Passing an JSON array to MVC Web API via GET

Question

I know there are tons of answers for this topic, but couldn't find the solution to my issue. I have an ASP.NET MVC Web API that looks like this:

    [HttpGet]     public IList<Country> GetCountryList(List<long> idList) 

And I've tried calling it like this:

    $.ajax({         dataType: "json",         data: JSON.stringify({idList: listOfIds}),                     type: "GET",         url: "api/v1/util/CountryList",         success: function (result) {             alert(result);         }     }); 

The URL then looks like this:

https://localhost/supertext/api/v1/util/CountryList?{%22idList%22:[46,14,62,83,120]} 

Alternative:

    $.ajax({         dataType: "json",         data: {             idList: JSON.stringify(listOfIds),         }                   type: "GET",         url: "api/v1/util/CountryList",         success: function (result) {             alert(result);         }     }); 

URL:

https://localhost/supertext/api/v1/util/CountryList?idList=%5B46%2C14%2C62%2C83%2C120%5D 

Both methods don't work.

Do I really have to send and receive it as a string or use POST?

Answer 1

No, don't try to be sending JSON in a GET request. Use JSON with other verbs which have body, such as POST and PUT.

Do it the standard way, by decorating your action parameter with the [FromUri] attribute:

public IList<Country> GetCountryList([FromUri] List<long> idList) {     ... } 

and then just trigger the AJAX request:

$.ajax({     url: 'api/v1/util/CountryList',     type: 'GET',     data: { idList: [1, 2, 3] },     traditional: true,     success: function (result) {         console.log(JSON.stringify(result));     } }); 

Further recommended reading for you about how the model binding in the Web API works:

http://www.asp.net/web-api/overview/working-with-http/sending-html-form-data,-part-1