Post complex type formatted as form-url-encoded using ASP.Net HttpClient

Question

I need to HTTP POST a complex type to a web service (which I don't controll). I believe the web service was built using an older version of ASP.NET MVC. It model binds payloads formatted as form-url-encoded.

If I fire the following at it, it works perfectly. As you can see, I've manually created a collection of key/value pairs.

    var values = new List<KeyValuePair<string, string>>
    {
        new KeyValuePair<string, string>("Username", "some-username"),
        new KeyValuePair<string, string>("Password", "some-password"),
        new KeyValuePair<string, string>("Product", "some-product")
    };

    var content = new FormUrlEncodedContent(values);

    var response = new HttpClient().PostAsync(url, content).Result;

But I don't want to have to do this, I just want to send complex types if I can.

var content = new ComplexType("some-username", "some-password", "some-product");

var response = new HttpClient().PostAsync(url, content).Result;

I believe there used to be a HttpRequestMessage<T> but that's been dropped in favour of

HttpClient.PostAsJsonAsync<T>(T value) sends “application/json” HttpClient.PostAsXmlAsync<T>(T value) sends “application/xml”

But I don't want to send Json or XML I want to send form-url-ecncoded without the hassle of converting complex types to collections of key/value pairs.

Essentially I'd also like to know the answer to this question that Jaans poses (His is the second comment to the second answer).

Can anyone advise please.

Answer 1

Flurl [disclosure: I'm the author] provides a method that seems to be exactly what you're looking for:

using Flurl.Http;

var resp = await url.PostUrlEncodedAsync(new {
    Username = "some-username",
    Password = "some-password",
    Product = "some-product",
});

Flurl is small and portable, and uses HttpClient under the hood. It is available via NuGet:

PM> Install-Package Flurl.Http