Integrating QuickBase With Web Services - Gareth Lewis

Integrating QuickBase with Web Services
Gareth Lewis, QuickBase User & Author of the QuickBase API Cookbook

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Wrote Ruby SDK for QuickBase in 2005
to solve for project progress charting needs
Why use the Ruby SDK for QuickBase?
You have a problem that can't be solved in the browser with QuickBase or Javascript.
You have to use the QuickBase API.
You want a simple language that just does what it's told and is friendly to work with.
You don't want to write a bunch of code just to get basic things accomplished.
If you don't like how the Ruby SDK does something, change the source code.

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Get Ruby and the SDK
The SDK works with Ruby version 1.8.6 or higher.
It works with JRuby but not with IronRuby, yet.
Get Ruby: 1-Click installer for Windows:
http://rubyforge.org/frs/download.php/47082/ruby186-27_rc2.exe
Get Ruby: Other O.S.:
http://rubyforge.org/frs/?group_id=426&release_id=27644
Get JRuby: http://jruby.org/download
Get the SDK from code.intuit.com
QuickBase API CookBook:
https://www.quickbase.com/db/bcdcajmrf

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Ruby SDK Basics
Put Ruby code in a file with a .rb extension (e.g. authenticate.rb), and run it
by typing ruby authenticate.rb
authenticate.rb:
require 'QuickBaseClient'
qbc = QuickBase::Client.new("username","password")
qbc2 = QuickBase::Client.new; qbc2.authenticate("username","password")
addRecord.rb:
recordId, update_id = qbc.addRecord("bcdcajmrf",{"Name" => "Fred"})
editRecord.rb:
require 'QuickBaseClient‘
qbc.editRecord("bcdcajmrf","1",{"Name" => "Fred"})
doQuery.rb:
QuickBase::Client.new("username","password").doQuery("bcdcajmrg") {
|record_xml| print record_xml}
signOut.rb:
qbc.signOut

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Integration and Automation with Ruby
Other examples using Ruby:

Ruby Scripts as Windows .EXE files
Search for records from a command-line
QuickBase + 'desktop' applications
Watir (Web application testing in Ruby) - Browser automation using Ruby
Rails Integration

(Link to complete examples)

require 'QuickBaseTwitterConnector' # Installed with SDK
QuickBase::TwitterConnector.new # Starts an interactive session

Please enter the Quickbase username to use for this session: fred_flintstone@internet.com
Please enter the Quickbase password to use for this session: wilma
Please enter the Twitter username to use for this session: fred_flintstone
Please enter the Twitter password to use for this session: wilma

Please enter a number to select the connection type:

1 - Send Twitter messages to QuickBase.
2 - Send QuickBase messages to Twitter.
3 - Exchange messages between QuickBase and Twitter.
4 - Send automated replies from QuickBase to Twitter.
5 - All the above.

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Getting 'friends' Twitter Status since Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:47:24 -0700.
Getting Direct Messages from Twitter since Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:47:24 -0700.
Sending messages from QuickBase to Twitter added since Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:47:24 -0700.
Getting Direct Messages from Twitter since Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:47:24 -0700.
Automated Direct Message sent to wilma_flintstone: what's for dinner?: rex ribs

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Twitter Connector : background process polls QuickBase and Twitter for new records and tweets, sends data in both directions.

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Send HTML Email
require 'QuickBaseEmailer‘
def send_email( subject, message, bccRecipients )
emailBody = "Content-Type: text/html; "
emailBody << "<HTML><BODY>"
emailBody << message
emailBody << "</BODY></HTML>"
qbe = QuickBase::Emailer.new( "fred@bedrock.com", "wilma" )
qbe.sendBccEmail( "fred@bedrock.com", # from
["fred@bedrock.com", "wilma@bedrock.com"], # to
bccRecipients, # BCC
subject,
emailBody,
"mail.bedrock.com", # SMTP email server
25, # SMTP email port
nil )
end
qbc = QuickBase::Client.new( "fred@bedrock.com", "wilma" )
loop {
qbc.iterateRecords( "bdcvpsxpy", [ "Record ID#", "subject", "message", "bccRecipients" ],
nil, nil, "Pending Emails Report" ) { |record |
send_email( record["subject"], record["message"], record["bccRecipients"].split(/,/) )
qbc.editRecord( "bdcvpsxpy", record["Record ID#"], { "sent" => "1" } )
# Exclude from Pending Emails Report
}
sleep( 5 ) # wait 5 minutes then check for more emails
}
Usage Case Scenario:
Professional services tech team automates customer requests
- Customer calls in a request
- Employee enters request into QuickBase
- Then calls/emails team to find a technician for the job
- Now the process is entirely automated with the email script
Saves 15 minutes per case…

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One RSS feed for multiple tables
require 'QuickBaseRSSGenerator'
qbc = QuickBase::Client.new( "username", "password" )
qbRSSgen = QuickBase::RSSGenerator.new( qbc )
qbRSSgen.setTitle( "QuickBase Forum/KnowledgeBase RSS" )
qbRSSgen.setLink( "main" )
qbRSSgen.setDescription( "RSS view of QuickBase Community Forum and KnowledgeBase" )
qbRSSgen.addTable("8emtadvk", "Community Forum", { "title" => "6", "description" => "10" }, # Field IDs
nil, nil, "List Changes", 75 ) # 75 records
qbRSSgen.addTable( "6mztyxu8", "KnowledgeBase", { "title" => "5", "description" => "6" },
"{'6'.CT.'API'}", # API KnowledgeBase entries
nil, nil, 50 ) # 50 records
rssText = qbRSSgen.generateRSStext
File.open( "QuickBaseInfoRSS.xml", "w" ) { |file| file.write( rssText ) } # upload to QuickBase ?!

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Summary
QuickBase is great
There are a some things that can only be done
outside the browser, via the API
Ruby is not the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything
Ruby will not waste your time
Ruby is a very pleasant language with tons
of excellent libraries
The Ruby SDK aims to help you get QuickBase API
work done quickly, even if you've never used Ruby
The examples in this presentation show some of
what can be done, and how to do it
See you in the QuickBase Innovation Network !