Web API - Multiple POST methods

Working with POST in webapi can be tricky though conincidently, your issue turned out to be trivial. However, for those who may stumble upon this page:

I will focus specifically on POST as dealing with GET is trivial. I don't think many would be searching around for resolving an issue with GET with webapis. Anyways..

If your question is - In MVC Web Api, how to- - Use custom action method names other than the generic HTTP verbs? - Perform multiple posts? - Post multiple simple types? - Post complex types via jQuery?

Then the following solutions may help:

First, to use Custom Action Methods in Web API, add a web api route as:

public static void Register(HttpConfiguration config)
{
            config.Routes.MapHttpRoute(
                name: "ActionApi",
                routeTemplate: "api/{controller}/{action}");
}

And they you may create action methods like:

[HttpPost]
        public string TestMethod([FromBody]string value)
        {
            return "Hello from http post web api controller: " + value;
        }

Now, fire the following jQuery from your browser console

$.ajax({
            type: 'POST',
            url: 'http://localhost:33649/api/TestApi/TestMethod',
            data: {'':'hello'},
            contentType: 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded',
            dataType: 'json',
success: function(data){ console.log(data) }
        });

Second, to perform multiple posts, It is simple, create multiple action methods and decorate with the [HttpPost] attrib. Use the [ActionName("MyAction")] to assign custom names, etc. Will come to jQuery in the fourth point below

Third, First of all, posting multiple SIMPLE types in a single action is not possible and there is a special format to post a single simple type (except for passing the parameter in the query string or REST style). This was the point that had me banging my head with Rest Clients and hunting around the web for almost 5 hours and eventually, the following URL helped me. Will still quote the contents for the link may turn dead!

Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
in the request header and add a = before the JSON statement:
={"Name":"Turbo Tina","Email":"[email protected]"}

http://forums.asp.net/t/1883467.aspx?The+received+value+is+null+when+I+try+to+Post+to+my+Web+Api

Anyway, let us get over that story. Moving on:

Fourth, posting complex types via jQuery, ofcourse, $.ajax() is going to promptly come in the role:

Let us say the action method accepts a Person object which had an id and a name. So, from javascript:

var person = { PersonId:1, Name:"James" }
$.ajax({
            type: 'POST',
            url: 'http://mydomain/api/TestApi/TestMethod',
            data: JSON.stringify(person),
            contentType: 'application/json; charset=utf-8',
            dataType: 'json',
            success: function(data){ console.log(data) }
        });

And the action will look like:

[HttpPost]
        public string TestMethod(Person person)
        {
            return "Hello from http post web api controller: " + person.Name;
        }

All of the above, worked for me!! Cheers!