
        10. Save the OAuth application.
        11. The application's Client Id and Client Secret are displayed on the application's General tab. Record these for future use. You will use the Client Id to set the OAuthClientId and the Client Secret to set the OAuthClientSecret.
        12. Check the Assignments tab to confirm that all users who must access the application are assigned to the application.
        13. On the Okta API Scopes tab, select the scopes you wish to grant to the OAuth application. These scopes determine the data that the app has permission to read, so a scope for a particular view must be granted for the driver to have permission to query that view. To confirm the scopes required for each view, see the view-specific pages in Data Model < Views in the Help documentation.
      • Select the Driver class you just copied, for example, cdata.jdbc.okta.OktaDriver

Build a Okta-Connected Web App

Once you have configured the connection to Okta in the Servoy Developer resources, you are ready to build apps with access to live Okta 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 Okta "table" (e.g., Id from the Users 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 Okta and start building Okta-connected apps with Servoy. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.