Cmdlets for Basecamp

Build 25.0.9434

Establishing a Connection

With the CData Cmdlets users can install a data module, set the connection properties, and start scripting. This section provides examples of using our Basecamp Cmdlets with native PowerShell cmdlets, like the CSV import and export cmdlets.

Connecting to Basecamp

In addition to authenticating, set the following connection properties to access Basecamp tables.

  • Schema: Set this to "V2" or "V3" to connect to a Basecamp 2 or Basecamp 3 account.
  • ProjectId: This is a required parameter for most table operations. You can query the Projects table to obtain this value.

    If you do not specify the ProjectId connection property, the cmdlet will use the first project Id returned from the Projects table in your first authentication to Basecamp.

  • AccountId: You can find the AccountId in the URL after you log in to Basecamp in a web browser: 
    http://basecamp.com/<AccountId>

Authenticating to Basecamp

Basecamp 2 uses basic or OAuth 2.0 authentication. You can use basic authentication to connect to your own account, or you can use OAuth to enable other users to log into their own accounts.

Basecamp 3 requires OAuth 2.0.

Basic

In basic authentication, you use your login credentials to connect. Set the following properties:

  • User: This is the username you use to log in to Basecamp.
  • Password: This is the password you use to log in to Basecamp.
  • AuthScheme: Set this to Basic.

OAuth

AuthScheme must be set to OAuth in all user account flows.

Desktop Applications

CData provides an embedded OAuth application that simplifies OAuth desktop Authentication. Alternatively, you can create a custom application. See Creating a Custom OAuth App for information on creating custom applications and reasons for doing so.

For authentication, the only difference between the two methods is that you must set two additional connection properties when using custom OAuth applications.

After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

  • OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set to the Client ID in your application settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set to the Client Secret in your application settings.

When you connect, the cmdlet opens the OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application. The cmdlet then completes the OAuth process as follows:

Headless Machines

To configure the driver to use OAuth with a user account on a headless machine, you need to authenticate on another device that has an internet browser.

  1. Choose one of two options:

    • Option 1: Obtain the OAuthVerifier value as described in "Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code" below.
    • Option 2: Install the cmdlet on a machine with a browser and transfer the OAuth authentication values after you authenticate through the usual browser-based flow, as described in "Transfer OAuth Settings" below.

  2. Then configure the cmdlet to automatically refresh the access token on the headless machine.

Option 1: Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code

To obtain a verifier code, you must authenticate at the OAuth authorization URL.

Follow the steps below to authenticate from the machine with an internet browser and obtain the OAuthVerifier connection property.

  1. Choose one of these options:

    • If you are using the Embedded OAuth Application click Basecamp OAuth endpoint to open the endpoint in your browser.
    • If you are using a Custom OAuthd Application, create the Authorization URL by setting the following properties: Then call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure with the appropriate CallbackURL. Open the URL returned by the stored procedure in a browser.

  2. Log in and grant permissions to the cmdlet. You are then redirected to the callback URL, which contains the verifier code.
  3. Save the value of the verifier code. Later you will set this in the OAuthVerifier connection property.
Next, you need to exchange the OAuth verifier code for OAuth refresh and access tokens. Set the following properties:

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuth authentication values.

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • OAuthVerifier: Set this to the verifier code.
  • OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the client Id in your custom OAuth application settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the client secret in the custom OAuth application settings.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to persist the encrypted OAuth authentication values to the specified location.

After the OAuth settings file is generated, you need to re-set the following properties to connect:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the client Id assigned when you registered your application.
  • OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the client secret assigned when you registered your application.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the location containing the encrypted OAuth authentication values. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the cmdlet to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.

Option 2: Transfer OAuth Settings

Prior to connecting on a headless machine, you need to install and create a connection with the driver on a device that supports an internet browser. Set the connection properties as described in "Desktop Applications" above.

After completing the instructions in "Desktop Applications", the resulting authentication values are encrypted and written to the location specified by OAuthSettingsLocation. The default filename is OAuthSettings.txt.

After you have successfully tested the connection, copy the OAuth settings file to your headless machine.

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to connect to data:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the client Id assigned when you registered your application.
  • OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the client secret assigned when you registered your application.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the location of your OAuth settings file. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the cmdlet to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.

Creating a Connection Object

You can then use the Connect-Basecamp cmdlet to create a connection object that can be passed to other cmdlets: 

$conn = Connect-Basecamp -AccountId '1234567' -ProjectId 'abcd1234' -Schema 'V3'

Retrieving Data

The Select-Basecamp cmdlet provides a native PowerShell interface for retrieving data: 

$results = Select-Basecamp -Connection $conn -Table "Projects" -Columns @("Id, Name") -Where "Id='MyId'"
The Invoke-Basecamp cmdlet provides an SQL interface. This cmdlet can be used to execute an SQL query via the Query parameter.

Piping Cmdlet Output

The cmdlets return row objects to the pipeline one row at a time. The following line exports results to a CSV file: 

Select-Basecamp -Connection $conn -Table Projects -Where "Id = 'MyId'" | Select -Property * -ExcludeProperty Connection,Table,Columns | Export-Csv -Path c:\myProjectsData.csv -NoTypeInformation

You will notice that we piped the results from Select-Basecamp into a Select-Object cmdlet and excluded some properties before piping them into an Export-CSV cmdlet. We do this because the CData Cmdlets append Connection, Table, and Columns information onto each row object in the result set, and we do not necessarily want that information in our CSV file.

However, this makes it easy to pipe the output of one cmdlet to another. The following is an example of converting a result set to JSON: 

 
PS C:\> $conn  = Connect-Basecamp -AccountId '1234567' -ProjectId 'abcd1234' -Schema 'V3'
PS C:\> $row = Select-Basecamp -Connection $conn -Table "Projects" -Columns (Id, Name) -Where "Id = 'MyId'" | select -first 1
PS C:\> $row | ConvertTo-Json
{
  "Connection":  {

  },
  "Table":  "Projects",
  "Columns":  [

  ],
  "Id":  "MyId",
  "Name":  "MyName"
}

Deleting Data

The following line deletes any records that match the criteria: 

Select-Basecamp -Connection $conn -Table Projects -Where "Id = 'MyId'" | Remove-Basecamp

Modifying Data

The cmdlets make data transformation easy as well as data cleansing. The following example loads data from a CSV file into Basecamp, checking first whether a record already exists and needs to be updated instead of inserted. 

Import-Csv -Path C:\MyProjectsUpdates.csv | %{
  $record = Select-Basecamp -Connection $conn -Table Projects -Where ("Id = `'"+$_.Id+"`'")
  if($record){
    Update-Basecamp -Connection $conn -Table Projects -Columns @("Id","Name") -Values @($_.Id, $_.Name) -Where "Id  = `'$_.Id`'"
  }else{
    Add-Basecamp -Connection $conn -Table Projects -Columns @("Id","Name") -Values @($_.Id, $_.Name)
  }
}

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Build 25.0.9434