CakePHP JSON Response to jQuery ajax call

Question

I have the following jQuery code. The purpose of the code is to send the json data in the data setting to the CakePHP addSourceDocuments() function in the DocumentsController controller (hence, the '/documents/addsourcedocuments' in the 'url' setting).

jQuery.ajax({
    type: 'POST',
    url: '/documents/addsourcedocuments',
    accepts: 'application/json',
    data: {
         sourceFileName: file.name,
         sourceFileId: file.id
    },
    dataType: 'json',
    success: function (data) {
         alert(data);
    },
    error: function (jqXHR, textStatus, errorThrown) {
         alert("error!");
    }
});

The CakePHP Documents controller has the following code. I used the instructions from the CakePHP Cookbook 2.x "JSON and XML views" page (http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/views/json-and-xml-views.html) in an attempt to return json data from a CakePHP controller without a view.

class DocumentsController extends AppController {
     public $components = array('RequestHandler');
     public function index() {
          $this->layout = 'index';
     }
     public function addSourceDocuments() {
          $this->autoRender = false;
          if ($this->RequestHandler->isAjax()) {
               Configure::write('debug', 0);
          }
          if (!empty($this->data)) {
               $this->log($this->data, 'debug');
               $this->set('response', 'here is the newest content');
               $this->set('_serialize', array('response'));
          }
     }
}

I also have the following in my routes.php file (as instructed by the "JSON and XML views" page mentioned above).

Router::parseExtensions('json');

While the CakePHP controller successfully receives the data from the jQuery ajax call (the $this->log($this->data, 'debug'); is writing the received data to the log and it is the data I expect to receive), the CakePHP controller is returning no data (the jqXHR.responseText value in the error setting of the jQuery.ajax call is an empty string). The only other information provided is that the errorThrown.message setting has a value of "Unexpected end of input" and the textStatus setting has a value of "parsererror."

I expect that the success setting of the jQuery.ajax call should contain 'here is the newest content' in the data variable because the addSourceDocuments() function is setting that value with the _serialize key word. Obviously, that isn't happening.

So, what did I do wrong?

Thanks!

ndm · Accepted Answer · 2014-07-22 14:53:22Z

1

You have disabled auto rendering, so that's the expected result, nothing is being returned.

Having that said the solution should be obivious, either do not disable auto rendering, or manually invoke Controller::render().

Update As mentioned in the comments, the accepts option for the AJAX call has to be an object with keys for the specific data type, something along the lines of

accepts: {json: 'application/json'}

However, actually it shouldn't even be necessary to modify this option at all, as it defaults to application/json, text/javascript, which should be interpreted by the request handler component properly so that it switches to the JSON view.

edited Jul 22, 2014 at 14:53

answered Jul 21, 2014 at 18:22

ndm

60.6k9 gold badges73 silver badges113 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

13 Comments

Will R. Over a year ago

I have auto rendering disabled because the goal is to return json data, not a view and/or layout. If I am reading the "JSON and XML views" page correctly, returning a result without a view should be possible.

Holt Over a year ago

@WillR. Look at the doc:

After adding Router::parseExtensions('json'); to your routes file, CakePHP will automatically switch view classes when a request is done with the .json extension, or the Accept header is application/json.

. You can output JSON without views, but you need to echo values manually with echo json_encode(...) in this case.

ndm Over a year ago

@WillR. To be exact, it's not possible without the view, but without a view template file, that's two different things. As described in the docs, when using the _serialize key, the view won't use a view template, but render the data directly, however without invoking the JSON view rendering routine at all you won't get anything, so just don't disable auto rendering and watch what happens.

ndm Over a year ago

@Holt The _serialize key is the key, no need for outputting data manually, see Using data views with the serialize key

Holt Over a year ago

@ndm Yes I know, but if you don't use Router::parseExtensions('json');, you won't use the data view so you can output json manually, even if it's not the recommended way.

|

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

CakePHP JSON Response to jQuery ajax call

1 Answer 1

13 Comments

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

1 Answer 1

13 Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related