How to pass an objet as a parameter to an OData Action using ASP.NET Web Api?

Question

How can I pass an object (Entity) to an OData Action? I can pass simple types and ComplexType, but if try to pass an EntityType I get:

Invalid parameter type 'apitest.Models.Product'. 
A non-binding parameter type must be either Primitive, Complex, 
Collection of Primitive or a Collection of Complex.

Edit:

var modelBuilder = new ODataConventionModelBuilder();
modelBuilder.EntitySet<Product>("Products");
modelBuilder.EntitySet<PurchaseOrder>("PurchaseOrders");

var addProduct = modelBuilder.Entity<PurchaseOrder>().Action("AddProduct");
addProduct.Parameter<Product>("product");
addProduct.ReturnsFromEntitySet<PurchaseOrder>("PurchaseOrders");

I've tried replacing addProduct.Parameter<Product>("product"); with:

var productConfig = modelBuilder.StructuralTypes.OfType<EntityTypeConfiguration>().Single(x => x.Name == "Product");
addProduct.SetBindingParameter("product", productConfig, false);

But I haven't been able to find any documentation on how to use SetBindingParameter. If I register Product as a ComplexType, the first code sample works, but then I'm not allowed to register it as Entity.

Can you post the code for the action in question? Does the Product entity have any custom attributes? — eoghank, Nov 01 '13 at 12:48
What's the signature of your web api controller action? Web api may just expect your object to be first but perhaps you have some other primitive (or non-object) param first? [This article](http://www.asp.net/web-api/overview/formats-and-model-binding/parameter-binding-in-aspnet-web-api) details web api parameter binding and may be of use in tracking down the issue. — jandersen, Nov 02 '13 at 06:17
I've tried all kinds of signature combinations with some or all of these parameters: AddProduct([FromODataUri] int key, Product product, ODataActionParameters parameters). If I'm using the SetBindingParameter defined above I get the following error: "This service doesn't support OData requests in the form '~/entityset/key/unresolved'." I had read that article but there seems to be something else going on since the OData layer handles parameters differently than raw Web Api. — sker, Nov 02 '13 at 20:58

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 28 '14 at 12:59

0

You can use Post or Put actions. Just create it in your controller class:

public IHttpActionResult Put([FromODataUri] int key, Product product)
{
    ...
}

I have the same problem in my app and I decided to create DTO classes that are not Entity-types.

answered Jan 28 '14 at 12:59

Alexander Vasilyev

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score 0 · Answer 2 · edited Feb 21 '17 at 09:25

Assuming that you bind an action to an Entity type this works

builder.EntityType<company>().Action("SetCommunities").CollectionEntityParameter<community>("communities");
public async Task<IHttpActionResult> SetCommunities(Guid key, ODataActionParameters parameters)

To be called in this case by e.g. http://localhost:63358/odata/companies(451735ef-15f2-4a9f-b4b9-d50c6410bf7c)/Default.SetCommunities/

How to pass an objet as a parameter to an OData Action using ASP.NET Web Api?

2 Answers2

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