Web API JSON Format

Question

I'm fairly new to Web API and have already created a successful API, but I am now working with different JSON and I don't know how exactly Web API parses JSON so nicely. Before, I had JSON like this:

[
  {
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "timestamp": 1337197600,
    "id": "55555",
  }
]

And my Web API Method signature was:

[HttpPost]
public HttpResponseMessage Create(List<MyOwnModel> data)
{
    ...
}

This worked great. I had a list of all of the JSON objects and all of the attributes associated with it. Now I have JSON like this:

    randomJsonObjects: 
    [
      {
        "email": "[email protected]",
        "timestamp": 1337197600,
        "id": "55555",
      }
    ]

Well that randomJsonObjects broke it. Now data is null when I hit the API. What am I missing?

Rename the data variable to randomJsonObjects

Liel
– Liel

2014-04-04 23:26:21 +00:00
Commented Apr 4, 2014 at 23:26 — Liel
– Liel, Commented Apr 4, 2014 at 23:26

Kiran · Accepted Answer · 2014-04-04 23:58:46Z

2

For example, for the following model, the below json would be the right one. Notice the root level { and } characters that you are missing from your payload and also action's parameter.

Model:

public class AddressBook
{
    public List<ContactInfo> Contacts {get; set;}
}

Controller:

[HttpPost]
public HttpResponseMessage Create(AddressBook book)
{
}

JSON:

{
    Contacts: 
    [
      {
        "email": "[email protected]",
        "timestamp": 1337197600,
        "id": "55555",
      }
    ]
}

answered Apr 4, 2014 at 23:58

Kiran

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Comments

evanmcdonnal · Accepted Answer · 2014-04-04 23:58:53Z

I see a few issues, there are different ways you could go about resolving them but I'll suggest the simplest. The json you want isn't valid. If it were contained within an object it would be fine, if you want just an array that's fine to. But you can't have a property on it's own without being contained by an object which is what the below sample is.

   randomJsonObjects: 
    [
      {
        "email": "[email protected]",
        "timestamp": 1337197600,
        "id": "55555",
      }
    ]

Your method; public HttpResponseMessage Create(List<MyOwnModel> data) is expecting a list, so one option would be to change this to something like;

 public HttpResponseMessage Create(MyRespObj data)

and then have;

 public class MyRespObj
 {
       List<MyOwnModel> randomJsonObjects;
 }

Now that would produce a response of;

{
   randomJsonObjects: 
    [
      {
        "email": "[email protected]",
        "timestamp": 1337197600,
        "id": "55555",
      }
    ]
}

which would be valid. The other option is to just send the array. Either way you can't just return a property without it being part of an object. If you take that json and say try it on something like http://jsonlint.com/ you will find it's not valid and that is really the problem.

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