CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c#restasp.net-web-api2
Steve Hibbert
Steve Hibbert

Reputation: 2175

How to route Optional URI parameters to API Controller functions

I am trying to set up an Asp.Net forms site with an API. I have succeeded in adding in selective authentication, so that pages starting "\api\" do not get redirected, but instead challenge for basic authentication. I am now trying to use MS Web Api 2 to do the API routing.

The idea is to be as RESTful as possible. I have a resource, a TradableItem, and initially I would want to allow API users to use HTTP GET in one of two ways.

If the API user passes no item key, the user receives a list of possible item keys

  ["ABC","DEF"...]

If the API user passes an item key as part of the URI, eg "/api/tradables/abc", a representation of the TradableItem is returned for the one with the key=ABC. (To my understanding, this is standard REST behaviour).

In Global.ASAX's Application_Start() function I have a route map like so...

    RouteTable.Routes.MapHttpRoute(
        name: "TradableItemVerbs",
        routeTemplate: "api/tradables/{item}",
        defaults: new { item = System.Web.Http.RouteParameter.Optional, controller = "Tradable" });

The TradableController.cs file looks like this...

public class TradableController : ApiController
{
    private static CustomLog logger = new CustomLog("TradableController");

    // GET api/<controller>
    public IEnumerable<string> GetKeys()
    {
    var prefix = "GetKeys() - ";
    string msg = "";

    msg = "Function called, returning list of tradable pkeys...";
    logger.Debug(prefix + msg);

    // Get a list of tradable items
    return TradableManager.GetTradablePkeys();
    }

    // GET api/<controller>/<pkey>
    public string GetTradable(string pkey)
    {
    string msg = string.Format("Would get Tradable data for key: >{0}<", pkey);
    return msg;
    }
}

The problem is that only the GetKeys() function fires, whether I call GET to "/api/tradables" or "/api/tradables/abc".

For reference, using VS2015 Community, IIS 7.5, targeting .Net 4.6.1. I used Rick Strahl's blog as a guide on this (among other sources).

http://weblog.west-wind.com/posts/2012/Aug/21/An-Introduction-to-ASPNET-Web-API#HTTPVerbRouting

Upvotes: 0

Views: 165

Answers (1)

Julito Avellaneda
Julito Avellaneda

Reputation: 2385

please, change the name of your param to item (because, this is the name define in the routes):

public string GetTradable(string item)
{
    ....
}

or when you call the method be explicit with the parameter name: /api/tradables?pkey=abc

Upvotes: 1

Related Questions