WCF REST JSON requestformat for complex type

Question

Hi, Can someone tell me how to use a WebGet with a complex type in the json request?

I've found quite allot of posts which explain this with a POST. Since we have a script which is being added to websites of our customers we need to use a GET.

[WebGet(UriTemplate="Send?collection={collection}", RequestFormat=WebMessageFormat.Json)]
public void Send(FaqOptionCollection collection)

Answer 1

You can change the QueryStringConverter used by the WebHttpBehavior to accept more than just "primitive" types. There's a public built-in converter in WCF, the JsonQueryStringConverter, which uses the DataContractJsonSerializer to deserialize non-primitive types. The example below shows how to replace the converter used in the behavior.

  public class Post_605526ee_2181_41a2_8d0e_ced1f5e2b825
  {
    public class FaqOptionCollection : List<FaqOption>
    {
      public override string ToString()
      {
        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
        sb.Append('[');
        for (int i = 0; i < this.Count; i++)
        {
          if (i > 0) sb.Append(',');
          sb.Append(this[i].ToString());
        }
        sb.Append(']');
        return sb.ToString();
      }
    }
    [DataContract]
    public class FaqOption
    {
      [DataMember]
      public string topic;
      [DataMember]
      public string keyword;
      public override string ToString()
      {
        return string.Format("FaqOption[topic={0},keyword={1}]", topic, keyword);
      }
    }
    [ServiceContract]
    public interface ITest
    {
      [WebGet(UriTemplate = "Send?collection={collection}", RequestFormat = WebMessageFormat.Json)]
      void Send(FaqOptionCollection collection);
    }
    public class Service : ITest
    {
      public void Send(FaqOptionCollection collection)
      {
        Console.WriteLine("Input: {0}", collection);
      }
    }
    public class MyWebHttpBehavior : WebHttpBehavior
    {
      protected override QueryStringConverter GetQueryStringConverter(OperationDescription operationDescription)
      {
        return new JsonQueryStringConverter();
      }
    }
    public static void Test()
    {
      string baseAddress = "http://" + Environment.MachineName + ":8000/Service";
      ServiceHost host = new ServiceHost(typeof(Service), new Uri(baseAddress));
      ServiceEndpoint endpoint = host.AddServiceEndpoint(typeof(ITest), new WebHttpBinding(), "");
      WebHttpBehavior behavior = new MyWebHttpBehavior();
      endpoint.Behaviors.Add(behavior);
      host.Open();
      Console.WriteLine("Host opened");

      Util.SendRequest(baseAddress + "/Send?collection=[{\"topic\":\"foo\",\"keyword\":\"foo2\"},{\"topic\":\"bar\",\"keyword\":\"bar2\"}]", "GET", null, null);
      //ChannelFactory<ITest> factory = new ChannelFactory<ITest>(GetBinding(), new EndpointAddress(baseAddress));
      //ITest proxy = factory.CreateChannel();

      //Console.WriteLine(proxy.EchoString("Hello"));
      //Console.WriteLine(proxy.EchoDC(new MyDC()));
      //Console.WriteLine(proxy.Add(3, 5));

      //((IClientChannel)proxy).Close();
      //factory.Close();

      Console.Write("Press ENTER to close the host");
      Console.ReadLine();
      host.Close();
    }
  }

Answer 2

How can I define that behavior in the web.config? I have a WCF Service application.

Answer 3

In short all you have to do is:

1. register the custom behavior. Example:

<system.serviceModel>
 <extensions>
  <behaviorExtensions>
   <add name="myClientCredentials" type="Microsoft.ServiceModel.Samples.MyClientCredentialsConfigHandler, CustomCredentials, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null" />
  </behaviorExtensions>
 </extensions>
<system.serviceModel>

2. add your endpoint behavior. Example:

<behaviors>
 <endpointBehaviors>
  <behavior name="myClientCredentialsBehavior">
   <myClientCredentials creditCardNumber="123-123-123"/>
  </behavior>
 </endpointBehaviors>
</behaviors>

3. configure your endpoint to use the endpoint behavior

<endpoint behaviorConfiguration="myClientCredentialsBehavior" >

 

I have taken this example from http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms730868.aspx 

 

HTH,

Francois