This article shows how to manipulate files from different SaaS providers (e.g. OneDrive, Dropbox) within your function utilizing built-in bindings. Azure functions supports trigger, input, and output bindings for external file.

This binding creates API connections to SaaS providers, or uses existing API connections from your Function App's resource group.

<a name="output"></a>

The Azure external file output binding enables you to write files to an external folder in your function.

The external file output for a function uses the following JSON objects in the `bindings` array of function.json:

{

"name": "<Name of output parameter in function signature>",

"type": "apiHubFile",

"direction": "out",

"path": "<Path of input file - see below>",

"connection": "<name of external file connection>"

}

Note the following:

* `path` must contain the folder name and the file name to write to. For example, if you have a [queue trigger](functions-bindings-storage-queue.md)

in your function, you can use `"path": "samples-workitems/{queueTrigger}"` to point to a file in the `samples-workitems` folder with a name that

matches the file name specified in the trigger message.

<a name="outputusage"></a>

In C# functions, you bind to the output file by using the named `out` parameter in your function signature, like `out <T> <name>`,

where `T` is the data type that you want to serialize the data into, and `paramName` is the name you specified in the

[output binding](#output). In Node.js functions, you access the output file using `context.bindings.<name>`.

You can write to the output file using any of the following types:

* Any [Object](https://msdn.microsoft.com/library/system.object.aspx) - useful for JSON-serialization.

If you declare a custom output type (e.g. `out OutputType paramName`), Azure Functions attempts to serialize object

into JSON. If the output parameter is null when the function exits, the Functions runtime creates a file as

a null object.

* String - (`out string paramName`) useful for text file data. the Functions runtime creates a file only if the

string parameter is non-null when the function exits.

In C# functions you can also output to any of the following types:

* `TextWriter`

* `Stream`

* `CloudFileStream`

* `ICloudFile`

* `CloudBlockFile`

* `CloudPageFile`

<a name="outputsample"></a>

<a name="sample"></a>

an external file input, and an external file output:

title: Azure Functions External Table binding (Preview) | Microsoft Docs

description: Using External Table bindings in Azure Functions

services: functions

documentationcenter: ''

author: alexkarcher-msft

manager: erikre

editor: ''

ms.assetid:

ms.service: functions

ms.workload: na

ms.tgt_pltfrm: na

ms.devlang: multiple

ms.topic: article

ms.date: 04/12/2017

ms.author: alkarche

This article shows how to manipulate tabular data on SaaS providers (e.g. Sharepoint, Dynamics) within your function with built-in bindings. Azure Functions supports input, and output bindings for external tables.

[!INCLUDE [intro](../../includes/functions-bindings-intro.md)]

Table bindings leverage external API connections to authenticate with 3rd party SaaS providers.

When assigning a binding you can either create a new API connection or use an existing API connection within the same resource group

|Connector|Trigger|Input|Output|

|:-----|:---:|:---:|:---:|

|[DB2](https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/connectors/connectors-create-api-db2)||x|x

|[Dynamics 365 for Operations](https://ax.help.dynamics.com/wiki/install-and-configure-dynamics-365-for-operations-warehousing/)||x|x

|[Dynamics 365](https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/connectors/connectors-create-api-crmonline)||x|x

|[Dynamics NAV](https://msdn.microsoft.com/library/gg481835.aspx)||x|x

|[Google Sheets](https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/connectors/connectors-create-api-googledrive)||x|x

|[Informix](https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/connectors/connectors-create-api-informix)||x|x

|[Dynamics 365 for Financials](https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/connectors/connectors-create-api-crmonline)||x|x

|[MySQL](https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/store-php-create-mysql-database)||x|x

|[Oracle Database](https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/connectors/connectors-create-api-oracledatabase)||x|x

|[Common Data Service](https://docs.microsoft.com/common-data-service/entity-reference/introduction)||x|x

|[Salesforce](https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/connectors/connectors-create-api-salesforce)||x|x

|[SharePoint](https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/connectors/connectors-create-api-sharepointonline)||x|x

|[SQL Server](https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/connectors/connectors-create-api-sqlazure)||x|x

|[Teradata](http://www.teradata.com/products-and-services/azure/products/)||x|x

|UserVoice||x|x

|Zendesk||x|x

1. Create a function > custom function


1. Scenario `Experimental` > `ExternalTable-CSharp` template > Create a new `External Table connection`


1. Choose your SaaS provider > choose/create a connection


1. Select your API connection > create the function


1. Select `Integrate` > `External Table`

1. Configure the connection to use your target table. These settings will very between SaaS providers. They are outline below in [data source settings](#datasourcesettings)


This example connects to a table named "Contact" with Id, LastName, and FirstName columns. The code lists the Contact entities in the table and logs the first and last names.

{

"bindings": [

{

"type": "manualTrigger",

"direction": "in",

"name": "input"

},

{

"type": "apiHubTable",

"direction": "in",

"name": "table",

"connection": "ConnectionAppSettingsKey",

"dataSetName": "default",

"tableName": "Contact",

"entityId": "",

}

],

"disabled": false

}

`entityId` must be empty for table bindings.

`ConnectionAppSettingsKey` identifies the app setting that stores the API connection string. The app setting is created automatically when you add an API connection in the integrate UI.

A tabular connector provides data sets, and each data set contains tables. The name of the default data set is “default.” The titles for a dataset and a table in various SaaS providers are listed below:

|Connector|Dataset|Table|

|:-----|:---|:---|

|**SharePoint**|Site|SharePoint List

|**SQL**|Database|Table

|**Google Sheet**|Spreadsheet|Worksheet

|**Excel**|Excel file|Sheet

<a name="incsharp"></a>

#r "Microsoft.Azure.ApiHub.Sdk"

#r "Newtonsoft.Json"

using System;

using Microsoft.Azure.ApiHub;

public class Contact

{

public string Id { get; set; }

public string LastName { get; set; }

public string FirstName { get; set; }

}

public static async Task Run(string input, ITable<Contact> table, TraceWriter log)

{

ContinuationToken continuationToken = null;

do

{

var contactsSegment = await table.ListEntitiesAsync(

continuationToken: continuationToken);

foreach (var contact in contactsSegment.Items)

{

log.Info(string.Format("{0} {1}", contact.FirstName, contact.LastName));

}

continuationToken = contactsSegment.ContinuationToken;

}

while (continuationToken != null);

}

<a name="datasourcesettings"></a>

The script to create and populate the Contact table is below. dataSetName is “default.”

CREATE TABLE Contact

(

Id int NOT NULL,

LastName varchar(20) NOT NULL,

FirstName varchar(20) NOT NULL,

CONSTRAINT PK_Contact_Id PRIMARY KEY (Id)

)

GO

INSERT INTO Contact(Id, LastName, FirstName)

VALUES (1, 'Bitt', 'Prad')

GO

INSERT INTO Contact(Id, LastName, FirstName)

VALUES (2, 'Glooney', 'Ceorge')

GO

In Google Docs, create a spreadsheet with a worksheet named `Contact`. The connector cannot use the spreadsheet display name. The internal name (in bold) needs to be used as dataSetName, for example: `docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/`**`1UIz545JF_cx6Chm_5HpSPVOenU4DZh4bDxbFgJOSMz0`**

Add the column names `Id`, `LastName`, `FirstName` to the first row, then populate data on subsequent rows.

dataSetName is “default.”

[!INCLUDE [next steps](../../includes/functions-bindings-next-steps.md)]