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layout, title, recline-deps, root
| layout | title | recline-deps | root |
|---|---|---|---|
| container | Tutorial - Backends - Loading data from different sources using Backends | true | ../ |
Loading data from different sources using Backends
These set of examples will show you how you can load data from different
sources such as Google Docs or the DataHub using Recline
Note: often you are loading data from a given source in order to load it into a Recline Dataset and display it in a View. However, you can also happily use a Backend to load data on its own without using any other part of the Recline library as all the Backends are designed to have no dependency on other parts of Recline.
Overview
Backends connect Dataset and Documents to data from a specific 'Backend' data source. They provide methods for loading and saving Datasets and individuals Documents as well as for bulk loading via a query API and doing bulk transforms on the backend.
You can use a backend directly e.g.
{% highlight javascript %} var backend = recline.Backend.ElasticSearch.fetch({url: ...}); {% endhighlight %}
But more usually the backend will be created or loaded for you by Recline and all you need is provide the identifier for that Backend e.g.
{% highlight javascript %} var dataset = recline.Model.Dataset({ backend: 'backend-identifier' }); {% endhighlight %}
Included Backends
- elasticsearch: ElasticSearch Backend
- dataproxy: DataProxy Backend (CSV and XLS on the Web)
- gdocs: Google Docs (Spreadsheet) Backend
- csv: Local CSV file backend
Backend not on this list that you would like to see? It's very easy to write a new backend -- see below for more details.
Preparing your app
This is as per the quickstart but the set of files is much more limited if you are just using a Backend. Specifically:
{% highlight html %}
{% endhighlight %}
Loading Data from Google Docs
We will be using the following Google Doc. For Recline to be able to access a Google Spreadsheet it must have been 'Published to the Web' (enabled via File -> Publish to the Web menu).
{% highlight javascript %} {% include example-backends-gdocs.js %} {% endhighlight %}
Result
Writing your own backend
Writing your own backend is easy to do. Details of the required API are in the Backend documentation.