Delete API json missing quotes

Question

1.00/5 (2 votes)

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For a project I get data in json format and all CRUD is also in json.
When deleting a record I need code like this:

[{
	"Id": "1000"
}]

This is correct json. In Postman it works fine.

In my code I use code like this:

C#

HttpClient client = new HttpClient();
client.BaseAddress = new Uri(url);
byte[] cred = UTF8Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("username:password");
client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Authorization = new AuthenticationHeaderValue("Basic", Convert.ToBase64String(cred));
client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Accept.Add(new MediaTypeWithQualityHeaderValue("application/json"));

HttpContent content = new StringContent(data, UTF8Encoding.UTF8, "application/json");
HttpResponseMessage responseMessage = client.PostAsync(url, content).Result;

return responseMessage.ToString();

But my content changes everytime.
from

[{
	"Id": "1000"
}]

to

[{
	Id: "1000"
}]

It loses the double quotes in some way and so it returns a 204 and no record is deleted.

I'm struggeling to find out how to solve this.

What I have tried:

I have tried alle kind of string manipulations but either I end up with no double quotes or two double quotes

like:

[{
	""Id"": "1000"
}]

Posted 5-Nov-17 9:40am

Wiep Corbier

Updated 26-Nov-17 7:02am

Graeme_Grant

v5

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Comments

Graeme_Grant 5-Nov-17 16:54pm

How are you creating the JSON data?

Wiep Corbier 5-Nov-17 17:02pm

like this:

string data = @"[{" + "\"" + propertyName + "\"" + ": " + "\"" + @"" + value + "\"}]";

One of the problems to me is the [ and ] in this case.

Maybe I just need completely different code.

BTW: I'm doing .NET and the receiving end is PHP.
They say that api's are made for making life easier, but if everyody does it in a different way, the easy part is gone :-)

Graeme_Grant 5-Nov-17 17:26pm

Firstly, you don't use verbatim strings for plain strings, so you can drop the @s (read more here: string (C# Reference) | Microsoft Docs[^]). Verbatim strings is only if you don't want to use escaped strings like "\"" - verbatim would be @"""".

For JSON data you should use JSON serialization. You can read more about them in this article: Working with JSON in C# & VB[^]

Your JSON that is hard-coded looks fine. What makes you think that it is not?

Wiep Corbier 6-Nov-17 2:22am

Hi, The problem is: with or without the "@"

Second my biggest problem in coding is: get people to understand my question, although I think I explain it in a way people understand it. But no :-)

When I create a string like:
[{
"Id": "1000"
}]

in Visual Studio I can check what this is:
with the TEXT Visualizer it is:
[{"Id": "4"}]
with the XML Visualizer there is:
nothing
in HTML Visualizer there is:
[{"Id": "4"}]

In JSON Visualizer there is:
> [JSON]
> [0]
> Id: "4"

So, the " are gone and it results in 'no delete'. (204)

I can not make it much more clear.

Graeme_Grant 6-Nov-17 2:47am

You are looking too hard at it. Each visualizer does it differently.

install Fiddler[^], run and peek at the traffic. There you will see what is actually sent. Alternatively, write it to a text file and open in NotePad.

Wiep Corbier 6-Nov-17 2:50am

I'm looking hard to it because I have a problem and I don't understand how to solve it.

I still don't.

btw: I use postman and that is an app similar to Fiddler.
I does exactly the same.

But...maybe someone else has a solution. I understand you don't :-)

My biggest problem is to get people to understand my questions.
It goes like this:

Hi, what is your name?
Answer, well when you go to cityhall and ask the clerk ..he knows the anwer.
Me: huh?
Yeah: or try my dad, or mom , they know.
Me: what?

And so it goed on and on.

Graeme_Grant 6-Nov-17 2:55am

What does POSTMAN say then?

What happens when you send the data? What does the receiving end see?

Also "Second my biggest problem in coding is: get people to understand". I have written dozens of apps that work with RESTful services, like what you describe. Actually, we do, but it is not what you want to hear. Please take the time to read and respectfully communicate when you are wanting help and help is offered. Developers sacrifice and contribute their own time for free to help fellow developers resolve difficulties.

Wiep Corbier 6-Nov-17 2:58am

You: What does POSTMAN say then?

Answer: in Postman it works fine.

I don't blame you for anything, I just told you it is ME who can't get a question to be understand.

Graeme_Grant 6-Nov-17 3:00am

There you go, you answered your own question.

You are looking too hard at the different visualizers - each display differently. You can't change that other than to make your own for VS.

Wiep Corbier 6-Nov-17 3:03am

That is what I'm trying. :-)
I tried many so;utions and all fail.

That is why I came here. As my last salvation :-)

you asked me: What happens when you send the data? What does the receiving end see?

I don't know, probably nothing. The code is written by someone who isn't able to answer because he is on holiday. Back at the end of this month.
I get 400 or 204

Graeme_Grant 6-Nov-17 3:05am

Don't fight what is already there in Visual Studio Tools, resistance is futile ;)

Wiep Corbier 6-Nov-17 3:09am

I'm not fighting anything, I just want to understand why this guy has written the "delete" this way and why doesn't my code work.

That is all :-)

Graeme_Grant 6-Nov-17 3:13am

~~Based on the code above, it looks like you have not set the METHOD (GET/POST/PUT/DELETE/PATCH) of the request being made. Defaults to GET, so the body (Content) is probably being ignored.~~

[edit] I still use the old HttpClient (legacy code). Still works in Xamarin (iOS, Android), Mac, & Windows... One day I'll switch.

PostAsync ... so this is setting method = POST, not DELETE. You should be able to see this in POSTMAN. Call HttpClient.DeleteAsync Method (Uri) (System.Net.Http)[^] instead.

Wiep Corbier 6-Nov-17 3:19am

The guy who made the coce wrote: use it just like you use a post.
ofcourse I also tried DELETE, but it also doesn't work for reasons I mentioned a few times.

Again, in Postman it works fine. Message is as expected. Record deleted.

Lets just stop this topic because it goes nowhere.
I will wait for the guy to return from holiday and ask him to write code that will work for me.

I'm done.

Graeme_Grant 6-Nov-17 3:21am

I can only work with what you have shared above. Details of what was tried are not mentioned. So you will get suggestions that you may or may not have already tried.

Last try, compare the raw header and data for both manually in Postman and from code. You will see what the difference is. Fiddler makes it easy to do.

Wiep Corbier 6-Nov-17 3:25am

It is not about Postman or Fiddler, it is my code that doesn't work.

Graeme_Grant 6-Nov-17 3:38am

"compare the raw header and [raw] data for both manually in Postman and from code." The answer will be there in the details.

When one works and the other does not, that is exactly where I look.

Wiep Corbier 6-Nov-17 3:52am

My code gives:

StatusCode: 204, ReasonPhrase: 'No Content', Version: 1.1, Content: System.Net.Http.StreamContent, Headers:
{
Pragma: no-cache
Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *
Access-Control-Max-Age: 3628800
Access-Control-Allow-Methods: GET,POST,DELETE
Access-Control-Allow-Headers: accept, content-type, x-xtra-token
Vary: User-Agent
Cache-Control: no-store, must-revalidate, no-cache, post-check=0, pre-check=0
Date: Mon, 06 Nov 2017 08:51:05 GMT
Set-Cookie: PHPSESSID=87e3j0f8husifdsrof4oepm5n2; path=/
Server: Apache/2
Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf8
Expires: Thu, 19 Nov 1981 08:52:00 GMT
}

For me it is very simple and I'm no json expert.
I need to get
[{
"Id": "1000"
}]

across and I am not able to do it.
That's all.

Graeme_Grant 6-Nov-17 4:15am

Is there no content-length being sent in the header from your C# but being sent from POSTMAN?

Wiep Corbier 6-Nov-17 4:21am

I have no idea.

I only know that what Im sending is corrupted by something because in some way
[{
"Id": "1000"
}]

is transformed to
[{
Id: "1000"
}]

But lets end this.
I don't get my problem across.
I'm not good in english probably

Sorry, but I'm completely done now. It frustrates me like hell but I know it is me.

Thanks for the effort but...
Don't spend anymore time on this, we speak completly different languages.

Graeme_Grant 6-Nov-17 3:11am

Reply to update: The response should have a message in the header or body. Using POSTMAN you will see what that is.

400 = Bad Request. This usually means that the request sent is missing data; 204 = No Content - ref: HTTP Status Codes[^]

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Wiep Corbier · Answer 1 · 2017-11-26T07:02:00

Found a solution. Mind you, had nothing to do with Postman or Fiddler. This is what I mean by: my code doesn't work, I need code that does.
(but G-G, thanks for the effort and time. :-) )

HttpWebRequest request = (HttpWebRequest)WebRequest.Create(url);
            request.Method = "DELETE";
            request.ContentType = "application/json";
            request.Accept = "application/json";

            using (var streamWriter = new StreamWriter(request.GetRequestStream()))
            {
                streamWriter.Write(data);
                streamWriter.Flush();
            }

            using (var httpResponse = (HttpWebResponse)request.GetResponse()) { message = httpResponse.StatusCode.ToString(); }