Return HttpStatusCode in API method

Question

How do I return an HttpStatus code from API methods in my ASP.NET Core 1.0 if there's a problem?

If the method is supposed to return a particular object type, when I try return an Http status code, I get an error saying I can't convert my object to status code.

[HttpPost]
public async Task<SomeObject> Post([FromBody] inputData)
{
   // I detect an error and want to return BadRequest HttpStatus
   if(inputData == null)
       return new HttpStatusCode(400);

   // All is well, so return the object
   return myObject;
}

the error is right, you should consider to return Task<IHttpActionResult> and change the return to return Ok(myObject); — Kien Chu
– Kien Chu, Commented Feb 3, 2016 at 2:24
In WebAPI, you throw an exception with a specific response code (represented by an Enum). It doesn't let the exception bubble up the stack, but simply returns the status code you specify. throw new HttpResponseException(HttpStatusCode.NotFound); — James
– James, Commented Feb 3, 2016 at 9:48
@James Thank you for your response but I'm having a hard time finding the HttpResponseException. Looks like it's in the System.Web.Http namesapce but my ASP.NET Core 1.0 doesn't even let me reference it. It's suggesting I install this NuGet package nuget.org/packages/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.WebApiCompatShim Is this still the right way to handle it in ASP.NET Core 1.0? — Sam
– Sam, Commented Feb 3, 2016 at 21:41

peco · Accepted Answer · 2016-03-25 21:02:53Z

12

Return an IActionResult from your controller action instead:

public async Task<IActionResult> Post([FromBody] InputData inputData)
{
    if(inputData == null)
    {
        return new HttpStatusCodeResult((int) HttpStatusCode.BadRequest);
    }

    //...

    return Ok(myObject);
}

If you instead want to remove such null checks from the controller you could define a custom attribute:

public class CheckModelForNullAttribute : ActionFilterAttribute
{
    public override void OnActionExecuting(ActionExecutingContext context)
    {
        if (context.ActionArguments.Any(k => k.Value == null))
        {
            context.Result = new BadRequestObjectResult("The model cannot be null");
        }
    }
}

This way we dont have to bother with the model being null in the action.

[HttpPost]
[CheckModelForNull]
public async Task<SomeObject> Post([FromBody]InputData inputData)
{
    // My attribute protects me from null
    // ...
    return myObject;
}

edited Mar 25, 2016 at 21:02

answered Feb 4, 2016 at 16:03

peco

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3 Comments

Sam Over a year ago

Thank you for your suggestion but I shouldn't have to do any of that. I shouldn't have to install a compatibility package to make ASP.NET Core 1.0 API behave more like the old version either. What I really want to learn is the right way of returning HttpStatus codes in ASP.NET Core 1.0 APIs.

Sam Over a year ago

Thanks again for your help. This is where I get the error "Cannot implicitly convert type 'HttpStatusCodeResult' to 'SomeObject'. This is exactly what I've been struggling with.

Sam Over a year ago

Sorry! I take it back! Just noticed you're returning IActionResult and sending the object along with the StatusCode. This does work fine. Thank you for your help!

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