How to Consume MVC 4 WebApi Service

Question

I am new to Web Api world and I see a lot of potential for in the new MVC 4 Web Api. I have generated a WCF Web Service but was planning to get to know Web-APIs and their web service capabilities. Now, is MVC 4 Web-Api Service more as front end? I wrote a sample Service by following some examples online in MVC 4 Web Api but how do I consume the Service in just a basic console app? I have figured out the only way to consume it is by using HttpClient are there other ways? I am used to ASP.NET Web Service and WCF Web Service as where you reference it as a service in your references and then you are able to see all of its objects, properties to make appropriate calls.

What happens if web-api is requesting a object "Task" for post method as an example how am I able to fill an object "Task" and post it back to the web-api? As in WCF I am able to see that "Task" object and its properties because of WSDL so I am able to fill them and send it back to the service how is that done in web-api service?

The webservice would be used internally is it worth it to have an web-api service?

Thank you so much for helping clearing some question of what I have about web-api services.

Answer 1

---Edit as per Comment---

This screenshot shows a possible structure which you can approach. Of course, you can take a design that best suit your application.

So ControllerLib is a separate Class Library project which is brought into the main project as a Service Reference (which is not shown in the screenshot but should be inside the References folder of the SecondMVCApplication project). The two controller file (HomeController.cs and LocationController.cs is a controller file that implemented the Controller class, which is the same thing as a Controller file when you create a new MVC4 application using the template)

So for your question regarding if there is a SVC file. NO. In MVC 4, there is no such thing as a SVC file whether the application is one project or a combination of multiple project (unless I am mistaken). Inside the SecondMVCApplication, there is a file called RouteConfig.cs which holds the routing URL and as long as you add the Service Reference and there controller function exists. The code will run. Also the sample screenshot I showed also includes a WebApiConfig.cs file. You can use that file to do API stuff for mobile if you need. So, the regular RouteConfig.cs handles website request and the WebApiConfig.cs handles API request.

Good to Note: If you are using a Model project as a separate project (which I know you will as it is a M-V-C project...DUH!!). Make sure you put your connection string inside the web.config main project (in this case, the SecondMVCApplication). I remember I was stuck in this problem for 3 days (8 hours each) trying to fix this problem. Hope you don't run into it.

---End Edit---

The following answer to your question is mostly based on my knowledge and may or may not be true to all users.

• Is MVC 4 Web-Api Service more as front end?

This depends on how you look at it. Typically, a Web-API service is more suited for creating back-end service to provide a data payload to different platforms, like mobile, desktop apps and so on. However, a MVC4 Internet Application will have front-end aspects in them, namely the Views, which end-users sees.

• How do I consume the Service in just a basic console app?

AFAIK, there is two way to do this. One if to consume the APIs as a Service Reference. Another is to use HTTP operation (which I will mention in your question regarding the HTTP client and reserve this answer using the Service Reference method).

This depends on how your application is done. Like I said, if it is a website, your MVC pattern will not need to do anything, but the Models, Views and Controllers all are designed to work together without using any service.

Although, as I mentioned in the comments to the questions, if it is a big application then you will need to break them into different projects that will make the app modular and nimble. So you will end up creating different Service Library. If you go down the Service Library road, then you just make use of the Add Reference option to bring in your API/Projects/Whatever-you-call-it into the project. (For this, I normally put all project inside a single solution and let Visual Studio manage the build order as I am lazy to write up a build script).

Similarly, the same logic could be applied when consuming your web service in a console app.

• I have figured out the only way to consume it is by using HttpClient are there other ways?

One way to consume web APIs is using HTTP. Are you aware of how to write http request headers and handle http response. If so, this is the second way I mentioned. You call the web service through it's URL and then get the data and do whatever work. If your answer to use http in console app is NO, then look at this post: Create HTTP post request and receive response using C# console application

• What happens if web-api is requesting a object "Task" for post method as an example how am I able to fill an object "Task" and post it back to the web-api?

I think I indirectly answered this in your previous answer (assuming you are going to take the HTTP road). If not, then comment and I'll see if I can find some resource for you.

• The webservice would be used internally is it worth it to have an web-api service?

I sort of answered this in the comment to the question. Ask if you need clarification.

Hope all this helps.

Answer 2

you can create your own Client Service class that will serve for every request.

 public class ClientService
{
    #region async helper methods

    private static string m_mediaTypeHeaderValue= "application/json";
    static HttpClient client = new HttpClient();
    static HttpClient createHttpClientInstance()
    {          
        return client ?? new HttpClient();
    }

    // SELECT

    internal static async Task<T> Get<T>(string endpoint)
    {
                client= createHttpClientInstance();
               var response = await client.GetAsync(endpoint);
            string content = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
            return await Task.Run(() => JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<T>(content));
    }
    // INSERT

    static async Task<T> Post<T>(string endpoint, object data)
    {
        client = createHttpClientInstance();
        var httpContent = new StringContent(JsonConvert.SerializeObject(data));
            httpContent.Headers.ContentType = new MediaTypeHeaderValue(m_mediaTypeHeaderValue);
            var response = await client.PostAsync(endpoint, httpContent);
            string content = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
            return await Task.Run(() => JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<T>(content));
    }

    // UPDATE

    static async Task<T> Put<T>(string endpoint, object data)
    {
        client = createHttpClientInstance();
        var httpContent = new StringContent(JsonConvert.SerializeObject(data));
            httpContent.Headers.ContentType = new MediaTypeHeaderValue(m_mediaTypeHeaderValue);

            var response = await client.PutAsync(endpoint, httpContent);
            string content = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
            return await Task.Run(() => JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<T>(content));
    }

    // DELETE

    static async Task<T> Delete<T>(string endpoint)
    {
    client = createHttpClientInstance();
    var response = await client.DeleteAsync(endpoint);
            string content = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
            return await Task.Run(() => JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<T>(content));
    }

    #endregion
}