How can I code a Created-201 response using IHttpActionResult

Question

How can I code a Created-201 response using IHttpActionResult ?

IHttpActionResult has only these options

Ok
List item
NotFound
Exception
Unauthorized
BadRequest
Conflict Redirect
InvalidModelState

What I am doing now is this code below, but I would like to use IHttpActionResult and not HttpResponseMessage

public IHttpActionResult Post(TaskBase model)
{
    HttpResponseMessage response = Request.CreateResponse(HttpStatusCode.Created, model);
    response.Headers.Add("Id", model.Id.ToString());
    return ResponseMessage(response);
}

There is a implementation here http://www.strathweb.com/2013/06/ihttpactionresult-new-way-of-creating-responses-in-asp-net-web-api-2/ but I really doesn't like this. I prefer work with `HttpResponseMessage` which I can speficy all verbs and body just called `Request.CreateRespose()` method. — Felipe Oriani, May 27 '14 at 14:55

score 23 · Accepted Answer · answered May 27 '14 at 14:59

23

If your view derives from ApiController, you should be able to call the Created method from base class to create such a response.

Sample:

[Route("")]
public async Task<IHttpActionResult> PostView(Guid taskId, [FromBody]View view)
{
    // ... Code here to save the view

    return Created(new Uri(Url.Link(ViewRouteName, new { taskId = taskId, id = view.Id })), view);
}

answered May 27 '14 at 14:59

Gildor

2,484
23
35

How can I add add the Uri using my current API controller ? – Devsined May 27 '14 at 17:31
@Devsined Is your controller inheriting from `ApiController`? – Gildor May 28 '14 at 03:05
Yes it is. I have the option of return Created. But I am having hard-time to return controller's Uri plus the id. I am return now just any Uri. – Devsined May 28 '14 at 20:11
3

Or, even better, CreatedAtRoute https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.web.http.apicontroller.createdatroute(v=vs.118).aspx – George Helyar Sep 14 '16 at 11:55

chris31389 · Answer 2 · 2021-03-29T08:17:37.340

15

In ASP.NET Core, an IActionResult can be returned. This means you can return a ObjectResult with a 201 status code.

[HttpPost]
public async Task<IActionResult> PostAsync([FromBody] CreateModel createModel)
{
    // Create domain entity and persist
    var entity = await _service.Create(createModel);

    // Return 201
    return new ObjectResult(entity) { StatusCode = StatusCodes.Status201Created };
}

edited Mar 29 '21 at 08:17

answered Jan 16 '20 at 08:50

chris31389

8,414
7
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66

Since 2016, did you encounter swagger and why this is not perfect for it? – Rafael Herscovici Nov 12 '20 at 19:05
I think with swagger you can add attributes above the method which tell swagger what return statuses are possible and what the object shape will be – chris31389 Nov 17 '20 at 21:52
Perhaps "should" is not the right word here. It "could". You can return actual models or throw exceptions also which is more elegant in many cases. – Jonas Stensved Mar 17 '21 at 15:52

miragessee · Answer 3 · 2017-12-21T03:24:23.010

11

return Content(HttpStatusCode.Created, "Message");

Content is returning NegotiatedContentResult. NegotiatedContentResult is implements IHttpActionResult.

A similar problem: If you want to send NotFound with the message.

return Content(HttpStatusCode.NotFound, "Message");

Or:

return Content(HttpStatusCode.Created, Class object);
return Content(HttpStatusCode.NotFound, Class object);

edited Dec 21 '17 at 03:24

answered Dec 19 '17 at 13:55

miragessee

313
1
4
14

score 3 · Answer 4 · answered Apr 08 '22 at 11:22

Alternatively, to what Chris is suggesting, what you can do is return an IActionResult, using or "StatusCode" method, the following way:

[HttpPost]
public async Task<IActionResult> PostAsync([FromBody] CreateModel createModel)
{
    // Create domain entity and persist
    var entity = await _service.Create(createModel);

    // Return 201
    return StatusCode(StatusCodes.Status201Created, entity);
}

score -2 · Answer 5 · edited May 23 '17 at 11:46

I know this is an old thread but you might want to take a look at my solution here. Its a little more than needed but sure will do the job.

Steps:

Define a custom attribute:

[AttributeUsage(AttributeTargets.Property, AllowMultiple = false)]
public sealed class UniqueIdAttribute: Attribute
    {
    }

Decorate the uniquely identifying property of your model with a custom attribute:

   public class Model
    {
        public List<Model> ChildModels { get; set; }
        [UniqueId]
        public Guid ModelId { set; get; }
        public Guid ? ParentId { set; get; }
        public List<SomeOtherObject> OtherObjects { set; get; }
    }

Add a new Created(T yourobject); method to a BaseController which inherits from ApiController. Inherit all your controllers from this BaseController:

CreatedNegotiatedContentResult<T> Created<T>(T content)
    {
        var props =typeof(T).GetProperties()
        .Where(prop => Attribute.IsDefined(prop, typeof(UniqueIdAttribute)));
        if (props.Count() == 0)
        {
            //log this, the UniqueId attribute is not defined for this model
            return base.Created(Request.RequestUri.ToString(), content);
        }
        var id = props.FirstOrDefault().GetValue(content).ToString();
        return base.Created(new Uri(Request.RequestUri + id), content);
     }

Its pretty simple without having to worry about writing so much in every method. All you got to do is just call Created(yourobject);

The Created() method would still work if you forget to decorate or cannot decorate your model(for some reason). The location header would miss the Id though.

Your unit test for that controller should take care of this.

How can I code a Created-201 response using IHttpActionResult

5 Answers5

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