WebApi request URL with empty string for value

Question

I have an WebApi endpoint for a database table in which 3 columns are PKs. In some cases one of the keys is an empty string ('') in the database.

Is it possible to supply this empty string value in my request URL?

Example:

[RoutePrefix("api/Endpoint")]
public partial class APIUserCustomerController : BaseApiController<APIUserCustomer>
{
   [HttpDelete, Route("{UserName}/{CustomerNum}/{ShippingAddress}")]
   public HttpResponseMessage Delete(System.String UserName, System.String CustomerNum, System.String ShippingAddress) 
   {
       ...
   }
}

I've tried:

DELETE api/Endpoint/username/customerNum/, which gives me HTTP Error 404.0 - Not Found

as well as:

DELETE api/Endpoint/username/customerNum/%20 which gives me Server Error in '/' Application. The resource cannot be found.

Is there a solution that I'm missing, or am I just SOL in regards to empty strings in my db?

What does DELETE api/Endpoint/username/customerNum// do? or DELETE api/Endpoint/username/customerNum/%20/ — Prescott
– Prescott, Commented Aug 13, 2014 at 19:49
@Prescott, I don't think the code inside the method matters, the problem is that it's not finding the endpoint since the last piece of the URL is blank and therefore the api thinks it doesn't match any of the routes... but anyway, in this case it should delete the row in the database where User_Name = 'username' and Customer_Num = 'customerNum' and ShippingAddress = '' — sǝɯɐſ
– sǝɯɐſ, Commented Aug 13, 2014 at 21:05

sǝɯɐſ · Accepted Answer · 2014-08-21 18:24:11Z

2

Found a solution in optional parameters:

[RoutePrefix("api/Endpoint")]
public partial class APIUserCustomerController : BaseApiController<APIUserCustomer>
{
   [HttpDelete, Route("{UserName}/{CustomerNum}/{ShippingAddress?}")]
   public HttpResponseMessage Delete(System.String UserName, System.String CustomerNum, System.String ShippingAddress = "") 
   {
       ...
   }
}

Now I can call

DELETE api/Endpoint/username/customerNum/shippingAddress if I have the ship address

OR

DELETE api/Endpoint/username/customerNum if the ship address is blank.

Works great!!

answered Aug 21, 2014 at 18:24

sǝɯɐſ

2,5484 gold badges34 silver badges49 bronze badges

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

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

WebApi request URL with empty string for value

1 Answer 1

Comments

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

1 Answer 1

Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related