HTTP Post Request API - Parsing JSON wrapped in Single Quotes

Question

My API accept only Single Quote wrapped JSON. Like:

'{"api_key":"key_api1234","api_secret":"asdfg","uniqueid":"LDM23564GQQP","password":"test1","pin":"94729"}'

I could find a definitive answer neither here nor on the internet.

I Tried many syntax changes on JSON.

let parameters = ["api_key": "key_api1234",
                      "api_secret": "asdfg",
                      "uniqueid": "LDM23564GQQP",
                      "password": "test1",
                      "pin": "94729"]

    guard let url = URL(string: "https://dev-api.authenticateuser") else { return }
    var request = URLRequest(url: url)
    request.httpMethod = "POST"
    request.addValue("application/json", forHTTPHeaderField: "Content-Type")
    guard let httpBody = try? JSONSerialization.data(withJSONObject: parameters, options: []) else { return }
    request.httpBody = httpBody

    let session = URLSession.shared
    session.dataTask(with: request) { (data, response, error) in
        if let response = response {
            print(response)
        }

        if let data = data {
            do {
                let json = try JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: data, options: [])
                print(json)
            } catch {
                print(error)
            }
        }

        }.resume()

I am receiving a 500 Error

What about transforming into JSON, then adding yourself the single quotes? — Larme, Jan 28 '19 at 16:12
BTW That's a terrible API for couple of reasons: 1. Claims it accepts json, but expects a string that is not a valid json 2. Doesn't return a proper error code — mag_zbc, Jan 28 '19 at 16:13
Just do `let singleQuote = "'".data(encoding.utf8); request.httpBody = singleQuote + httpBody + singleQuote` (this might not compile, but you should get the idea), but as noted by mag_zbc, that's a bad API. — Larme, Jan 28 '19 at 18:40

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 28 '19 at 16:10

Inserted Single Quotes inside the String and transform it to Data.

Problem solved:

    guard let url = URL(string: "https://dev-api.authenticateuser") else { return }
    var request = URLRequest(url: url)
    request.httpMethod = "POST"
    request.addValue("application/json", forHTTPHeaderField: "Content-Type")
    request.addValue("*/*", forHTTPHeaderField: "Accept")
    let jsonData = "'{\"api_secret\":\"asdfg\",\"uniqueid\":\"LDM23564GQQP\",\"pin\":\"94729\",\"password\":\"test1\",\"api_key\":\"key_api1234\"}'".data(using: .utf8)

    request.httpBody = jsonData
    let session = URLSession.shared
    session.dataTask(with: request) { (data, response, error) in
        if let response = response {
            print(response)
        }

        if let data = data {
            do {
                let json = try JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: data, options: [])
                print(json)
            } catch {
                print(error)
            }
        }

    }.resume()

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered Jan 29 '19 at 11:15

That's a bad design API. Forcing to embed the JSON into single quotes, I'd suggest if you cant to tell the back-end developper to fix it.

Still, if you want it to work, you can just convert single quote to Data, and what you called httpBody, append that single quote before and after.

With bad practice with force unwrap (use of !), but to emphasize the logic:

let parameters = ["api_key": "key_api1234",
                  "api_secret": "asdfg",
                  "uniqueid": "LDM23564GQQP",
                  "password": "test1",
                  "pin": "94729"]

var request = URLRequest(url: URL(string: "www.stackoverflow.com")!)

let singleQuote = "'".data(using: .utf8)!
let parametersJSON = try! JSONSerialization.data(withJSONObject: parameters, options: [])

let finalBody = singleQuote + parametersJSON + singleQuote
print("request.httpBody string: \(String(data: finalBody, encoding: .utf8)!)")
request.httpBody = finalBody

Output:

$>request.httpBody string: '{"api_key":"key_api1234","uniqueid":"LDM23564GQQP","pin":"94729","password":"test1","api_secret":"asdfg"}'

Totally agree. I will. Help me a lot. Thank you – Inaldor Jan 29 '19 at 13:24 — Inaldor, Jan 29 '19 at 13:24

HTTP Post Request API - Parsing JSON wrapped in Single Quotes

2 Answers2