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

Install the CData ADO.NET Provider for MailChimp

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

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

Create a MailChimp-Connected Blazor App

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

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

SELECT MailChimp Data from the Blazor App

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

   You can set the APIKey to the key you generate in your account settings, or, instead of providing your APIKey, you can use the OAuth standard to authenticate the application. OAuth can be used to enable other users to access their own data. To authenticate using OAuth, obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL by registering an app with MailChimp.

   See the "Getting Started" chapter in the help documentation for a guide to using OAuth.

   For example: APIKey=myAPIKey;

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

         @page "/"
         @using System.Data;
         @using System.Data.CData.MailChimp;
         
         <h1>Hello, world!</h1>
         
         Welcome to your Data app.
         
         <div class="row">
             <div class="col-12">
         
                 @using (MailChimpConnection connection = new MailChimpConnection(
                   "APIKey=myAPIKey;"))
                 {
                     var sql = "SELECT Name, Stats_AvgSubRate FROM Lists";
                     var results = new DataTable();
         
                     MailChimpDataAdapter dataAdapter = new MailChimpDataAdapter(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 MailChimp data as an HTML table in the Blazor app.

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